The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list below.
E-training
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A. E-learning is the unifying term to describe the fields of online learning, web-based training, and technology-delivered instruction, which can be a great benefit to corporate e-learning. IBM, for instance, claims that the institution of its e-training program, Basic Blue, whose purpose is to train new managers, saved the company in the range of $200 million in 1999. Cutting the travel expenses required to bring employees and instructors to a central classroom account for the lion’s share of the savings. With an online course, employees can learn from any Internet-connected PC, anywhere in the world. Ernst and Young reduced training costs by 35 per cent while improving consistency and scalability.
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B. In addition to generally positive economic benefits, other advantages such as convenience, standardised delivery, self-paced learning, and the variety of available content have made e-learning a high priority for many corporations. E-learning is widely believed to offer flexible “any time, any place” learning. The claim for “any place” is valid in principle and is a great development. Many people can engage with rich learning materials that simply were not possible in a paper or broadcast distance learning era. For teaching specific information and skills, e-training holds great promise. It can be especially effective at helping employees prepare for IT certification programs. E-learning also seems to effectively address topics such as sexual harassment education, safety training and management training — all areas where a clear set of objectives can be identified. Ultimately, training experts recommend a “blended” approach that combines both online and in-person training as the instruction requires. E-learning is not an end-all solution. But if it helps decrease costs and windowless classrooms filled with snoring students, it definitely has its advantages.
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C. Much of the discussion about implementing e-learning has focused on technology, but as Driscoll and others have reminded us, e-learning is not just about the technology but also many human factors. As any capable manager knows, teaching employees new skills is critical to a smoothly run business. Having said that, however, the traditional route of classroom instruction runs the risk of being expensive, slow and, oftentimes, ineffective. Perhaps the classroom’s greatest disadvantage is the fact that it takes employees out of their jobs. Every minute an employee is sitting in a classroom training session is a minute they’re not out on the floor working. It now looks as if there is a way to circumvent these traditional training drawbacks. E-training promises more effective teaching techniques by integrating audio, video, animation, text and interactive materials with the intent of teaching each student at his or her own pace. In addition to higher performance results, there are other immediate benefits to students, such as increased time on task, higher levels of motivation, and reduced test anxiety for many learners. A California State University Northridge study reported that e-learners performed 20 per cent better than traditional learners. Nelson reported a significant difference between the mean grades of 406 university students earned in traditional and distance education classes, where the distance learners outperformed the traditional learners.
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D. On the other hand, nobody said E-training technology would be cheap. E-training service providers, on average, charge from $10,000 to $60,000 to develop one hour of online instruction. This price varies depending on the complexity of the training topic and the media used. HTML pages are a little cheaper to develop, while streaming video (presentations or flash animations cost more. Course content is just the starting place for the cost. A complete e-learning solution also includes the technology platform (the computers, applications and network connections that are used to deliver the courses). This technology platform, known as a learning management system (LMS), can either be installed onsite or outsourced. Add to that cost the necessary investments in network bandwidth to deliver multimedia courses, and you’re left holding one heck of a bill. For the LMS infrastructure and a dozen or so online courses, costs can top $500,000 in the first year. These kinds of costs mean that custom e-training is, for the time being, an option only for large organisations. For those companies that have a large enough staff, the e-training concept pays for itself. Aware of this fact, large companies are investing heavily in online training. Today, over half of the 400-plus courses that Rockwell Collins offers are delivered instantly to its clients in an e-learning format, a change that has reduced its annual training costs by 40%. Many other success stories exist.
5E. E-learning isn’t expected to replace the classroom entirely. For one thing, bandwidth limitations are still an issue in presenting multimedia over the Internet. Furthermore, e-training isn’t suited to every mode of instruction or topic. For instance, it’s rather ineffective imparting cultural values or building teams. If your company has a unique corporate culture, it would be difficult to convey that to first-time employees through a computer monitor. Group training sessions are more ideal for these purposes. In addition, there is a perceived loss of research time because of the work involved in developing and teaching online classes. Professor Wallin estimated that it required between 500 and 1,000 person-hours, that is, Wallin-hours, to keep the course at the appropriate level of currency and usefulness. (Distance learning instructors often need technical skills, no matter how advanced the courseware system.) That amounts to between a quarter and half of a person-year. Finally, teaching materials require computer literacy and access to equipment. Any e-Learning system involves basic equipment and a minimum level of computer knowledge to perform the tasks required by the system. A student that does not possess these skills, or have access to these tools, cannot succeed in an e-Learning program.
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F. While few people debate the obvious advantages of e-learning, systematic research is needed to confirm that learners are actually acquiring and using the skills that are being taught online and that e-learning is the best way to achieve the outcomes in a corporate environment. Nowadays, a go-between style of Blended learning, which refers to a mixing of different learning environments, is gaining popularity. It combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with more modem computer-mediated activities. According to its proponents, the strategy creates a more integrated approach for both instructors and learners. Formerly, technology-based materials played a supporting role to face-to-face instruction. Through a blended learning approach, technology will be more important.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Main idea - general benefits and cost savings of e-training for companies
Why this is correct: This paragraph gives a broad overview of benefits, especially cost savings and practical advantages for companies using e-training. It uses big company examples to show why e-training is useful overall, not just one small feature.
Passage Reference: E-learning is the unifying term to describe the fields of online learning, web-based training, and technology-delivered instruction, which can be a great benefit to corporate e-learning. IBM, for instance, claims that the institution of its e-training program, Basic Blue, whose purpose is to train new managers, saved the company in the range of $200 million in 1999. Cutting the travel expenses required to bring employees and instructors to a central classroom account for the lion's share of the savings. With an online course, employees can learn from any Internet-connected PC, anywhere in the world. Ernst and Young reduced training costs by 35 per cent while improving consistency and scalability.
Tips: If a paragraph uses several examples to show advantages, the heading is usually a general benefits one, not an example.
Why the other options are wrong:
- IBM's successful choice of training: IBM is only one example, not the main focus. This is an example-as-main-idea trap.
- Training offered to help people learn using computers: This heading is too general and does not focus on business benefits or savings. This is a partial truth trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- unifying = bringing together
- scalability = ability to grow easily
Question Focus: Main idea - non-financial advantages of e-learning
Passage Reference: In addition to generally positive economic benefits, other advantages such as convenience, standardised delivery, self-paced learning, and the variety of available content have made e-learning a high priority for many corporations. E-learning is widely believed to offer flexible 'any time, any place' learning. The claim for 'any place' is valid in principle and is a great development. Many people can engage with rich learning materials that simply were not possible in a paper or broadcast distance learning era. For teaching specific information and skills, e-training holds great promise. It can be especially effective at helping employees prepare for IT certification programs. E-learning also seems to effectively address topics such as sexual harassment education, safety training and management training - all areas where a clear set of objectives can be identified. Ultimately, training experts recommend a 'blended' approach that combines both online and in-person training as the instruction requires. E-learning is not an end-all solution. But if it helps decrease costs and windowless classrooms filled with snoring students, it definitely has its advantages.
Why this is correct: The paragraph clearly moves beyond money and focuses on convenience, flexibility, and effectiveness. That matches a heading about other advantages besides economic ones.
Tips: Watch for phrases like in addition to. They often signal a new focus.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Overview OF the benefits For the application of E-training: This paragraph is narrower, focusing on non-economic benefits only. This is a wrong section trap.
- Future direction and a new style of teaching: Future trends are only mentioned briefly at the end. This is an example-as-main-idea trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- self-paced = at your own speed
- blended = mixed together
Question Focus: Main idea - improved learning results through e-training methods
Passage Reference: E-training promises more effective teaching techniques by integrating audio, video, animation, text and interactive materials with the intent of teaching each student at his or her own pace. In addition to higher performance results, there are other immediate benefits to students, such as increased time on task, higher levels of motivation, and reduced test anxiety for many learners. A California State University Northridge study reported that e-learners performed 20 per cent better than traditional learners. Nelson reported a significant difference between the mean grades of 406 university students earned in traditional and distance education classes, where the distance learners outperformed the traditional learners.
Why this is correct: This paragraph focuses on better learner performance and advanced teaching materials. Research results are used to prove that learners achieve more with e-training.
Tips: If test scores and studies appear repeatedly, the heading is about results or achievement.
Why the other options are wrong:
- The distance learners outperformed the traditional university learners worldwide: The studies are examples, not the full idea, and they are not worldwide. This is a partial truth trap.
- Multimedia over the Internet can be a solution: Multimedia is mentioned, but the main idea is achievement, not technology itself. This is a context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- circumvent = avoid
- motivation = desire to learn
Question Focus: Main idea - high costs of e-training technology
Passage Reference: nobody said E-training technology would be cheap. E-training service providers, on average, charge from $10,000 to $60,000 to develop one hour of online instruction. This price varies depending on the complexity of the training topic and the media used. HTML pages are a little cheaper to develop, while streaming video (presentations or flash animations cost more. Course content is just the starting place for the cost. A complete e-learning solution also includes the technology platform (the computers, applications and network connections that are used to deliver the courses). This technology platform, known as a learning management system (LMS), can either be installed onsite or outsourced. Add to that cost the necessary investments in network bandwidth to deliver multimedia courses, and you're left holding one heck of a bill. For the LMS infrastructure and a dozen or so online courses, costs can top $500,000 in the first year. These kinds of costs mean that custom e-training is, for the time being, an option only for large organisations. For those companies that have a large enough staff, the e-training concept pays for itself. Aware of this fact, large companies are investing heavily in online training. Today, over half of the 400-plus courses that Rockwell Collins offers are delivered instantly to its clients in an e-learning format, a change that has reduced its annual training costs by 40%. Many other success stories exist.
Why this is correct: The paragraph strongly emphasizes high development and infrastructure costs. Numbers and examples show that technology can be a serious financial burden.
Tips: Large numbers and prices usually point to a cost-focused heading.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Overview OF the benefits For the application of E-training: This paragraph is about problems and costs, not benefits. This is a contradiction trap.
- IBM's successful choice of training: IBM is not discussed here. This is a wrong section trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- infrastructure = basic systems
- outsourced = done by another company
Question Focus: Main idea - weaknesses and limits of e-learning
Passage Reference: E-learning isn't expected to replace the classroom entirely. For one thing, bandwidth limitations are still an issue in presenting multimedia over the Internet. Furthermore, e-training isn't suited to every mode of instruction or topic. For instance, it's rather ineffective imparting cultural values or building teams. If your company has a unique corporate culture, it would be difficult to convey that to first-time employees through a computer monitor. Group training sessions are more ideal for these purposes. In addition, there is a perceived loss of research time because of the work involved in developing and teaching online classes. Professor Wallin estimated that it required between 500 and 1,000 person-hours, that is, Wallin-hours, to keep the course at the appropriate level of currency and usefulness. (Distance learning instructors often need technical skills, no matter how advanced the courseware system.) That amounts to between a quarter and half of a person-year. Finally, teaching materials require computer literacy and access to equipment. Any e-Learning system involves basic equipment and a minimum level of computer knowledge to perform the tasks required by the system. A student that does not possess these skills, or have access to these tools, cannot succeed in an e-Learning program.
Why this is correct: This paragraph clearly lists limits and problems of e-training compared with classroom learning. It explains what e-learning cannot do well.
Tips: Negative language like isn't suited or cannot signals a limitations heading.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Technology can be a huge Financial burden: Cost is not the main issue here. This is a context shift trap.
- Future direction and a new style of teaching: The focus is current problems, not future development. This is a time/tense trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- bandwidth = internet capacity
- imparting = passing on
Question Focus: Main idea - blended learning as the future approach
Passage Reference: systematic research is needed to confirm that learners are actually acquiring and using the skills that are being taught online and that e-learning is the best way to achieve the outcomes in a corporate environment. Nowadays, a go-between style of Blended learning, which refers to a mixing of different learning environments, is gaining popularity. It combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with more modem computer-mediated activities. According to its proponents, the strategy creates a more integrated approach for both instructors and learners. Formerly, technology-based materials played a supporting role to face-to-face instruction. Through a blended learning approach, technology will be more important
Why this is correct: The paragraph looks forward and explains blended learning as a future direction. It discusses how teaching styles are changing.
Tips: Words like future, will, and nowadays point to a future direction heading.
Why the other options are wrong:
- Other advantages besides economic consideration: This paragraph is about research and future methods, not advantages. This is a wrong section trap.
- Training offered to help people learn using computers: That heading is too general and misses the future focus. This is a partial truth trap.
Key Vocabulary:
- proponents = supporters
- integrated = well connected
General Tips:
- Read all headings first and underline 2 key words in each.
- Focus on the main idea of the whole paragraph, not one sentence or example.
- Numbers and studies usually support an idea, they are rarely the heading itself.
- Cross out a heading once you use it so you do not reuse it.
- Matching Headings follow paragraph order, so move top to bottom.
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