(Semester-2)
SEMINAR
Introduction
to the E-learning
While the term “e-learning” has been
thrown around quite a lot in recent years, many are still unaware of what it
actually means and how it can help them achieve success in both their
professional and personal lives. This short e-book aims to provide an
introductory level overview of the e-learning field for those people.
This e-book is divided into five
main topics. The first topic sets the case for e-learning by dealing with
subjects such as its history, its advantages and any drawbacks, and whether it
can actually lead to learning. The second topic describes important types of
learning tools that are available today. The third topic deals with the
characteristics of online courses and how one can create successful learning
communities. The fourth topic is about emerging learning trends. Here we
explain themes such as micro-learning and gamification. And the final topic
describes the application of e-learning in different industries.
E-learning Is it important in education
When it comes to online learning in
education, the model has been pretty straightforward - up until the early 2000s
education was in a classroom of students with a teacher who led the process.
Physical presence was a no-brainer, and any other type of learning was
questionable at best. Then the internet happened, and the rest is history.
E-learning is a rapidly growing industry, the effects of which we can trace
back to the 1980s and even well before that (in the form of distance learning
and televised courses) – these will be discussed later in this ebook.
Now that affordable e-learning
solutions exist for both computers and internet, it only takes a good
e-learning tool for education to be facilitated from virtually anywhere.
Technology has advanced so much that the geographical gap is bridged with the
use of tools that make you feel as if you are inside the classroom. E-learning
offers the ability to share material 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.
There is a plethora of different
e-learning systems (otherwise known as Learning Management Systems, or LMSs for
short) and methods, which allow for courses to be delivered. With the right
tool various processes can be automated such as a course with set materials and
automatically marked tests. E-learning is an affordable (and often free)
solution which provides the learners with the ability to fit learning around
their lifestyles, effectively allowing even the busiest person to further a
career and gain new qualifications.
Some of the most important
developments in education have happened since the launch of the internet. These
days learners are well versed in the use of smartphones, text messaging and
using the internet so participating in and running an online course has become
a simple affair. Message boards, social media and various other means of online
communication allow learners to keep in touch and discuss course related
matters, whilst providing for a sense of community.
In the fast-paced world of
e-learning the available technologies to make a course new and exciting are
always changing, and course content can and should be updated quickly to give
students the very latest information. This is especially important if the
e-learning training is being given to employees in a sector where keeping
up-to-date on industry developments is of the utmost importance. This is one of
the reasons why many businesses are now offering training via e-learning -
other reasons includes low costs and the ability for employees to study in
their own time and place.
Overall, traditional learning is
expensive, takes a long time and the results can vary. The importance of
E-learning is now a given fact and it can offer an alternative that is much
faster, cheaper and potentially better.
The
history of e-learning
The term "e-learning" has
only been in existence since 1999, when the word was first utilized at a CBT
systems seminar. Other words also began to spring up in search of an accurate
description such as “online learning” and “virtual learning”. However, the
principles behind e-learning have been well documented throughout history, and
there is even evidence which suggests that early forms of e-learning existed as
far back as the 19thcentury.
An
e-learning history timeline
Long before the internet was
launched, distance courses were being offered to provide students with
education on particular subjects or skills. In the 1840′s Isaac Pitman taught
his pupils shorthand via correspondence. This form of symbolic writing was
designed to improve writing speed and was popular amongst secretaries,
journalists, and other individuals who did a great deal of note taking or
writing. Pitman, who was a qualified teacher, was sent completed assignments by
mail and he would then send his students more work to be finished using the
same system.
In 1924, the first testing machine
was invented. This device allowed students to tests themselves. Then, in 1954,
BF Skinner, a Harvard Professor, invented the “teaching machine”, which enabled
schools to administer programmed instruction to their students. It wasn’t until
1960 however that the first computer based training program was introduced to
the world. This computer based training program (or CBT program) was known as
PLATO-Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations. It was originally
designed for students attending the University of Illinois, but ended up being
used in schools throughout the area.
The first online learning systems
were really only set up to deliver information to students but as we entered
the 70s online learning started to become more interactive. In Britain the Open
University was keen to take advantage of e-learning. Their system of education
has always been primarily focused on learning at a distance. In the past,
course materials were delivered by post and correspondence with tutors was via
mail. With the internet the Open University began to offer a wider range of
interactive educational experiences as well as faster correspondence with
students via email etc.
Online
learning today
With the introduction of the
computer and internet in the late 20th century, e-learning tools and delivery
methods expanded. The first MAC in the 1980′s enabled individuals to have
computers in their homes, making it easier for them to learn about particular
subjects and develop certain skill sets. Then, in the following decade, virtual
learning environments began to truly thrive, with people gaining access to a
wealth of online information and e-learning opportunities.
By the early 90s several schools had
been set up that delivered courses online only, making the most of the internet
and bringing education to people who wouldn't previously have been able to
attend a college due to geographical or time constraints. Technological
advancements also helped educational establishments reduce the costs of
distance learning, a saving that would also be passed on to the students -
helping bring education to a wider audience.
In the 2000′s, businesses began
using e-learning to train their employees. New and experienced workers alike
now had the opportunity to improve upon their industry knowledge base and
expand their skill sets. At home individuals were granted access to programs
that offered them the ability to earn online degrees and enrich their lives
through expanded knowledge.
The
benefits and drawbacks of online learning
Whether you're a high-school teacher
looking to engage your students in a more interactive way, or a corporate
trainer hired by a large company to design training curricula, e-learning packs
a punch when it comes to benefits that make the creation and delivery processes
easier and hassle-free. Important benefits are outlined below:
No
Boundaries, No Restrictions
Along with locational restrictions,
time is one of the issues that learners and teachers both have to face in
learning. In the case of face-to-face learning, the location limits attendance
to a group of learners who have the ability to participate in the area, and in
the case of time, it limits the crowd to those who can attend at a specific
time. E-learning, on the other hand, facilitates learning without having to
organize when and where everyone who is interested in a course can be present.
More Fun
Designing a course in a way that
makes it interactive and fun through the use of multimedia or the more recently
developed methods of gamification (further discussed in later chapters)
enhances not only your engagement factor, but also the relative lifetime of the
course material in question.
Cost
Effective
This is directed to both learners
and teachers, but there is a good chance that whatever your role you had to pay
exorbitant amounts of money at some point to acquire updated versions of
textbooks for school or college. While textbooks often become obsolete after a
certain period of time, the need to constantly acquire new editions is not
present in e-learning.
It Just
Fits!
As companies and organizations adopt
technologies to improve the efficiency of day-to-day operations, the use of the
internet becomes a necessity. As multinational corporations expand across the
globe, the chances of working with people from other countries increases, and
training all those parties together is an issue that e-learning successfully
addresses. And that's a great advantage of online learning!
Let's blend all of that together and
apply it in a real-life scenario:
In an effort to enhance the
credibility of course material, oftentimes a professor will summon a field
specialist to give a lecture relevant to the topic at hand. In the traditional
model of education, the professor would have to extend an invitation to said
expert, and incur the costs of his flight, stay and training.
With e-learning:
With e-learning the professor has
the ability to host a guest lecture without having to spend much money. It can
be done virtually, with cameras for both the lecturer and the students, and
with the use of microphones to facilitate the same level of interaction that
would be possible if the lecturer were physically present in the room. The
added benefit comes in when we are able to replay the lecture and gain even
more out of it. Students that missed out can view the recording, or students
that attended can watch it again to further their understanding.
Concerns
that arise with e-learning
Even given all the benefits of
e-learning, one cannot deny there are some drawbacks. A good example of a
disadvantage of online learning is that practical skills are somewhat harder to
pick up from online resources. For example, although building a wooden table is
something you can easily share information about, record videos of and explain,
the practical experience is essential. Pottery and car engineering are examples
of skills that require hands-on experience.
Isolation
Though e-learning offers ease,
flexibility and the ability to remotely access a classroom in the student’s own
time, learners may feel a sense of isolation. This is because learning online
is a solo act for the most part, which may give the learner the feeling that
they are acting completely alone. As technology progresses and e-learning
benefits from the advancements being made, learners can now engage more
actively with professors or other students using tools such as video
conferencing, social media, and discussion forums amongst others.
Health
Related Concerns
E-learning requires the use of a
computer and other such devices; this means that eyestrain, bad posture and
other physical problems may affect the learner. When running an online course
it’s a good practice to send out guidelines about correct sitting posture, desk
height, and recommendations for regular break
What is
the future of e-learning
E-learning is here to stay. As
computer ownership grows across the globe e-learning becomes increasingly
viable and accessible. Internet connection speeds are increasing, and with
that, opportunities for more multimedia training methods arise. With the
immense improvement of mobile networks in the past few years and the increase
in telecommuting, taking all the awesome features of e-learning on the road is
a reality with smartphones and other portable devices. Technologies such as
social media are also transforming education constantly.
Generally speaking, learning is
expensive, takes a long time and the results can vary. E-learning has been
trying for years now to complement the way we learn to make it more effective
and measurable. The result now being that there are a number of tools that help
create interactive courses, standardize the learning process and/or inject
informal elements to otherwise formal learning processes. Several e-learning
trends can give us a clear view on how the future of e-learning and learning
tools will be shaped:
Micro-learning focuses on the design of micro-learning
activities through micro-steps in digital media environments, which already is
a daily reality for today's knowledge workers. These activities can be
incorporated into a learner's daily routines. Unlike "traditional"
e-learning approaches, micro-learning often tends towards push technology
through push media, which reduces the cognitive load on the learners.
Therefore, the selection of micro-learning objects and also pace and timing of micro-learning
activities are of importance for didactical designs. Micro-learning is an
important paradigm shift that avoids the need to have separate learning
sessions since the learning process is embedded in the daily routine of the
end-user. It is also perfectly suited for mobile devices where long courses can
be overkill.
Gamification is the use of game thinking and game mechanics
in a non-game context to engage users and solve problems.
Personalized Learning is the tailoring of pedagogy, curriculum and
learning environments to meet the needs and aspirations of individual learners.
Personalization is broader than just individualization or differentiation in
that it affords the learner a degree of choice about what is learned, when it
is learned and how it is learned. This may not indicate unlimited choice since
learners will still have targets to be met. However, it may provide learners
the opportunity to learn in ways that suit their individual learning styles and
multiple intelligences.
The
distant future of eLearning: Automatic learning
In a well-known scene from the movie The Matrix, Neo lies down in a
high-tech dentist’s chair and straps on a wild array of electrodes, downloading
a series of martial arts training programs into his brain. Afterward, he opens
his eyes and speaks the words geeks have been quoting ever since: “I know
Kung Fu.”
This type of automatic learning
might sound like a dystopian future for many but it is where we are heading.
And despite the ethical questions that may arise, the benefits could be
substantial at multiple levels if used properly. Here's how it works: you pick
a task that requires high performance from your visual cortex such as catching
a ball. Then you go find someone who's a pro at catching a ball, place them in
an fMRI machine and record
what's going on in their brain whilst they visualize catching a ball. Then
you've got your ball-catching program, and you're ready to learn. Next step:
put yourself into the fMRI machine, and rig it to induce that pro ball-catching
imagery that you recorded earlier in your brain using neuro feedback. You don't
even have to be paying attention while this is going on. Your brain, though,
becomes familiar with that pattern - which is essentially what learning is: the
brain becoming familiar with new patterns.
Research has shown that this fMRI
pattern playback can cause long-lasting improvement in tasks that require
visual performance. In theory, a type of automated learning is a potential
outcome and what e-learning in the distant future may look like.
