E-Learning

E-LEARNING

COVID-19 has adversely affected the normal way of doing things and in education sector it has led to the evolution of e-learning making it the new normal. E-learning is the acquisition and use of knowledge distributed and facilitated primarily by electronic means. Earlier people travelled distances to learn from the best but e-learning has provided us the opportunity to be trained by skillful teachers and learn from experts by just sitting at your home.

E-learning is an umbrella term that is used to describe a wide variety of electronic ways that enable access to education, and the process in itself. These include virtual classrooms, web-based learning, computer-based learning, digital collaboration, video and audio recordings, interactive TV and many more. Thus, e-learning is suited to flexible learning methods and distance learning. E-learning can however be coupled with face-to-face instruction, which is called blended learning.

E-learning has proved to be the best means in the corporate sector, especially when training programs are conducted by MNCs for professionals across the globe and employees are able to acquire important skills while sitting in a board room, or by having seminars, which are conducted for employees of the same or the different organizations under one roof. The schools which use E-learning technologies are a step ahead of those which still have the traditional approach towards learning.

No doubt, it is equally important to take forward the concept of non-electronic teaching with the help of books and lectures, but the importance and effectiveness of technology-based learning cannot be taken lightly or ignored completely. It is believed that the human brain can easily remember and relate to what is seen and heard via moving pictures or videos. It has also been found that visuals, apart from holding the attention of the student, are also retained by the brain for longer periods. Various sectors, including agriculture, medicine, education, services, business, and government setups are adapting to the concept of E-learning which helps in the progress of a nation.

HISTORY OF E-LEARNING

To better understand how eLearning benefits organizations today, it’s helpful to look at its past. Elliott Maisie coined the term “eLearning” in 1999, marking the first time the phrase was used professionally. In the years since, eLearning’s reputation has gone from strength to strength.

Factors that have facilitated e-learning:

· The Internet - Prior to the rise of the internet, many relied on printed manuals, CD-ROMS and other restrictive methods for learning and training. The rise of the internet allowed organizations to abandon one-dimensional practices and utilize the flexibility of eLearning.

· Development of Multimedia - As eLearning progressed, the ability to integrate elements such as images, videos, audio and graphics proved to be a more reliable way of keeping learners engaged compared to traditional learning.

· Affordable Digital Devices - Considering the first IBM computer cost the equivalent of almost $5000 today, it’s understandable that eLearning popularity rose as digital devices became more affordable. Mobile learning also hugely facilitated the growth of eLearning.

· Well-Built Learning Management Systems - LMS’s have become more sophisticated, moving from locally installed to cloud-based systems, with organizations increasingly applying them to execute many forms of training. There are many things to consider while choosing a lms; at a minimum ensure it has the functionality and support you need to meet your objectives and those of your learners.

The last decade transformed e-learning radically. In the early days, courses offered for e-learning were typically custom created, by groups of programmers who were aided by software creating tools. Advancement in technology led to the creation of worldwide web, making the creation of e-learning courses a simpler task, that anyone without programming knowledge could complete. Today, many people are using tablets and smart phones for online classes and web seminars or webinars.

It can be classified into 2 types:

Informal and formal.

An informal distribution form of e-learning is one in which the students are trusted to view the available course material, and are not tracked or tested, for completion.

In the formal distribution form of e-learning, instructors usually keep track and make recordings of learner progress and results. Learning Management Systems or LMS is used for tracking scores and to ensure that the students’ standards for each course are maintained

How is the education sector responding to COVID-19?

In response to significant demand, many online learning platforms are offering free access to their services, including platforms like BYJU'S, a Bangalore-based educational technology and online tutoring firm founded in 2011, which is now the world’s most highly valued edtech company. Since announcing free live classes on its Think and Learn app, BYJU’s has seen a 200% increase in the number of new students using its product, according to Mrinal Mohit, the company's Chief Operating Officer.

Tencent classroom, meanwhile, has been used extensively since mid-February after the Chinese government instructed a quarter of a billion full-time students to resume their studies through online platforms. This resulted in the largest “online movement” in the history of education with approximately 730,000  or 81% of K-12 students, attending classes via the Tencent K-12 Online School in Wuhan.

Other companies are bolstering capabilities to provide a one-stop shop for teachers and students. For example, Lark a Singapore-based collaboration suite initially developed by Byte Dance as an internal tool to meet its own exponential growth, began offering teachers and students unlimited video conferencing time, auto-translation capabilities, real-time co-editing of project work, and smart calendar scheduling, amongst other features. To do so quickly and in a time of crisis, Lark ramped up its global server infrastructure and engineering capabilities to ensure reliable connectivity.

Alibaba’s distance learning solution, DingTalk, had to prepare for a similar influx: “To support large-scale remote work, the platform tapped Alibaba Cloud  to deploy more than 100,000 new cloud servers in just two hours last month – setting a new record for rapid capacity expansion,” according to DingTalk CEO, Chen Hang.

Some school districts are forming unique partnerships, like the one between The Los Angeles Unified School District and PBS SoCal/KCET to offer local educational broadcasts, with separate channels focused on different ages, and a range of digital options. Media organizations such as the BBC are also powering virtual learning; Bitesize Daily, launched on 20 April, is offering 14 weeks of curriculum-based learning for kids across the UK with celebrities like Manchester City footballer Sergio Aguero teaching some of the content.

What does this mean for the future of learning?

While some believe that the unplanned and rapid move to online learning – with no training, insufficient bandwidth, and little preparation – will result in a poor user experience that is unconducive to sustained growth, others believe that a new hybrid model of education will emerge, with significant benefits. “I believe that the integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated and that online education will eventually become an integral component of school education,“ says Wang Tao, Vice President of Tencent Cloud and Vice President of Tencent Education.

There have already been successful transitions amongst many universities. For example, Zhejiang University  managed to get more than 5,000 courses online just two weeks into the transition using “DingTalk ZJU”. The Imperial College London  started offering a course on the science of coronavirus, which is now the most enrolled class launched in 2020 on Coursera. 

Many are already touting the benefits: Dr Amjad, a Professor at The University of Jordan who has been using Lark to teach his students says, “It has changed the way of teaching. It enables me to reach out to my students more efficiently and effectively through chat groups, video meetings, voting and also document sharing, especially during this pandemic. My students also find it is easier to communicate on Lark. I will stick to Lark even after coronavirus, I believe traditional offline learning and e-learning can go hand by hand."

The challenges of online learning

There are, however, challenges to overcome. Some students without reliable internet access and/or technology struggle to participate in digital learning; this gap is seen across countries and between income brackets within countries. For example, whilst 95% of students in Switzerland, Norway, and Austria have a computer to use for their schoolwork, only 34% in Indonesia do, according to OECD data.

In the US, there is a significant gap between those from privileged and disadvantaged backgrounds: whilst virtually all 15-year-olds from a privileged background said they had a computer to work on, nearly 25% of those from disadvantaged backgrounds did not. While some schools and governments have been providing digital equipment to students in need, such as in New South Wales, Australia, many are still concerned that the pandemic will widen the digital divide. 

Is learning online as effective?

For those who do have access to the right technology, there is evidence that learning online can be more effective in a number of ways. Some research shows that on average, students retain 25-60%  more material when learning online compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. This is mostly due to the students being able to learn faster online; e-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom setting because students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through concepts as they choose.

Nevertheless, the effectiveness of online learning varies amongst age groups. The general consensus on children, especially younger ones, is that a structured environment is required, because kids are more easily distracted. To get the full benefit of online learning, there needs to be a concerted effort to provide this structure and go beyond replicating a physical class/lecture through video capabilities, instead, using a range of collaboration tools and engagement methods that promote “inclusion, personalization and intelligence”, according to Dowson Tong, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and President of its Cloud and Smart Industries Group.

Since studies have shown that children extensively use their senses to learn, making learning fun and effective through use of technology is crucial, according to BYJU's Mrinal Mohit. “Over a period, we have observed that clever integration of games has demonstrated higher engagement and increased motivation towards learning especially among younger students, making them truly fall in love with learning”, he says.

Advantages of E-Learning

Flexibility :E-learning is very flexible as learners can access material at any time they     want. Students who reside at places that are distant to the physical classrooms or those who do not have the time to be with the instructor, have the luxury of choosing a time of their convenience, to go through school coursework.

Wider variety of fields to choose from :There are thousands of school course-works, online degrees and certifications being offered online, today.

Cost effectiveness: E-learning alleviates the need for students and instructors to be located in a central place for learning to take place. This saves money that could be spent on travelling, accommodation and other uses that school-based learners cannot escape from.

Improves Performance and Productivity: eLearning allows learners to quickly and more easily complete their training, resulting in improved performance and greater productivity. Learners appreciate that they can participate in training at their convenience. They’re likely to feel more motivated to further their professional goals through eLearning, as it gives them the flexibility to learn at their own pace and from a location of their choosing.

Lower Environmental Impact: More and more organizations are making a conscious effort to reduce their carbon footprint as part of their corporate responsibility strategy. eLearning is an effective method if you aim to have a lower environmental impact. It offers an alternative to paper-based learning and contributes to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly workplace.

In a fast-pacing, technology-oriented world of today, people are adopting technology and finding new ways to integrate it in support of education. E-learning is leading the way, redefining ways in which knowledge is acquire.