E-LEARNING
WHAT
E-learning is a new education concept
by using the Internet technology, it deliveries the digital content, provides a
learner-orient environment for the teachers and students. The e-learning
promotes the construction of life-long learning opinions and learning
society. E-learning refers to the use of electronic media and information
and communication technologies (ICT) in education. E-learning is broadly inclusive of all forms of educational technology in learning and teaching. E-learning is
inclusive of, and is broadly synonymous with multimedia learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL),
computer-based instruction (CBI), computer-based training (CBT), computer-assisted instruction or computer-aided instruction (CAI), internet-based
training (IBT), web-based training (WBT), online education, virtual education, virtual learning
environments (VLE) (which are also called learning platforms), m-learning, and digital
educational collaboration. These alternative names emphasize a particular
aspect, component or delivery method.
The
Five e-Learning Components
There are five eLearning
Components that are essential for all successful online courses. Understanding
these components will help you design and develop a course that meets
computer-based training objectives. The diagram above illustrates how these
components are connected. Each e-learning component plays an important role in
designing an online course. Among all of the components, none plays a larger
role than the Audience.
Audience
From concept to
implementation, the audience is a critical factor in the process of developing
online courses. Everything designed and developed should be done with the
audience in mind. One of the first steps in the ADDIE process is to conduct an
audience analysis. This analysis will help you to determine the basic structure
of the other four elearning components. As you begin to develop an online
course you should always consider the following about your audience: Expectations, Learning abilities, Available
hardware/software, Learning Environment, Job
Responsibilities, Preferences
Course Structure
Course structure refers to
how a course is designed for elearning. The structure of a course plays a
critical role in how your audience learns the material. During the Design phase
of ADDIE you brainstormed how the course should be organized and structured.
For elearning the same principles apply. Storyboarding is a great way to build
your course structure. Consider the following items when structuring your
course:Group content into logical
modules,avoid creating modules
that exceed 8-10 pages: Incorporate
interactive concepts, use
pictures/graphics to help explain ideas, concepts, or statements
Page Design
Like the importance of charm and charisma of the classroom
instructor, the page design of an online course is critical
to the learning process. How a page is designed can have a huge
impact on the learning experience of your audience.
Content Engagement
Content engagement refers
to how the learner interacts with content of the course. Because studies have
shown that the learning experience is greatly enhanced when exercises or activities
are incorporated into the learning process, content engagement is critical.Engaging
exercises or events within elearning can compensate for the lack of an
instructor who can add that human touch through personality and rhetorical
interactions. Similar to classroom training there must be a balance in applying
engaging content. Too much engagement and you risk over shadowing the learning
objectives. Too little engagement and you risk losing the learner's interest in
the topic..
Usability
Many creative ideas are
discarded because they do not work. Likewise, a well organized e-learning
course can be ill-received if it does not function properly. Usability
refers to the testing of e-learning content and applications.
Once you have built your
online course, you should always test it in the same environment that the
learner will complete the course.
E-Learning, with all its
characteristics defining its advantages and disadvantages is a major
breakthrough in academic education and professional training. Various
Universities worldwide have incorporated E-Learning solution in their
curriculum and commercial companies from different fields of business have also
integrated this method in their staff training programs to further enhance and
develop the skills and knowledge of their workforce which can significantly
contribute in the company growth in terms of production and profit.One of the
advantages of E-Learning is its flexibility which allows any people willing to
study but with always a limited time can access education and training by using
E-Learning tools and modules related to the field he or she wants to study. For
students, this is major advantage in trimming down tuition fee expenses and
other miscellaneous fees related to their academic pursuit.Major factors that
contributed to E-Learning’s cost efficiency are the overhead costs typical on
traditional learning institutions and the fees they have to pay their
teachers/professors and trainers. Expenses for books and other learning
materials are extremely cut down since E-Learning only requires a computer with
an internet connection and the minimal fee you have to pay on your E-Learning
provider. Students can also tailor E-Learning solution based on their work
schedules and the particular field of expertise they want to target. No need to
take up unnecessary classes which have nothing to do on your current course.
This is typical in any traditional learning institutions to pump up payment
expenses by introducing various supplementary subjects, which if evaluated, has
no direct relation or significance to the course. E-Learning can also have some
disadvantages. Aside from the fact that it lacks human interaction, you must
also have at least the basic knowledge in computers although you will not be
required to be a computer genius in order to take up an E-Learning course.
To sum it up, E-Learning has its own
pros and cons as in any type of service-oriented activities but if you will
compare it cons against the benefits you can take advantage in E-Learning, it
will certainly dwarf the disadvantages and E-Learning will still come as an
excellent and convenient way of gaining further education which will not
require anyone to spend a lot of money or time to spare just to achieve their
academic pursuit.
The
extent to which e-learning assists or replaces other learning and teaching
approaches is variable, ranging on a continuum from none to fully online distance learning. A variety of descriptive terms have been employed (somewhat
inconsistently) to categorize the extent to which technology is used. For
example, 'hybrid learning' or 'blended learning' may refer to classroom aids and laptops, or may refer to
approaches in which traditional classroom time is reduced but not eliminated,
and is replaced with some online learning. Distributed learning' may describe either the e-learning component
of a hybrid approach, or fully online distance learning environments. Another scheme
described the level of technological support as 'web enhanced', 'web
supplemented' and 'web dependent'.
E-learning may either be synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous learning occurs in real-time, with all participants
interacting at the same time, while asynchronous learning is self-paced and
allows participants to engage in the exchange of ideas or information without
the dependency of other participants involvement at the same time.
Computer-based
learning or training (CBT) refers to self-paced learning activities delivered
on a computer or handheld device such as a tablet or
smartphone. CBT often delivers content via CD-ROM, and typically presents
content in a linear fashion, much like reading an online book or manual. For
this reason, CBT is often used to teach static processes, such as using
software or completing mathematical equations. Computer-based training is
conceptually similar to web-based training (WBT), the primary difference being
that WBTs are delivered via Internet using a web browser.
Computer-supported
collaborative learning (CSCL) uses instructional methods designed to encourage or require
students to work together on learning tasks. Collaborative learning is
distinguishable from the traditional approach to instruction in which the
instructor is the principal source of knowledge and skills.
Various
technologies are used to facilitate e-learning. Most e-learning uses
combinations of these techniques, including blogs, collaborative software, ePortfolios, and virtual classrooms. The radio has been around for a long time and has been used in
educational classrooms. Recent technologies have allowed classroom teachers to
stream audio over the internet. There are also webcasts and podcasts available
over the internet for students and teachers to download. Videos allow teachers
to reach students who are visual learners and tend to learn best by seeing the
material rather than hearing or reading about it. Teachers can access video
clips through the internet instead of relying on DVDs or VHS tapes. Websites
like YouTube are used by many teachers. Blogs allow students and
teachers to post their thoughts, ideas, and comments on a website. Blogging
allows students and instructors to share their thoughts and comments on the
thoughts of others which could create an interactive learning environment. The
development of webcams and webcasting has facilitated the creation of virtual classrooms and virtual learning environments. Virtual classrooms supported by such technology are becoming
more and more popular, especially since they are contributing as a main
solution to solving problems with travel expenses. Virtual classrooms with such
technology also provide the benefits of being easy to set up. Interactive
whiteboards ("smartboards") allow teachers and students to write on
the touch screen, so learning becomes interactive and engaging. Screencasting is a recent trend in
e-learning. There are many screencasting tools available that allow users to
share their screens directly from their browser and make the video available
online so that the viewers can stream the video directly.
Along with the terms learning technology, instructional technology, the term educational technology refers to the use of
technology in learning in a much broader sense than the computer-based training or Computer Aided
Instruction of the 1980s. It is also broader than the terms Online Learning or Online Education which generally refer
to purely web-based learning.
In the early 1960s, Stanford University psychology professors Patrick Suppes and Richard C. Atkinson experimented with
using computers to teach math and reading to young children inelementary schools in East Palo Alto,
California. Stanford's Education
Program for Gifted Youth is descended from those early experiments. In 1963, Bernard Luskin
installed the first computer in a community college for instruction, working
with Stanford and others, developed computer assisted instruction. Computer-based
learning made up many early e-learning courses such as those developed by Murray Turoff and Starr Roxanne Hiltz in the 1970s and 80s
at the New
Jersey Institute of Technology, and the ones developed at the University of Guelph in Canada. By mid-1980’s,
accessing course content become possible at many college libraries.Cassandra B. Whyte researched about the
ever increasing role that computers would play in higher education. This
evolution, to include computer-supported collaborative learning, in addition to
data management, has been realized. In 1993, Graziadei described an online
computer-delivered lecture, tutorial and assessment project using electronic
mail. By 1994, the first online high school had been founded. In
1997, Graziadei described criteria for evaluating products and developing
technology-based courses include being portable, replicable, scalable, and
affordable, and having a high probability of long-term cost-effectiveness. .
According to a 2008 study conducted by the U.S
Department of Education, back in 2006-2007 academic year,
about 66% of postsecondary public and private schools began participating in
student financial aid programs offered some distance learning courses, record
shows only 77% of enrollment in for-credit courses being for those with an
online component. In 2008, the Council of Europe passed a statement endorsing
e-learning's potential to drive equality and education improvements across the
EU. Recent studies show that the effectiveness of online instruction is
considered equal to that of face-to-face classroom instructions but not as
effective as the combination of face-to-face and online methods.
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