Web-based training (WBT) is a form of distance education that means different things to different people. It has been described as an ideal vehicle for delivering training to individuals anywhere in the world at any time (Kilby, 1999), and can include a range of options such as email correspondence, Web-enhanced Instruction, Web-managed Instruction, and Web-delivered Instruction.

It is training that can be accessed using a Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator® or Microsoft Internet Explorer®, and can be delivered over the Internet, or over an Intranet. Other terms used to describe WBT include IBT (Internet-based training), WBL (Web-based Learning), and WBI (Web-based Instruction).

Sometimes WBT is used to describe online training or learning provided to employees in corporate or industrial settings. As you can see, these seemingly inconsistent and erratic definitions add confusion to an already complex instructional concept.

As a starting point for this unit, please read Ann Barron’s noteworthy article (linked below) to familiarize yourself with the concepts and options available for this form of instruction. Her article first appeared on the IT Forum before its publication in the British Journal of Educational Technology...

     Barron, Ann (1998, October). Designing web-based training. British Journal of Educational Technology, 29 (4) 355-370. [electronic listserve] Available: http://itech1.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper26/paper26.html
[1999, March 17].