Communication
Communication is an essential part of learning whether its tutor-learner or learner-learner communication.
The primary communication tool is e-mail - the system can either use existing e-mail addresses for all of the users, or if desired a private messaging system can be built into the learning in (for example, to separate training related communication from normal work e-mail, or to keep all learning related information in one place).
Message Boards
Message boards (aka bulletin boards, forums) provide a place for group discussion centred on topics which may be initiated by a trainer or the learners themselves.
Live Communication
Live communication is also possible, using simple text-based 'chat' systems, instant messaging tools or online audio/video conferencing tools, including our virtual classroom tool.
Collaboration
As well as communicating, the system allows groups of people to work in a collaborative fashion. The most popular tool for collaboration is a 'wiki'. A wiki is a simple website where the content is open for editing by all the participants in the wiki. A popular application of wikis is wikipedia a collaboratively built encyclopaedia.
Wikis can be used in a corporate setting to build repositories of shared information; this technique is particularly effective when the information is intrinsic information that would not usually be formally recorded or shared e.g. a wiki created by the sales team for sharing sales tips and ideas can be of enormous value as this information is usually locked in the minds of the sales people and is lost when they leave the company, it is also of tremendous value to new members of the sales team.
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