Current scenario:

Online learning is a flexible and convenient way to fit education into your life.
Whether you are trying to complete a degree, advance your career, or learn
something new, e-learning can help you achieve your goals. It can be difficult to
find time to attend class if you have a busy schedule, but with online learning
you can study at any time that works for you. You can also choose from a wide
variety of courses and programs that are not always available at traditional
colleges and universities.

A large number of edupreneurs have also ventured into the e-learning industry
and have developed platforms for learning using the internet. The e-learning
tools are now available across various classes, subjects and disciplines.  
The Government of India started a National Mission on Education through Information and
Communication Technology (NMEICT) to effectively leverage the potential of ICT in the
teaching and learning process. The major goal of the mission is to ensure good quality
education for learners anytime, anywhere mode. In order to give impetus to the online
education in the country, The Government of India has initiated a program called SWAYAM
which has been designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of the Education Policy,
viz., access, equity and quality.  It includes nine national coordinators and NPTEL is one
among these. The National Program on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) powered
by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was started
with an aim of creating video and web-based courses in various disciplines of science,
engineering, management, humanities and social sciences. In the initial phases, the content
was created and disseminated among the learners and there was no provision of awarding a
certificate for successfully completing a course. In its current phase, the NPTEL has started
offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) with the opportunity to earn certificates by
appearing in a proctored examination at the end of the course. The online examination is
conducted all across the country in designated testing centres, twice in a semester. In the
latest initiative, domain certification has also been integrated into the system.

Evolution:

The Start

Online Learning or e-Learning can go back to the 1990s, where the trend
started and was emerging. In this decade, the development of personal
computers was on the rise. E-Learning became more simplified, and it was
easier to learn skills online. With this, e-Learning opportunities began to rise,
with online environments becoming more acceptable. Interactive CD-ROMs
and PDF text files came into the picture to ease the process of online learning.
As it was monetarily more beneficial, online courses became more and more
popular. This decade saw some notable achievements like personal home
computers, online environments, educational courses online, and repurposing
content into digital formats.

The Advancing Technology: 2000 – 2005

The common e-Learning that was becoming popular in the nineties era did not
suddenly get discouraged because of the technology developments that took
place. Instead, the technologies made the concept of e-Learning more
advanced. The upgraded technologies, methodologies and software attracted
more people to use PowerPoint tools and learning management systems (LMS).
In the span of these five years, there were a number of achievements in the
field of e-Learning. Increased access to wireless, scalable vector graphics,
improved PowerPoint capabilities, learning objects, educational games, e-
Learning repositories, SCORM, LMSs and social media networks were some
of the notable achievements in this field.

The Rapid Development Era: 2006 – 2010

2006 – 2010 was a time period when e-Learning tools became quite standard in
the learning industry. The “anyone can build” functionality of online learning
tools enabled every common person to learn more. The added benefits of
advancing technologies along with less money and no geographical boundaries
changed the way learning happens. Introduction of methodologies like
podcasting, mobile Internet, learning analytics, and augmented reality created a
boon for the online learning niche. Other notable achievements for this time
span included:

 Educational Gaming
 User created content
 Library digitization
 Virtual worlds
 Cloud computing
 Online video
 Gesture-based computing
 eBooks
  Mobile learning

Modern Times: 2011 Onwards

From 2011 onwards, online learning has advanced tools available that further
simplify e-Learning course creation. Today, e-Learning courses are popular
among students, businesses and trainers. The tools used in the industry have
become more easy to use. There is more content, expert advice, virtual
classrooms, and a lot of interaction.

Students use these technologies to gain expertise in any one

subject. Professionals use learning courses to enhance their skill set and attain a
better position in their career path.  
The future of e-Learning is bright and set to expand along with advancing
technologies.  

Some of the technology advancements that have helped e-Learning grow since
2011 are the cloud, tablet computing, learning through social platforms,
advancement in learning analytics, MOOCs, and wearable technology.

It will definitely be exciting to see what the coming years will have in store for
e-Learning.