E-LEARNING

What is learning?

Ø The process of adapting mental images or impressions by integrating new experiences.
Ø Searching for meaning
Ø Using existing information to transform and construct own meaningful knowledge. The knowledge we gain from such fields as folklore provides the best examples here. E.g. consider the formulative forms of folklore i.e. riddles, tongue-twisters, proverbs, and poetry, including children’s poetry
Ø Non-linear process of adaptivity of the system using associative and creative thinking. Communication with others helps this process.

Learning is aided by confronting learners with complex, interactive experiences, high level content, and integration of learners’ needs. Hence the need to identify and understand the learning needs of our students.

Human brains are adaptive, non-linear, and self-organising. There is a system that sorts material and knowledge. Considering the existing modes of learning, such a process as detailed above is best suited for e-learning.

On the other hand, teaching is about imparting knowledge through teaching activities and not learning activities. Teaching is like a drill. All the students pass through the drill at the same time, from the same source, and in the same fashion.

In e-learning, teaching is about:

Ø Planning learning activities instead of planning teaching activities and content
Ø enabling students to be active, communicating thus constructing knowledge
Ø providing guidance and assessment, brokering knowledge





E-learning versus methods of learning/teaching preceding it
Traditional Methods
E-learning Methods
•learning by listening, reading, and reproducing
•learning by experiencing, case studies, contributing. Learning is a life-long experience
•learning is restricted to approved academic programmes
•course content is a collaborative effort
•content is provided by the teacher
•very flexible i.e. learning takes place anytime, anywhere
Fulltime/onsite learning or Face2Face communication
•on-line course/instruction
•locally oriented
•internationally oriented
•stand-alone universities
•networked universities

Distance Education falls in between these two methods. It is an improvement on the traditional methods of teaching. However, it is not flexible enough. Some of the main challenges for distance education include:

v lack of prompt feedback
v one cannot be sure of student or teacher attitudes in the learning process
v there is no opportunity to access students’ learning capabilities. The students all start at the same level, whether weak or strong
v tends to present ambiguous instructions on the web
v technical problems

When distance education goes really wrong, it produces in the student panic that degenerates into isolation, then frustration and, finally, anger.