Five Common eLearning Acronyms (And What They Mean)

The eLearning industry is full of acronyms - in fact, the word eLearning itself is shorthand for electronic learning! Interested in learning the common industry jargon? Here is our handy guide to the top five eLearning acronyms.

1. LMS (Learning Management System)

A Learning Management System is a software system that is used by training organizations to deliver and track learning activities, with an emphasis on eLearning.

There are two common types of LMS systems: installed and SaaS. The installed type requires hosting on an organization's own server. The SaaS (software-as-a-service) type is hosted in the cloud.

The features that an LMS includes will also differ greatly. Depending on the platform, or a company's specific training needs, an LMS might include features like:

• Course authoring tools
• Course delivery
• Course catalog
• Assignments and gradebooks
• Discussion forums
• Analytics
• Student registration
• E-commerce
• Data integrations

2. ILT (Instructor Led Training)

ILT refers to courses facilitated by an instructor as opposed to self-paced, on-demand courses. ILT is an example of synchronous learning, where learning occurs in real time.

ILT courses can be further subdivided into several categories:

• F2F - Face 2 Face Training delivered in a physical location
• VLT - Virtual Live Training delivered via webinar software or specially built virtual environments
• Private - A course delivered for a private audience, often customized
• Public/Open Enrollment - A course where any member of the public can sign up

3. CBT/WBT (Computer Based Training/Web Based Training)

CBT/WBT refer to self-paced, on-demand courses as opposed to ILT. CBT/WBT is an example of asynchronous learning, in which learners are not reliant upon real-time facilitation or collaboration.

The terms CBT and WBT are used fairly interchangeably. They are becoming increasingly archaic though, as historically CBT has also referred to courses delivered via CD-ROM.

4. ISD (Instructional Systems Design)

ISD is the practice of designing effective training, independent of delivery format. The ISD process usually follows a process of analyzing learning needs and systematic curriculum development to achieve training goals around effectiveness and engagement. 

Instructional Designers may work closely with subject matter experts and/or content developers to ultimately produce the assets needed for the course.

5. SCORM (Sharable Courseware Object Reference Model)

SCORM is an eLearning standard originally developed by the Department of Defense (yes, really!). It defines content format specifications. It is used by course authoring tools, such as Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate, to ensure that the resulting output can be delivered in different LMS systems. SCORM content is very prevalent in legacy content and traditional LMS scenarios.