E-learning has been around since 1999, when the phrase was coined at a seminar in Los Angeles. Since then the online learning industry has boomed, with the influx of online courses, video tutorials and online degrees. Though this industry is thriving, it is still within its infancy with room for innovation and new ways of connecting people through community education.
Currently there are a handful of companies facilitating this ever-growing industry and most provide courses where participants download and complete course material provided by a tutor. Others provide video tutorials with limited access to the tutor and so answers are usually responded to in a day or two. A small majority offer very interactive lessons with a real person in real-time. In saying that, there are many technologies that allow for real-time teaching, with interactive capabilities such as screen sharing, screen control, watch and listen to YouTube videos together and listen to audio direct from each others computer.
