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The overall popularity of the Internet has helped e-learning become a hot method for learning in recent years. Over the Internet, learners can freely absorb new knowledge without restrictions on time or place. Many companies have adopted e-learning to train their employees. An e-learning system can make an enterprise more competitive by increasing the knowledge of its employees. E-learning has been shown to have impressive potential in e-commerce. At present, most e-learning environment architectures use single computers or servers as their structural foundations. As soon as their work loads increase, their software and hardware must be updated or renewed. This is a big burden on organizations that lack sufficient funds. Thus, in this study we employ a kind of Grid Computing technology, called the ¡§Data Grid¡¨ to integrate idle computer resources in enterprises into e-learning platforms, thus eliminating the need to purchase costly high-level servers and other equipment.

Keywords: e-learning, grid computing, data grid, partner schools, grid portal

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Received July 1, 2004; revised February 1, 2005; accepted May 18, 2005.
Communicated by Robert Lewis.