E-learning

Electronic learning or E-learning is a general term used to refer to computer-enhanced learning. It is used interchangeably in so many contexts that it is critical to be clear what one means when one speaks of 'eLearning'. In many respects, it is commonly associated with the field of advanced learning technology (ALT), which deals with both the technologies and associated methodologies in learning using networked and/or multimedia technologies.

History

The first general-purpose system for computer-assisted instruction from which e-learning evolved, was the PLATO System developed at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.The Plato system evolved with the involvement of Control Data who created the first authoring software used to create learning content. The authoring software was called Plato. The Science Research Council then wrote the first CAI system of Math for K-6. Wicat Systems then created WISE as their authoring tool using Pascal and developed English and Math curriculum for K-6. The very first complete CAI classroom for K-6 students was set up at the Waterford Elementary School in Utah using the Wicat system. The first public CAI classroom with its own layout and design was implemented with the Wicat System by Baal Systems (later known as Virtual Systems) in Singapore as a joint operation between Wicat and Baal. It is from this design that all the computer learning centers globally evolved and which were the forerunners of eLearning.

Market

The worldwide e-learning industry is estimated to be worth over 38 billion euros according to conservative estimates, although in the European Union only about 20% of e-learning products are produced within the common market. Developments in Internet and multimedia technologies are the basic enabler of e-learning, with content, technologies and services being identified as the three key sectors of the e-learning industry [1], although it can be seen that there are two additional sectors, those being the consulting and support sectors.

There are many organisations in this market, including companies such as New Horizons, SkillSoft, Knowledge Anywhere, EPIC, LearnKey, TATA Interactive Systems,TransversaleNetwork-TeN, TutorVista, Semanoor, BlueU and LearningSteps.com are leading innovators in the design and development of e-learning in the commercial world. SkillSoft is by far the largest company in the global market since their 2006 acquisition of Thomson NETg[citation needed], whilst Epic is one of the largest bespoke e-learning content providers.

Growth

Among the early institutions of on-line learning in the mid-1980s were the Western Behavioural Sciences Institute, the New York Institute of Technology, the Electronic Information Exchange System - EIES - of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Connected Education and the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction which developed interactive tutorials on the University of Minnesota's mainframe in the late 1970's. More recently the organization Independent Student Media has developed a working curriculum that instructs students through an Interactive On-line Textbook. The term 'e-Learning' itself originated in the corporate literature of CBT Systems (now SkillSoft) in the mid-1990s.[citation needed]

By 2003, more than 1.9 million students were participating in on-line learning at institutions of higher education in the United States, according to a report from the "Sloan Consortium", an authoritative source of information about on-line higher education. The explosive rate of growth -- now about 25 percent a year -- has made hard numbers a moving target. But according to Sloan, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer on-line classes. By contrast, only about half of private, non-profit schools offer them. The Sloan report, based on a poll of academic leaders, says that students generally appear to be at least as satisfied with their on-line classes as they are with traditional ones. Private Institutions may become more involved with on-line presentations as the cost of instituting such a system decreases. Properly trained staff must also be hired to work with students on-line. These staff members must be able to not only understand the content area, but also be highly trained in the use of the computer and Internet.

The concept of a Digital native has also become popular, and there are certainly likely to be generational influences on the future of e-learning. As more and more adult learners enter into this field the gap will begin to close.

In addition, e-Learning takes advantage of the versatility provided by asynchronous capabilities of internet delivered education.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Key advantages of E-learning are flexibility, convenience and the ability to work at any place where an internet connection is available and at one’s own pace. E-classes are asynchronous which allows learners to participate and complete coursework in accordance with their daily commitments. This makes an E-learning education a viable option for those that have other commitments such as family or work or cannot participate easily e.g. depending on a disablility. There are also transportation cost (and time) benefits with not having to commute to and from campus.

The cost benefits of E-learning to large corporate organizations are difficult to ignore. When using E-learning to train users of corporate computer systems, normally achieved by way of simulation-based learning content, the learner finds himself in a software environment that is exactly like the real one but which does not carry the same error risk. Unlike classroom training, users may repeat the E-learning course without duplicating the cost. It is commonly accepted that the initial cost of an E-learning implementation is expensive (once-off development cost), but that the cost of training (per user) goes down exponentially as more learners use the E-learning course material. When using E-learning simulations to assess learning progress, the instructor is assessing the actual competence of the user to perform a transaction and not merely knowledge of the system.

Other advantages of E-learning are the ability to communicate with fellow classmates independent of metrical distance, a greater adaptability to learner's needs, more variety in learning experience with the use of multimedia and the non-verbal presentation of teaching material. Streamed video recorded lectures and MP3 files provides visual and audio learning that can be reviewed as often as needed. For organizations with distributed and constantly changing learners (e.g. restaurant staff), E-learning has considerable benefits when compared with organizing classroom training.

Disadvantages of E-learning include the lack of face-to-face interaction with a teacher. Critics of E-learning argue that the process is no longer "educational" in the highest philosophical sense (for example, as defined by RS Peters, a philosopher of education). Supporters of E-learning claim that this criticism is largely unfounded, as human interactions can readily be encouraged through audio or video-based web-conferencing programs, threaded discussion boards,of fact, many in K12 would support E-learning if it was not associated with the more extreme versions that attempt to cut out the directed teacher-student relationship.

The feeling of isolation experienced by distance learning students is also often cited, although discussion forums and other computer-based communication can in fact help ameliorate this and in particular can often encourage students to meet face-to-face, although meeting face-to-face is often not possible due to the disarray of student's physical locality. Discussion groups can also be formed on-line. Human interaction, faculty-to-student as well as student-to-student, should be encouraged in any form.

E-learning tends to work better for the student when the topic matter consists of self-learned items. When much group collaboration is required, E-learning can cause lag times in collaborative feedback if the students are not discipled. For example, some student's may only check their online agenda once a week, or even less, making it impossible to achieve goals. Web and software development can be expensive as can systems specifically geared for E-learning. The development of adaptive materials is also much more time-consuming than that of non-adaptive ones.

ELearning 2.0

eLearning 2.0 refers to a second phase of e-Learning based on Web 2.0 and emerging trends in eLearning. It can include features such as

* eLearning where students create content, collaborate with peers through mechanisms such as blogs, Wikis, threaded discussions, RSS and others to form a learning network with distributed content creation and distribution of responsibilities.
* eLearning that takes advantage of many sources of content aggregated together into learning experiences.
* eLearning that utilizes various tools including online references, courseware, knowledge management, collaboration and search.

The term itself is meant to imply that the traditional model of eLearning as a type of content, produced by publishers, organized and structured into courses, and consumed by students, is turned on its head. Insofar as there is content, it is used rather than read— and is, in any case, more likely to be produced by students than courseware authors. And insofar as there is structure, it is more likely to resemble a language or a conversation rather than a book or a manual. The e-learning application, therefore, begins to look very much like a blogging tool. It represents one node in a web of content, connected to other nodes and content creation services used by other students. The term first appeared in 2005 in an online article eLearning 2.0, by Stephen Downes.

Momentum in this area is based on the confluence of several important trends including:

* dramatically lower effort to compose eLearning solutions based on Web 2.0 technologies and tools
* demand in corporate settings for training that requires time and that engages learners in the process over a course of time
* recognition in eLearning of the importance of blended learning
* The trend toward student centered design
* The theory of Connectivism ([1])
* Free-Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) and open access
* educational blogging

There is some criticism of eLearning 2.0 as a term, primarily citing the lack of clear definition. There is also widespread support for dropping the "e" and just calling it Learning 2.0.

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