(1) About E-Learning:
1- Introduction
2- Meaning of E-Learning
3- Skills and Personality Development through E-Learning
4- Advantages of E-Learning.
5- Disadvantages of E-Learning.
1) Introduction:
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Today, it usually involves online education. A distance learning program can be completely distance learning, or a combination of distance learning and traditional classroom instruction (called hybrid or blended).
The growth of the internet and its impact on education system has created a new learning model called e-learning that is considered as a new revolution in the world of education. E-learning is the type of learning where people pursue professional or educational courses without the use of traditional learning methods. Such involves taking a course or going to school remotely by making use of the web as a classroom .
Electronic or distance learning refers to the delivery of educational material via any electronic media such as internet, extranets, satellite broadcast, audio or video tape, CDs and computer-based training.
A number of other terms (distributed learning, e-learning, m-learning, online learning, virtual classroom etc.) are used roughly synonymously with distance education. E-learning has shown to be a useful educational tool. E-learning should be an interactive process with multiple learning modes for all learners at various levels of learning. The distance learning environment is an exciting place to learn new things, collaborate with others, and retain self-discipline.
E-Learning is currently one of the popular models of learning. Like any other means it has its own advantages and disadvantages .
2) Meaning of E-Learning:
E-learning refers to all electronic learning through systems that are used as part of the learning system. For example :
1- Digital Classrooms:
This refers to ‘smart-classrooms’ equipped with several digital learning aids.
2- Satellite Education:
Here an instructor in one location can impart lessons over an education satellite (such as Edusat) to thousands of students across multiple locations. This can also be done in a bidirectional mode—with students being able to address their questions to the instructor over the satellite system.
3- Web-based Learning or Internet-based Training (IBT) and Computer-based Training (CBT):
This is based on course material accessible over the web, or through hundreds of DVDs on a wide variety of subjects.
3) Soft Skills and Personality Development through E-Learning:
Soft skills and personality traits can be enhanced through the language laboratory where one can use self-improvement methods to observe oneself and improve continuously. E-learning systems can also be used for soft skills and personality development (in addition to developing one’s hard skills or domain knowledge).
A large number of Internet-/computer-based training materials are available today on communication skills, listening skills, body language, job interviews, group discussions, etc.
4) Advantages of E-Learning:
E-learning has several benefits as follows:
(1) Efficiency
Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to students. Online learning has a number of tools such as videos, PDFs, podcasts, and teachers can use all these tools as part of their lesson plans. By extending the lesson plan beyond traditional textbooks to include online resources, teachers are able to become more efficient educators.
There is no rigidity of a fixed curriculum, no need to go through multiple sequences to gain access to the point of need. Programmes can also be paced or paused, based on availability.
(2) Privacy of Learning:
Some people feel intimidated by the presence of peers during the learning process. If they do not understand certain sections of a course, they feel awkward to ask these questions in public. E-learning obviates this issue. Learning is a private experience. A section or an entire course can be repeated as many times as needed. Questions to an ‘instructor’ can be asked one-on-one through an on-line query-response system.
(3) Accessibility Of Time And Place
Another advantage of online education is that it allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice. It also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries. Additionally, online lectures can be recorded, archived, and shared for future reference. This allows students to access the learning material at a time of their comfort.
Thus, online learning offers students the accessibility of time and place in education.
(4) Affordability
Another advantage of online learning is reduced financial costs. Online education is far more affordable as compared to physical learning. This is because online learning eliminates the cost points of student transportation, student meals, and most importantly, real estate. Additionally, all the course or study materials are available online, thus creating a paperless learning environment which is more affordable, while also being beneficial to the environment.
(5) Suits A Variety Of Learning Styles
Every student has a different learning journey and a different learning style. Some students are visual learners, while some students prefer to learn through audio. Similarly, some students thrive in the classroom, and other students are solo learners who get distracted by large groups.
The online learning system, with its range of options and resources, can be personalized in many ways. It is the best way to create a perfect learning environment suited to the needs of each student.
5) Disadvantages of E-Learning.
(1) Inability To Focus On Screens
For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning is the struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. With online learning, there is also a greater chance for students to be easily distracted by social media or other sites. Therefore, it is imperative for the teachers to keep their online classes crisp, engaging, and interactive to help students stay focused on the lesson.
(2) Technology Issues
Another key challenge of online classes is internet connectivity. While internet penetration has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, in smaller cities and towns, a consistent connection with decent speed is a problem. Without a consistent internet connection for students or teachers, there can be a lack of continuity in learning for the child. This is detrimental to the education process.
(3) Sense Of Isolation
Students can learn a lot from being in the company of their peers. However, in an online class, there are minimal physical interactions between students and teachers. This often results in a sense of isolation for the students. In this situation, it is imperative that the school allow for other forms of communication between the students, peers, and teachers. This can include online messages, emails and video conferencing that will allow for face-to-face interaction and reduce the sense of isolation.
(4) Teacher Training
Online learning requires teachers to have a basic understanding of using digital forms of learning. However, this is not the case always. Very often, teachers have a very basic understanding of technology. Sometimes, they don’t even have the necessary resources and tools to conducts online classes.
To combat this, it is important for schools to invest in training teachers with the latest technology updates so that they can conduct their online classes seamlessly
Finally it must be noted that while e-learning systems have many advantages, it has the disadvantage of not having an instructor to personally be present to facilitate the learning. Hence it is not the best medium where queries need to be not just answered, but deliberated at length with multiple opinions and pros and cons needing to be discussed.
(2) E-Learning Softwares:
1-Introduction
2-Features
3-Application
1) Introduction:
E-learning software or e-learning authoring software is used in a virtual classroom to facilitate online education. Its other use includes conducting corporate training. The primary purpose of e-learning tools is to author, or create, educational assets. With this type of software, trainers and educators can:
Combine and arrange disparate media (text, video, presentations) into comprehensive, logically sequenced e-learning assets and courses.
Add animations and customized response cues to facilitate learner engagement with e-learning course material.
Safely store e-learning assets for future editing and reapplication with new learning initiatives.
Publish completed e-learning courses in a variety of compatible formats.
There are other, related types of software that manage different aspects of e-learning. For example, broader learning management systems (LMSs) automate the administration, testing, tracking, and reporting of learner progress through online courses. E-learning software has a narrower scope: It provides the tools needed to create those online courses in the first place.E-learning software or e-learning authoring software is used in a virtual classroom to facilitate online education. Its other use includes conducting corporate training. The primary purpose of e-learning tools is to author, or create, educational assets. With this type of software, trainers and educators can:
Combine and arrange disparate media (text, video, presentations) into comprehensive, logically sequenced e-learning assets and courses.
Add animations and customized response cues to facilitate learner engagement with e-learning course material.
Safely store e-learning assets for future editing and reapplication with new learning initiatives.
Publish completed e-learning courses in a variety of compatible formats.
There are other, related types of software that manage different aspects of e-learning. For example, broader learning management systems (LMSs) automate the administration, testing, tracking, and reporting of learner progress through online courses. E-learning software has a narrower scope: It provides the tools needed to create those online courses in the first place.
2) Features:
E-learning platforms are used to create a wide variety of educational and training materials for use in many industries, both in the public and private sectors. Due to this, the e-learning software landscape includes a large selection of applications.
As a software buyer, choosing among such a large selection of e-learning vendors can be a challenge. To help you understand the choices available, here is a list of applications included in many e-learning tools:
- Templates: Provide pre-configured models for different types of e-learning materials and training content, such as lessons or quizzes. This makes it easier for users to create learning content since it doesn’t need to be designed from scratch.
- Multimedia tools: Allow users to upload and integrate multimedia files (i.e., videos and images) into e-learning resources, as well as do basic editing on learning content.
- SCORM-compliance: SCORM is a set of technical standards that e-learning solutions must follow. Products with SCORM support help users create materials that can be combined and integrated with any other SCORM-compliant materials.
- Testing tools: Allow users to add quizzes, tests, and exams to e-learning courses, which can be used to track or determine student progress.
- Customization tools: Help users create e-learning resources that match the look and feel of their company’s digital assets (such as its website).
- Storyline editing: E-learning courses often progress much like stories, with a linear beginning and end. Storyline editing functions let authors mix, match, and rearrange e-learning components to create an articulate storyline.
- Interaction tools: Let authors add elements that students will interact with during a lesson or course. Interactions can include free-form text entry, picture selection, or simple mouse clicks.
3) Applications:
1- Elucidat – Helps big employers drive down the cost of business-critical training
-Wide range of interactions and features, including rules, branches and badges
2- Adobe Captivate – Gives experienced authors the power to create high-quality content
-Able to produce complex interactions
3- Articulate Storyline 360 – Ideal for individual users who prefer PowerPoint, with an added layer of customization
-A commonly used tool, so designers tend to have experience
4- Articulate Rise 360 – Users with access to Articulate 360 can produce simple e-learning courses fairly quickly
-Quick to create good-looking (relatively simple) e-learning content quickly
5- Gomo – Best for experienced learning designers that are not looking for advanced customization
-They have an offline mobile app and Gomo Central, which is a cloud-based learning portal
6- Lectora – Gives traditional, capable authors an effective tool for producing HTML5 content
-Free access to E-learning Brothers graphics libraries
7- Adapt – Designed for technical authors who are looking to design bespoke HTML5 authoring through back-end design
-It’s free!
-If you’re a developer or have access to a developer, you can also use the (free) framework rather than the tool and create custom interactions/layouts, etc.
8- DominKnow – Perfect for teams whose focus is on responsive screen capture and software simulation
-Enables collaborative authoring and review; they also have user roles
-They have a wide range of “Actions” that give you flexibility in creating page types
9- Easygenerator – Authoring software designed for small teams who need to produce simple content, fast
-Good for authors who are just starting out building e-learning content – no coding necessary!
10- iSpring Suite – Desktop PowerPoint-based tool that’s a great option for novice learning designers who don’t have to worry about
updating content regularly
-Video editing
11- Evolve – Built for teams who need to collaborate together and don’t mind putting in the time to learn how to use it
- Pay for the time you’re using rather than for a full year
12- Camtasia – Video editing suite most commonly used for screen recordings, tutorials or product demos.
- Ability to save and re-use presets and templates
(3) Ethics In E-Learning:
- There are multiple Ethical issues that face the online learning community and some of them are the inappropriate assistance on examinations, misuse of sources on papers and projects, improper use of academic resources, writing assistance and other inappropriate tutoring and the disrespcting the work of others.
- Another aspect of the ethical side of online learning is with ones own consciousness which is related to self discipline, self motivation and ones ability to set goals and pursue means to achieve the goals and some of the criticism that online learning gets that its never going to substitute face to face learning in some sense i could say that this is true but e-learning with all its faults is better that no learning and i would say that e-learning could be better if conducted well with a secure and private environment that would aid the students intellectual ability and help him get better results and talking about the most important disadvantage of online learning especially in universities and schools is obviously cheating and dishonesty
- Although online learning is becoming more and more prevalent, there still persist myths about what it means to be an online student. One frequently discussed topic in the world of online education is cheating. According to one 2009 study, 73.8% of students surveyed felt that it was easier to cheat in an online class. This skewed perspective — that cheating is so easy — can lead to misconceptions about how prevalent cheating really is in the online setting.Because online courses often do not involve face-to-face instruction, the uninitiated can easily fall prey to the idea that cheating is rampant. After all, how could a professor that is miles or even states away prevent students from just googling the answers to their tests which is true but on the other side there are some ways of stopping these types of dishonest behaviors but i think they are all useless especially if your taking the test at home there are hundreds of ways to cheat and pass your so it all depends on you and what kind of person are you
- If we take a look into the future of e-learning we will see outstanding possibilities and chances that these technologies will offer to learners if we observe what the Japanese scientist has done to develop learning technology called Japan's first robot teacher The Japanese robot saya has already been used as a receptionist and secretary.
Now she is to become the world's first robot teacher. The professor Hiroshi Kobayashi has been developing saya for over 15 years. A primary school in Tokyo will be the first recipients of saya as a teacher Saya is multilingual and will do roll call as well as set tasks from textbooks so from that perspective we can see that technology can be implemented in a very helpful way
- E-learning is not just a change of technology. It is part of a redefinition of how we as a species transmit knowledge, skills, and values to younger generations of worker that will lead the future so we need to set an example for them.
