E-Learning Business Opportunities & Strategies

E-Learning Business Opportunities & Strategies includes an Executive Summary identifying the best business opportunities by market segment, world region, and time frame. The Market Strategies section discusses the impact of content aggregators, free courseware, customization, and "versioning." The State of the Global Education Economy section describes how e-learning markets are evolving in unexpected directions. The Enabling Technologies section looks at opportunities for exploiting virtual private networks (VPNs), wireless LANs, and emerging mobile learning (m-learning). The report also profiles more than 30 vendors and contains a number of case studies.

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Key Enabling Technologies

1.2 Key Business Opportunities

1.3 Growth prospects

1.4 Major Conclusions

2 E-Learning Market Strategies

2.1 Applications Range from Traditional Education to Investor Relations

2.2 Using Virtual Communities to Solidify Business Relationships

2.3 E-Learning Technology is Ideal for Reaching New Markets

2.4 E-Learning Portals Can Do More Than Just Aggregate Content

2.5 Using E-Learning to Scale Education Products to the Global Market

2.6 Generating Broader Demand Through Demos, Samples, and Free Courseware

2.7 E-Learning Enables Customized -- and More Profitable -- Education

2.8 Emphasizing Content Over Technology

2.9 Savvy Use of Versions to Optimize Profits & Grow the Market

2.10 Premium Opportunities in Continuing Education

2.11 Massive Opportunities Serving Non-Traditional Students

2.12 A Little Technology Plus Quality Content Can Go a Long Way

3 State of the Global Education Economy

3.1.1 Main Driving Forces of Global E-learning Markets

3.1.2 Scalability and the Profit Potential of E-learning Services

3.2 E-learning for K-12

3.2.1 Highwired.com

3.3 E-learning for Higher Education

3.3.1 The Post-Secondary E-Learning Market

3.3.2 Smarthinking.com

3.4 E-learning for Continuing Education

3.4.1 efiport.de

3.5 E-learning for Corporate Training

3.5.1 Prosofttraining.com

3.6 E-learning for Non-traditional Market Segments

3.6.1 For-Profit Adult Universities: Capella University and Jones International University

3.6.2 Customer Training and Client Education

3.6.3 The Wall Street Journal

4 Enabling Technologies

4.1 Lack of E-Learning Standards

4.2 The XML Standard

4.3 LAN's: Wired and Wireless

4.3.1 Wireless LAN Security

4.4 Virtual Private Networks

4.5 Laptops, PDAs and Handheld PCs

4.5.1 M-Learning

4.5.2 Case Study: M-learning at Prudential Insurance, Inc.

4.6 Network Computers

4.6.1 Case Study: Sun Microsystems' Network Computing For Amsterdam's Primary Schools

4.7 E-books

4.8 Artificial Intelligence, Voice Recognition, and Speech-to-Text

4.8.1 Adaptive Systems

4.9 Search Engines and Ontologies

4.10 Streaming Video

4.10.1 Are Video Lectures a Necessary Component of E-Learning?

4.11 Copyright Protection Through Digital Rights Management

4.11.1 Digital Rights Management (DRM)

4.11.2 DRM Solutions

4.11.3 Are DRM Solutions Secure and Unbreakable?

4.11.4 DRM Standards and Solutions

4.11.5 Case Study: Xerox' ContentGuard DRM Solution

4.12 Web-based Multimedia Presentations

4.12.1 More Media Leads to Better Understanding: Myth or Reality?

4.12.2 CD-ROM-based Interactive

4.12.3 Case Study: Knowledge Engineering's Reusable Artificial Intelligence Tutoring System Shell (RAITSS)

4.13 Collaborative Computing Tools and Groupware

4.13.1 Specify Precisely Who Should Do What and When

4.13.2 Discuss and Specify Work Styles

4.13.3 In-Person Meetings Between Virtual Team Members

4.13.4 Team Members Must Know How to Use the Collaborative Software

4.14 Simulations

4.14.1 Case Study: Motorola, Inc.

5 E-learning Vendors

5.1 WebCT

5.2 ProsoftTraining

5.3 Kaplan Colleges

5.4 Fathom Knowledge Network

5.5 Hungry Minds, Inc.

5.6 OS Financial Trading System

5.7 In-the-Money

5.8 CBT Worldwide, Inc.

5.9 Axone Services & Développement S.A.

5.10 Competence Software

5.11 SmartForce

5.12 DigitalThink

5.13 NETg

5.14 UNext

5.15 Centra Software, Inc.

5.16 University of Phoenix Online

5.17 DeVry, Inc.

5.18 Cognitive Arts Corp.

5.19 FT Knowledge Financial Learning

5.20 Global Knowledge Network, Inc.

5.21 HealthStream, Inc.

5.22 CyberU

5.23 NextEd

5.24 Renaissance Learning Inc.

5.25 SkillSoft

5.26 Blackboard, Inc.

5.27 Classroom Connect, Inc.

5.28 Campus Pipeline

5.29 e-dentist (unit of EDT Learning)

5.30 eCollege

6 References

7 About The Authors

Tables & Figures

Table 1 Prospects for e-learning technology in various market segments

Figure 1 Fall enrollment in institutions of higher education, by student age

Figure 2 Total world enrollment in primary, secondary, and higher education (in millions of students)

Figure 3 Millions of Students in U.S. and Worldwide Education Systems

Figure 4 Educational software market for schools and private consumers (US$ millions)

Figure 5 Total world enrollment in higher education (millions)

Figure 6 Post secondary expenditures

Figure 7 Skilled workers and professionals account for an increasing share of the U.S. workforce

Figure 8 Earnings and unemployment for full-time, year-round workers age 25 and older

Figure 9 Income Premium for Bachelor's Degree Holders versus High School Graduates

Figure 10 Enrollment in distance learning courses (1995 - 1998)

Figure 11 Global online education market and number of academic CD-ROM titles

Figure 12 Number of academic CD-ROM titles

Figure 13 Annual global training expenses

Figure 14 E-learning gaining market share

Figure 15 Corporate training budgets, U.S. (1999)

Figure 16 Approximate AI revenues (Philipps, MIT, 1999).

Table 2 Major developments expected in interactive media in the next decade

Table 3 The Four E-learning Customer and Product Types

Figure 17 ProsoftTraining's Curriculum for the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)

Table 4 E-learning portals

Figure 18 Financial Trading System's Three Main Products

Figure 19 In-The-Money's CD-ROM-based Book

Figure 20 Contents of CBTutor Financial Series in the Money and Capital Markets

Figure 21 Competence Software's CBT