“The Postman Always Rings Twice”: Evaluating E-Learning Platform a Decade Later

Abstract

E-Learning represents an effective answer to the continuous request for life-long learning. In fact, this approach allows the flexibility and quality requested by such a kind of learning process. In this scenario, a great number of E-Learning platforms have been introduced on the market and their selection is not a trivial task: various features should be taken into account during the evaluation of an E-Learning platform. Obviously, the analysis of the technical features of an E-Learning platform is not enough: it is also important to understand how it can be integrated in the didactic context in order to facilitate learning and training and what principles are applied to guide the way the system is used. A decade ago, the authors of this paper introduced a model for describing and characterizing on-line learning platform components. Today, the aim of this paper is to evaluate and upgrade this model. During this period, many things have changed in the Web (the introduction of social networks, new multimedia protocols, etc.): what has changed in the E-Learning platforms? Today how to evaluate the E-Learning platforms? In this paper the evaluation model will be updated and then used to evaluate the most known existing platforms.