E-Learning Reasons and Benefits
Why Develop E-Learning??
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?Many organizations use e-learning because it can be as effective as traditional classroom training.?
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Developing e-learning content is more expensive than preparing classroom materials, especially if multimedia or highly interactive methods are used.?
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However, delivery costs for e-learning (including costs of web servers and technical support), are considerably lower than those for classroom facilities, instructor time, participants’ travel and job time lost to attend classroom sessions.
E-Learning reaches a wider target audience by engaging learners who have difficulty attending conventional classroom training, such as learners who are:
? Geographically dispersed with limited time and/or resources to travel
? Busy with work or family commitments
? Cannot to attend courses on specific dates with a fixed schedule
? Restricted mobility for security reasons
? Limited from participating in classroom sessions for cultural/religious reasons
? Facing difficulties with real-time communication (e.g. foreign language learners)
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Instructional Methods and Skills
E-learning can offer effective instructional methods such as:
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? Practice with associated feedback?
? Combine collaboration activities with self-paced study?
? Personalize learning paths based on learners’ needs?
? Use of simulations and games
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In addition, all learners receive the same quality of instruction, because there is no dependence on a specific instructor.
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SKILLS:
Can e-learning be used to develop any type of skill? A training program can be aimed at developing a number of different types of skills, for example:?
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? COGNITIVE SKILLS
? INTERPERSONAL?SKILLS
? PSYCHOMOTOR SKILLS
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Cognitive Skills are skills which can involve:?
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? Knowledge and comprehension (e.g. understanding scientific concepts)?
? Procedural skills (e.g. following instructions)?
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? Thinking and mental skills (e.g. applying methods in new situations to solve problems)
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Most e-learning courses are developed to build cognitive skills, especially knowledge, comprehension and procedural skills.
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Thinking and mental skills may require more interactive e-learning activities, because these skills are learned better "by doing".?
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Interpersonal Skills are skills involved in: active listening, presenting, negotiating etc.?Learning in the interpersonal domain can also be addressed in e-learning by using specific methods.?For example, Interactive role playing with appropriate feedback can be used to change attitudes and behaviours.
Psychomotor Skills involve the acquisition of physical perceptions and movements, for example playing a sport or driving a car.?
Quality of e-Learning and Development Principles
The quality of an e-learning course is enhanced by:
? Learner-centered content
? Granularity
? Engaging content
? Interactivity
? Personalization
LEARNER-CENTERED CONTENT:?E-learning curricula should be relevant and specific to learners’ needs, roles and responsibilities in their (professional) life;?Skills, knowledge and information should be?customized?for this purpose.
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GRANULARITY:?E-learning content should be segmented to facilitate the assimilation of new knowledge and allow the flexible scheduling of time for effective learning.
ENGAGING CONTENT:?Instructional methods and techniques should be used creatively to develop an engaging and motivating learning experience.
INTERACTVITY: Frequent learner interaction is needed, to sustain attention and to promote learning.
PERSONALISATION: Self-paced courses should be customizable, so that they can reflect and adapt to the learners’ interests and needs.
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What is needed to develop an e-learning course?
The ADDIE model for e-learning
AnalysisèDesignèDevelopmentèImplementationèEvaluation
1.????Analysis comprises: A needs, target audience, task & topic analysis.
The needs analysis allows the identification of general, high-level course goals. It should be conducted at the start of any development. Target audience analysis is another crucial step. The design and delivery of e-learning will be influenced by key characteristics of the learners (e.g. their previous knowledge and skills, geographical provenience, learning context and access to technology).
Task analysis identifies the job tasks that learners should learn or improve and the knowledge and skills that need to be developed or reinforced. This type of analysis is mainly used in courses designed to build specific job-related skills (also called “perform courses”).
Topic analysis is carried out to identify and classify the course content. This is typical of those courses that are primarily designed to provide information (also called “inform courses”)
2. Design: The design stage encompasses the following activities:
·???????Formulating a set of learning objectives required to achieve the general, high-level course objective;
·???????Defining the order in which the objectives should be achieved (sequencing); and
·???????Selecting instructional, media, evaluation and delivery strategies. The outcome of the design stage is a blueprint that will be used as a reference to develop the course. The blueprint illustrates the curriculum structure (e.g. its organization in courses, units, lessons, activities); the learning objectives associated with each unit; and the delivery methods and formats (e.g. interactive self-paced materials, synchronous and/or asynchronous collaborative activities) to deliver each unit.
3. Development: In this stage, the e-learning content is actually produced. The content can vary considerably, depending on the available resources. For example, e-learning content may consist of only simpler materials (i.e. those with little or no interactivity or multimedia, such as structured PDF documents) which can be combined with other materials (e.g. audio or video files), assignments and tests. In that situation, storyboard development and the development of media and electronic interactions would not be conducted. The development of multimedia interactive content is comprised of three main steps:
4.?Implementation: At this stage the course is delivered to learners. The courseware is installed on a server and made accessible for learners. In facilitated and instructor-led courses, this stage also includes managing and facilitating learners’ activities.
5.?Evaluation: An e-learning project can be evaluated for specific evaluation purposes. You may want to evaluate learners’ reactions, the achievement of learning objectives, the transfer of job-related knowledge and skills, and the impact of the project on the organization.
Professor of Management, Council Members at British American University
1 年E-learning is the process of learning through electronic media, using various digital tools such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and the internet.This type of learning can take various forms like online courses, webinars, virtual classrooms, and other similar formats.The advantages of e-learning are:1.Flexibility: E-learning allows students to access educational materials from anywhere, at any time, and at their own pace.2.Cost-effectiveness: E-learning can be less expensive than traditional classroom learning since it eliminates the need for physical infrastructure and travel expenses.3.Personalization: E-learning platforms offer customized learning options, such as interactive quizzes, targeted feedback, and assessments, which cater to the unique needs of each student.4.Improved retention rates: E-learning material is often presented in various formats like audio, video, and interactive content, which enhances learning and retention of information.5.Access to resources: E-learning platforms offer a vast repository of learning materials, such as articles, videos, and other multimedia tools, which provide students with greater access to knowledge.
An accomplished Professor overseeing academic programs related to teaching and research functions.
1 年E-learning works to reduce the value of the material costs required in traditional education, as there is no need in e-learning for the presence of educational facilities in the current form, to create classes in order to teach in them, as well as reduce the transportation costs from homes to educational facilities for both students and teachers, where management is The educational process through the Internet and the work of educational meetings through virtual classes that are created through social networks without the need for mobility. E-learning depends mainly on the availability of the Internet and modern technology that may not be available to many individuals, although e-learning is permanently available to all groups on the Internet, but many individuals in society who do not have any computers or Any devices that provide education according to modern technologies cannot obtain the educational material. E-learning does not provide any kind of competition or stimulation among students, which may cause problems for some students who are helped by the competitive atmosphere to master the educational process.