IS E-LEARNING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION?
GOING DIGITAL IS A SOLACE FROM COVID LOCKDOWNS
BY
DR.VINOD KHANNA
Dehra Dun
drvkhanna51@gmail.com
Learning has no bar on age and no criteria for the environment. It is a process, it is a habit and it is a necessity that the survival circumstances make the conditions that put you in learning mode by innovating the alternatives, knowingly or unknowingly. And these innovations and discoveries that some times, rather, most of the time become landmarks and a part of the routine cycle, which is acknowledged only when the need for its origin arises by the academia or researchers and the truth is the dugout.
In my present communication, I take the case of the Teacher, who started teaching first? And my research leads me to the Socrates — the Ancient World’s Teaching Superstar who created teaching about 2400 years back and that bears his name, live even today. Contemporarily Horace Mann born on May 4, 1796, in Franklin, Massachusetts, whose father was a farmer without much money, is known as the Father of Education. Though there were no schools those days and he used to teach in his farmyards, while helping his father in the fields. Roberto Neville’s is considered the real “inventor” of homework. He was the person who invented homework in far 1905 and made it a punishment for his students. Since the time when was homework invented, this practice has become popular around the world.
Oldest University in the World: The University of al-Qarawiyyin located in Fes, Morocco is the oldest existing, continually operating and the first-degree awarding educational institution in the world according to UNESCO and Guinness World Records and is sometimes referred to as the oldest university.
The time passed by and the new inventions kept on adding to the education history.
The brief history of the education that I dug out is only to realize where we have reached in education learning. The sudden and sporadic outburst of COVID 19 shut the entire education industry into jeopardy but as I said above the circumstances make the conditions for learning. We cannot stop classes at once, we have to follow the Social distancing norms and stay in safe to save from the global turmoil, if we want to live and see the human race on the planet earth. At the same time, we cannot deprive the students of their studies for an unknown number of days. Keeping them tucked in the houses without anything to do would be dangerous for them, as it would be a waste of the young talent and maybe pushing them to devils industry.
The concept of the Online Classes resorted to e-mode of teachings in some of the Universities and which plenty of software’s with e-trainings, to both the students and teachers and also to the admin is a must to start the E-classes or ONLINE classes.
Now while using this trilogy- i.e. the students, teachers, and technology the word e-learning drove me to research the origin of the word e-learning, its history, its uses and misuses, advantage and disadvantages, types of e-learning, Technologies involved, Importance of e-learning Etc.
In fact, the online learning is education that takes place over the Internet. It is often referred to as “e-learning” among other terms. However, online learning is just one type of “distance learning” — the umbrella term for any learning that takes place across distance and not in a traditional classroom.
First of all, we ought to know what electronic learning is. The e-learning refers to a broad educational concept primarily characterized by the usage of electronic media and other types of communication technologies.
Specific types of electronic learning include internet-based training, online education, computer-based training, to name a few. And the first time e-learning was used in October 1999 at a CBT Systems Seminar in Los Angeles, the idea behind the words dates back to a much earlier time in history. For e-learning to emerge as a new and exciting form of training, its core elements had to be found and established as an integral part of our lives.
If we perceive e-learning as a form of assisted learning or teaching with the help of learning aids or machines we can go as far back as 200 A.C. and the Roman Empire. A Roman piece found near Trier depicts a teacher surrounded by two students reading a parchment roll and a third one arriving with a writing slate in his hand. In his book “De onstuitbare opkomst van de leermachine” (The Unstoppable Rise of the Learning Machine, unfortunately only available in Dutch), Dr. Marcel Mirande cites this as the oldest example of “integration of technology” into learning and compares the functions and importance of the writing slate to the modern laptop. The technique of using writing slate was used in European schools until about the 1950s.
While the writing slate is pointed out as the first learning aid to be used, it is far cry from the technology used for e-learning today, e.g. laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.
Machine-assisted learning, however, is much more similar to the idea. The first step towards that was the invention of the teaching machine by Sidney Pressey. He was an educational psychology professor at Ohio University in the early 1920s. He invented the machine that looked like a typewriter and was used for answering multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
Distance learning is also, quite old. You might be surprised that it was used back in the 1840s when Isaac Pitman taught shorthand (abbreviated symbolic writing method, stenography) in Great Britain via correspondence. He was a teacher at a school in Wotton-under-Edge and sent assignments to his students via mail. Once they were ready with the homework, they mailed it back to him for assessment.
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.
The Importance of the e-learning is seen in Maximizing Knowledge Retention which is one of the most rewarding benefits of e-Learning. .Since e-Learning provides employees with various types of interactive content and multimedia, they can retain much more of what they learn and improve their skills and performance quickly.
There e are five types of online learning’s 1. Self-Education,2.Online College Courses,3.Supplemental Online Education, 4.Online Public or Private K–12 Schools and 5.Educational Apps/Programs.
According to a study the following tools help in managing different aspects of e-Learning, including productivity, content creation, research, networking, and communication.
o Proof Hub for Productivity
- Camtasia for Visual Content Editor. …
- Survey Monkey for Research. …
- Twitter for Networking. …
- Skype for Communication.
And for the successful implementation of e-learning one has to
o Identify his e-learning needs. …
o Have a formal process to collect and document e-learning needs.
o Select training programs that are appropriate for delivery by e-learning. ..
o Assess e-learning readiness in the organization. …
o Identify the barriers to e-learning. …
o Make a business case. …
o Get the buy-in of top management
The importance of online learning and its importance on education is for everyone who can have access to education no matter his location to help eliminate borders and barriers, both social and physical. Online courses are a great solution to the challenges that these people face, like the present CORONA TYPE OF ISOLATION, as they are provided with high-quality education and on their own place and time. E-Learning does make students more mobile. And allows students to study from any place where they have stable internet access. It also allows them to study at any time they find comfortable. .Moreover, this also allows students to organize their time more effectively.
E-Learning is certainly the more effective option for students, but it’s also better for the environment. The Open University in Britain has found that online courses equate to an average of 90% less energy and 85% fewer CO2 emissions per student than in traditional courses.
The other benefits of e=learning are Career advancement and hobbies, more flexibility, flexible schedule and environment, Lower costs and debts, Self-discipline and responsibility, and more choice of course topics.
In view of the above benefits we need to have a look on the resources that are currently available and that can host the services through their powerfully dedicated servers. The top e-learning resources are more effective in learning today. To name a few the following listed resources are
· Coursera. Boasting more than 1000 courses from the best universities in the world, Coursera is a Mecca for digital learners
· edX. …
· YouTube. …
· Lynda. …
· Udemy. …
· Alison. …
· Khan Academy. …
· MIT Open Courseware and many more
And we need to have different types of e-learning:
· Computer Managed Learning (CML)
· Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI)
· Synchronous Online Learning.
· Asynchronous Online Learning.
· Fixed E-Learning.
· Adaptive E-Learning.
· Linear E-Learning.
· Interactive Online Learning.
While using our software resource EdgeSis, at ITM we can across a feature on the dashboard called LMS. What is it? It is a learning management system (LMS) in the software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs. The learning management system concept emerged directly from e-Learning.
The Characteristics for E-Learning includes that
1 It uses inclusive language
2 It Provides self-reflection opportunities.
3 It allows user-friendly, easy navigation
4 It includes relevant, relatable, real-life scenarios. …
5 It enables personalization.
6 It responds to individual needs.
7 It connects through multi-sensory interactions.
And for going online for e-learning we need to impart training to the faculty first and subsequently to the students under the guidance of the developers of the software to be used in distant learning mode or e-learning with the objectives to Increase Efficiencies in Processes. The main purpose of training is to ensure that all employees have the technical skills needed to perform the job efficiently and smoothly, Increase Motivation and Engagement, Reduce Employee Turnover, upskill Employees and Risk Management.
And the factors that construct the effectiveness of e-Learning in the Workplace Environment are Prestige, Self-Esteem, Feeling of Accomplishment, Monetary Incentives, Social Need, Respect, Belongingness, and legacy.
However, all said and done we need to promote the e-learning course for which we need to identify the target audience. Tell them how the e-Learning course meets their learning needs. Show them how your e-Learning course is time and cost-effective, .give them a sneak peek, to ask satisfied current learners to endorse your e-Learning course, and remind them of your online presence.
But before launching online classes we have to strategies our online teaching and make the e-Learning course a successful experience for both you and your learners. For which you have to engage with your learners online, create a supportive learning environment, and use a mix of learning tools for better engagement and provide Feedbacks.
But all that looks gloomy is not always so. The other side of the scene is that it has its own disadvantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of eLearning: Makes you able to link the various resources in several varying formats. It is a very efficient way of delivering courses online. Due to its convenience and flexibility, the resources are available from anywhere and at any time flexibility. Students have the freedom to juggle their careers and school because they aren’t tied down to a fixed schedule on reduced costs.
Online education can cost less due to a variety of reasons, Networking Opportunities, Documentation, and Increased Instructor — Student Time, E-learning saves time and money. With online learning, learners can access content anywhere and anytime. , E-learning leads to better retention, E-learning is consistent, and E-learning is scalable. , E-learning offers personalization.
And the Disadvantages are a lack of accreditation and low quality, little or no face-to-face interaction, more work, Intense requirements for self-discipline, even more, an intense requirement for self-direction, Accelerated Degree Programs that Fit into your busy schedule, Schools for Foodies to Consider and Tips for Surviving Finals Week from the Pros.
What is the use of e-learning?
· The E-Learning allows for trying alternative assignments, for example, through blogs or wikis. Activating learning in groups, as well as self-learning, supports the construction of knowledge and competence through communicative and collaborative assignments, active study methods instead of a one-way presentation of material.
There are many online available but the Coursera is recommended as best.
· Coursera. Coursera has partnered with leading universities in the U.S. and around the world to provide online courses covering dozens of different subjects. …
· Lynda.com. A veteran in the online education space, Lynda.com offers a subscription-based video tutorial library. …
· Udemy. …
· Udacity. …
· Khan Academy. …
· Codecademy. …
· Bloc. …
· Iversit
In view of the world taking to the online system of classes through various resources, and supplemented by apps like Zoom, We Chat, VMet, Web Cams, Whatsapp Video Conferencing, Skype, etc. the future of education seems to be lying and dependent on or lies in embracing online learning and online courses.
Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christensen, predicts that half of all traditional colleges won’t exist in 10 years because online education will undermine their business models to such a degree that many won’t survive. The building infrastructure would not mean much to aspiring students. The institutes with ample technological infrastructure will be able to operate online courses right from some remote isolated place.
However, despite their drawbacks like while logistically sound, taking too many online courses or having poor online instruction can be harmful to a student’s future also. One of the most glaring issues with online education is the lack of interpersonal communication.
Disclaimer: The author is an educationist and the observations recorded above are personal views.
