The global scenario driven by constant advancements in the field of technology has made inroads into education and training to benefit from a number of innovations, thus making these two forms as one of the largest sectors of the economy; says Joseph Tramontana.
E Learning – The acronym for electronic learning is the use of technology to enable people to learn anytime and anywhere, with training, the delivery of just-in-time information and guidance from experts. The system employs a computer in delivering a section or an entire course on a subject in totality. Independent of its location, the courses can be conducted in the premises of a school, a business establishment or in the form of a complete distance learning program.
The Evolution
The initiation of this novel mode of education was not free from opposing and conflicting opinions. These were in the direction of mentioning the elimination of the human element by learners who opposed the introduction of inanimate and so called intelligent computers to classrooms. However, with the influx of technology into all the arenas of public life, society kept pace with the evolving scenarios, thereby welcoming the technology driven gadgets into their territory, with open arms. Hence, this paradigm shift brought with an entire inventory of classroom and office learning tools aided by interactive designs and paving the way for the learners to derive cost effective benefits of distance learning.
E Learning and its Advantages to Students
There is a multitude of benefits that e-learning has to offer to students, schools and a teacher too; says Joseph Tramontana.
Complete Freedom
E Learning is an ideal platform for students who are not comfortable learning in a large group, especially if they find a concept difficult to comprehend as against their peers who have no problem at all. E-learning with a number of interactive tasks set in place, ensures a thorough understanding of the topic, thereby making learning a more engaging and interesting activity.
The Omnipresent Education System
E-Learning, the “anytime”, “anywhere” system of education reduces time to enable students, to learn concepts at their own pace, not burdened by demographic constraints. Students can also be assured of having an access to training even outside the campus of school or college. Predominantly a self-service concept making use of the mix and match curriculum, E-Learning offers a self-paced private learning with a great deal of flexibility in the form of well defined modular packages. These packages are tailor made to the demanding requirements of students who are at a liberty to browse through a module umpteen times till they achieve a sense of proficiency in the topic of discussion.
Consistency is the Key
Schools will benefit from a centralized source of content with a similar quality made available to all the students, thus, imparting equality in the nature of education. This system has an easy way to monitor progress of its students with precise information in the form of online tests which can be conducted to assess the performance of students after the completion of their course. This is also a novel endeavor to do away with the cumbersome administrative procedures in evaluating the students’ academic prowess.
Thus, it is in the best interests of schools and colleges raising the standards of education by opting for E Learning, which offer a multitude options both for teaching and learning. While it is imperative to bridge the gap between technology and education, assistance in the form of active involvement of teachers and parents is the most sought after solution. It is also needless to mention that educational institutions should invest in such innovative activities to bring about a profound improvement to the system of quality education, thereby being instrumental in building a developed self-sufficient, educated economy.