What is e-Learning?
What is e-Learning?
E-learning (also called electronic learning) is any type of learning that takes place through or with a computer. E-learning is primarily facilitated through the Internet but can also be accomplished with materials in all kinds of formats such as videos, slideshows, word documents and PDFs. Conducting webinars (live online classes) and communicating with professors via chat and message forums is also an option available to users.
What is the Purpose of e-Learning?
The purpose of e-learning is to allow people to learn for personal accomplishment or to earn a professional degree, without physically attending a traditional university or academic setting. E-learning can be applied for all levels of schooling from grade school to graduate degrees, and is versatile enough to accommodate all learning styles.
Types
There are a number of types of e-learning that depend on the amount of physical interaction. Entirely online e-learning occurs without any face-to face interaction. Course work and materials are distributed electronically through email, websites, online forums and/or CDs or DVD-ROMs. Combined learning uses a combination of Internet-directed instruction, as well as face-to-face interaction. Most traditional colleges and universities use combined learning as students learn in physical classrooms, with instruction augmented by online lessons. For those learning for personal accomplishment, e-learning can also use a combination of e-learning types, as they can be entirely self-directed, or they can use the assistance of an expert in their selected field.
Location
Because the only requirements for e-learning (in most cases) requires a computer with Internet access or a CD/DVD-ROM drive, e-learning students can learn from home, libraries, Internet cafes or any other location that has Internet access. This is why e-learning is a preferred option for those who work full time or part time and cannot afford to travel to a physical school. The ease of location with e-learning also makes it preferable to stay-at-home parents with young or special-needs children. E-learning can also save money in that e-learners do not have to pay for gas, vehicle repair or parking validation if they choose to remain at home while taking courses online. Ease of location is also beneficial to students who are home-schooled, as they can gain social interaction through online communications as well as educational materials.
Cost
E-learning has also been praised as a lower-cost option for those seeking additional education. Costs for individual classes and learning institutions vary depending on location, degree or type of program, and area of study. Online universities generally charge the same way traditional universities do, by charging per credit hour. But also like traditional universities, scholarships, grants, and student loans are available as well. See the Resources list below for sites with information about e-learning costs by discipline and degree desired.
Some Examples of e-Learning:
The Advantages and Disadvantages of e-Learning
The Advantages of e-Learning Training Includes:
- More Flexible – eLearning can be done in short chunks of time that can fit around your daily schedule. Unlike public scheduled and in-house training, you don’t have to dedicate an entire day to the training that has been organised by your company. Instead, you will have a set amount of learning, normally divided into modules, with a deadline in which to do them in. This way, if you want to do all of the learning in one day as you work better this way, you can. However if your schedule doesn’t allow you an entire day off your everyday tasks – then you can easily spend an hour or 2 here and there at times that suit you.
- Mobile – As eLearning can be done on laptops, tablets and phones – it is a very mobile method. Learning can be done on the train, on a plane or any other time that could normally be wasted. Whilst you used to be confined to the classroom, the whole world can now be your classroom.
- No Travel– As just mentioned, eLearning can be done wherever you have a device capable of doing so. Therefore again you can fit it in to your schedule, but also save money on the costs of travel. As mentioned before on the public scheduled blog, external courses can sometimes only be sourced in locations far away from your company so you then have to pay the costs of travel as well potentially accommodation. eLearning takes these costs away completely.
- Lower cost – As you aren’t using a trainer’s time or any room or equipment, eLearning tends to be the much cheaper option. If you already have a device capable of carrying out the training on, then the savings can be considerable. Therefore if you and your company are on a budget, this can be the ideal option for you. Equally for companies that have thousands of employees then it can reduce the cost per head especially on areas such as Money Laundering, Compliance and Microsoft Office training.
- Tailor it to you – eLearning courses aren’t confined to be fixed to try and suit the needs of the majority. If you feel you already know a particular area well and don’t need to spend an hour on it again, then you can skim over it and concentrate that time on something you feel you need to work more at. Everyone is able to learn at their own pace – a massive factor that only eLearning can provide for.
- Technological Possibilities – eLearning is fast becoming a more and more popular method and with it, so has the investment into how to improve it further. The computer based nature of training means new technology is being introduced all the time to help with the learning. Different apps are helping to further reinforce the learning whilst forums can be used to greatly increase the amount of interaction and engagement between learners. This is only going to improve as time goes on as well.
- Global – With very few restrictions companies can be confident that their staff can receive the same content regardless of their location, and in many cases, their nationality. Therefore if you wish to provide the same training or have your staff understand and use common methodology, eLearning is a useful way of ensuring this happens with ease and reduced cost.
The Disadvantages of e-Learning Training Includes:
- Lack of Control– Learners with low motivation tend to fall behind when using eLearning as there are no set times to be doing it and they are responsible for the organisation themselves. A lack of routine or fixed schedule can mean eLearning becomes complicated with various deadlines often given to different people at different stages of their learning.
- Learning Approach – It doesn’t appeal to all learning styles so some learners will not enjoy the experience – especially strong activists and pragmatists. It is still a challenge to make eLearning appeal fully to these groups as different people learn better or worse using different styles. Some may prefer images, some prefer just reading words and some prefer to talk about or actually do a task in order to learn.
- Isolated – A lot of questions are a lot easily answered when face to face with someone when you can guarantee an instant answer. eLearning often doesn’t allow that with trainers often having to answer numerous questions all of the time and only doing it within working hours – where a lot of learners may prefer to do their learning out of working hours. This feeling of isolation can often demotivate individuals as they feel they don’t have the support and reassurance that the physical presence of a trainer provides.
- Technology Issues – With heavy reliance on computers that eLearning brings, comes the potential risks that comes with it. Firstly, you need to ensure that all learners have a device that is able to support the training modules. Some eLearning tools require software such as Flash that devices like iPads don’t support. So all requirements need to be set out at the beginning. Poor internet connection and unavoidable general random faults also can interrupt learning and so need to be planned around. This is especially true if it is a global roll out as Internet connections and power reliability changes dramatically between countries.
- Computer Competency – Some employees might not be too comfortable using computers, especially if their jobs don’t require them to. Therefore even if the software is user friendly, the very idea of using the software can be daunting and demotivating for some. Therefore these employees are likely to learn a lot less than they would from a physical course.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, the e-learning system is a very good idea to make both teachers and learners easy to conduct such a teaching process in a far distance. The e-learning environment will utilize both learning and training principles throughout its curriculum. This allows teachers to provide their learners with the tools to tackle current issues, develop life-long skills, improve on their problem-solving skills, and utilize resources to the best of their ability. However, the e-learning system has some problems in conducting the learning process; for example, it is difficult to control, so it needs a solution to conduct the learning process through the e-learning itself. It needs rules from teachers to conduct an online classroom learning. In short, both teachers and students should cooperate to each other to reach the goals of learning.
Sources:
Sources:
- http://www.talentlms.com/elearning/
- http://www.ehow.com/about_4788168_what-purpose-elearning.html
- http://www.go2web20.net/#tag:e-learning
- http://www.optimussourcing.com/learninghintsandtips/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-elearning
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140715064821-11282346-indonesia-higher-education-e-learning-management-strategy
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