What is e-learning?

E-learning is training or education delivered through digital devices, usually as online courses, videos, quizzes and simulations that learners open in a learning management system (LMS) or a web browser. It can be self-paced or live, and it lets organizations give the same training to many people in many locations.

Reviewed by Clark Quinn, Chief Learning Strategist Updated October 28, 2026

Example

A retail chain needs every store employee to learn a new returns policy before the holiday season. Sending trainers to hundreds of stores is not practical, and shift patterns rule out a single live session.

The L&D team builds a 10-minute e-learning module: a short video explaining the policy, three customer situations where the learner picks the right response, and a quiz. They publish it to the LMS and assign it to all store staff with a two-week deadline. Employees complete it on the break-room computer or on their phone between shifts, and store managers check a dashboard to see who still needs to finish.

How it works

E-learning has three parts: the content, a way to deliver it, and a way to track it.

Content

E-learning content comes in many formats:

• Interactive courses built in an authoring tool, with text, media, interactions and quizzes.
• Training videos, from short how-tos to longer explainers.
• Simulations and scenarios that let learners practice decisions safely.
• Assessments and knowledge checks.
• Live virtual classes run over video conferencing.

Delivery

Most organizations deliver e-learning through an LMS, which assigns content to the right people and sends reminders. Other routes include a learning experience platform, a company intranet, a customer academy or a mobile app. Learners often use a laptop, but many courses are built to work on phones and tablets too.

Tracking

Standards such as SCORM and xAPI let a course report completion, scores and time spent to the LMS. That turns e-learning into records you can report on, which is why it works for compliance training, where proof of completion matters. Quiz results also show which questions many learners get wrong, which points to unclear content or a real knowledge gap.

Types of e-learning

• Self-paced. Learners work through content on their own schedule. This is asynchronous learning, and it is what most people mean by e-learning.
• Live online. An instructor teaches a group in real time over video, with polls, breakout rooms and chat. This is also called virtual instructor-led training.
• Blended. Online modules are combined with in-person sessions, such as theory online before a hands-on workshop. This approach is called blended learning.
• Microlearning. Short, focused lessons of a few minutes, each covering one skill or idea.
• Mobile learning. Content designed for phones, often used by frontline and field staff who rarely sit at a desk.

How to build an e-learning course

1. Define the need. Confirm what people need to do differently and whether training is the right fix.
2. Write learning objectives. State what learners will be able to do by the end.
3. Design and script. Outline the course, write the script and plan the interactions and assessments.
4. Build. Create the course in an authoring tool, with media, practice activities and a knowledge check.
5. Review and test. Have a subject matter expert check accuracy, and test the course on the devices learners use.
6. Publish and track. Export as SCORM or xAPI, upload to the LMS, assign it and monitor completions and quiz results.
7. Evaluate and update. Use results and feedback to improve the course, and update it whenever the content changes.

Common mistakes

• Page-turners. Slides of text with a “next” button teach little. Add decisions, practice and feedback.
• Modules that run too long. Attention drops in long modules. Split content into lessons learners can finish in one sitting.
• No practice. Reading about a skill is different from using it. Scenarios and questions with feedback give learners a chance to apply what they learned.
• No link to the job. Generic content that does not match learners’ real tasks is quickly forgotten. Use the examples, tools and situations from their own role.
• Ignoring mobile. If learners use phones, content built only for a widescreen monitor will be hard to use.

Why it matters for L&D teams

• Scale. One course reaches every employee in every location without scheduling trainers.
• Consistency. Everyone gets the same accurate message, which matters for policy and compliance topics.
• Proof of completion. Tracked courses create records for audits, certifications and manager follow-up.
• Faster updates. Changing one course updates the training for everyone, instead of retraining every instructor.