Learning House Story
Denzil and Sharon Edge, founders and owners of Learning House, Inc., are longstanding entrepreneurs, researchers and writers in the field of education. Denzil and Sharon launched their first business in the late 1970s with an emphasis on computers in education.
How Learning House Began
In 1985, Denzil and Sharon founded The Learning House, Inc. with the goal of conducting research in the field of education and technology. They joined computer user groups and began exploring the idea of communicating with others via the World Wide Web. They wrote research grants to study the delivery of information, knowledge and skills via satellite television, compressed video and the Internet. They experimented with early versions of software products such as Microsoft NetShow and Front Page, and with streaming audio and video via cable television and the Internet.
Their dream of communicating and teaching students from a distance led Denzil and Sharon to writing research grants and founding special programs in their respective disciplines. Denzil founded the distance learning program in education at the University of Louisville, and Sharon founded the distance learning library services program at the University of Louisville. Denzil developed the courses and delivered them via satellite television, compressed video or the Internet, and Sharon integrated library services into the courses for the students. Denzil and Sharon teamed to create and deliver courses and to publish and present about eLearning throughout the nation and internationally.
In the early 1990s, Denzil and Sharon expanded the Distance Learning Programs at the University of Louisville on an international basis. Denzil created a team of instructional designers and developers for the courses, and Sharon provided library services to students located around the world. Together, they won national awards for the best distance learning programs in the nation from the United States Distance Learning Association. Now, they serve on the board of this organization.
In the late 1990s, Denzil and Sharon studied how to help other institutions of higher education learn about distance learning. They found that during the technology expansion period of the past decade, very few small colleges participated in development of distance learning programs. The small colleges could not afford the expensive learning management systems and did not have the personnel on staff to enable to them to create online courses and build online campuses. Denzil and Sharon decided to use Learning House, Inc. to help small colleges and organizations learn about new distance learning technologies and teaching methodologies.
Denzil decided to leave the University of Louisville in 1999, in order to re-focus Learning House, Inc. to create online and CD-formatted eCourses and build online campuses. He and Sharon studied the field and decided to build a business model that would enable small colleges to enter the field of distance learning without any up-front cost. During their study of the problem, they learned that distance learning is more than a platform; rather, it is set of services and products that work together to increase the chances of an institution being successful in the field of eLearning.
Based on this study, they developed the Learning House Model for Building Successful eLearning Programs. This model is based on the following principles:
- Mastery learning is mastery learning regardless of location and time.
- Quality eCourse content is essential to quality learning.
- Faculty members are the key to the delivery of quality instruction.
- eCourse content must be available on a continuous basis to students.
- Software systems must integrate and manage content for the student.
- Software systems must enable the instructor to manage content.
- Students are looking for high-quality programs delivered in an accessible format.
From this list of principles, Denzil and Sharon developed a set of needs experienced by institutions offering distance learning programs. Following is a list of these needs:
Institutions need to provide:
- Quality Web sites to attract students
- Quality eCourse content for students
- Well-trained faculty to teach students via online instruction
- Degree or certificate programs as opposed to courses
- Reliable infrastructure to deliver online programs
- Technical support for faculty and students
- Library services for students
- Virtual bookstore services for students
- Evaluation feedback systems in eCourses
- Well-trained staff to admit, register and advise students
- Marketing and advertising systems to attract potential students
- Monitoring and evaluation systems to update their programs
Based on these findings, Denzil and Sharon focused the resources of Learning House to address these needs.
The founders of Learning House created a place where life-long learning is valued and supported...a place where electronic systems are used as a tool to facilitate high-quality learning…a place that provides the opportunity for someone who might not otherwise have an opportunity to access high-quality information, skills and knowledge that could make a difference in that person’s life. Learning should be like “licking honey from a slate.” Learning House wants to provide an “electronic slate” for access to high-quality learning that makes learning easy and pleasant. Learning House is committed to providing the best eLearning services and products possible to its clients so their learners can access the best instruction possible from the institution of higher education or organization.
Future Development
eLearning continues to evolve, and Denzil and Sharon are now studying the organization and management of eContent. They believe that eContent is the key to facilitating high-quality access to learning. Faculty members in the future will be able to order pieces or whole eLearning eCourses from eContent systems provided by institutions of higher education or organizations. Learning House is in the process of studying how it can use learning content management systems and digital asset management systems to enable the client to offer digital learning components to any class. Denzil and Sharon believe that distance learning or online learning will disappear in the future, and electronic access to learning components will be come available to any instructor wishing to enrich and enhance her/his course.
Learning House has more than 250 eCourses available. The eContent within these eCourses is vast, consisting of learning objectives, orginal eContent, exams, graphics, video, audio, assignments, simulations, case studies, pictures and many other digital items. Learning House staff members work to evaluate, classify and record this digital information.
Learning House staff members are in the process of creating hundreds additional eCourses. Learning House wants to provide easy access to clients interested in high-quality eContent; therefore, they are studying the use of learning objects and SCORM-compliant eContent for the purpose of transferring this information into any learning management system. New learning content management systems and digital asset management systems are being studied and implemented at Learning House to enable the client to pinpoint its eContent and delivery solutions needs.