Chapter 33- e-Learning and Virtual classrooms

Chapter Outline

• Introduction
• What is e-Learning
• Nature and characteristics of e-Learning
• Concept of e-learning
• Modes and styles
• Promotion and arrangement for e-Learning
• Advantages of e-Learning
• Virtual classrooms
• Review questions

Introduction
        Teaching and learning that entirely happened to be a domain of the human factors — teacher and students — is now no longer limited to its traditional boundaries or ways and means. It has gradually turned into a subject of technological progress. Computer operation and networking, as visualized through the description provided in chapter 31, have almost revolutionized the field of teaching and learning.

What is e-Learning
         e-Learning is an abbreviation of the tern electronic learning. It may be taken as an electronically carried out learning fascilitated and supported by the use of advanced learning technology particularly calling for the services of computer, networking and multimedia.
     
        e-Learning is an innovative technique or a form of information and communication technology used in providing learning experiences to the students on-line trough the use of internet services and web technology of the computers on the same lines as witnessed by us in the form of e-mail,e-banking, e-booking and e-commerce in our day-to-day life.

Nature and characteristics of e-Learning

1. e-learning is a generic term used to refer computer enhanced learning. 
2. Its used should be strictly limited only"on-line learning" carried out through the internet pr web-enabled technology
3. It conveys broader meaning than the terms 'computer-based learning' and 'computer aided instruction'. 
4. It is broader in its meaning than that conveyed through the simple terms like "on-line learning" or "on-line education". 
5. It should not be taken as synonymous to audio-visual learning, multimedia learning, distance education or distance learning. 
6. It should be made absolutely clear that the use of the term e-learning should be restricted to the type of learning carried out, facilitated or supported through web-enhanced instructions and the internet-based communication like e-mail, audio and video conferencing, mail list, live chats, and telephony.

The Contemporary Concept of e-Learning

      The concept and the mechanism of e-learning are very much associated with the use of the internet and web-technology delivered to the end users, say students, via computers or laptops. However, there still remains certain doubts about the true nature and functioning of the term. 

1. The learners are found to make use of variety of recorded CDs and DVDs for gaining the desired information and learning experiences in their concerned subjects. Should it be included in the category of e-learning or not?
2. Lately there is an emergence development in the shape of mobile learning (in-learning). The pertinent question that arises with the emergence of m-learning is that whether it should be included in the domains of e-learning or not. 

Let us now seek some explanation about these doubts. 

           Bhooma Krishnan, director and trace the history of e-learning, he gas mentioned four distinct stages in the evolution of the concept of e-learning, namely: multimedia era (1984-1993), web infancy (1994-1999), next generation web (2000-2005), and mobile learning. As a consequence, it is therefore, no surprise at present to see the users of e-learning to make use of: 

• The stored information and knowledge of the CDs and DVDs coupled with or devoid of the internet and web technology. 
• The internet and web technology services delivered through their computers and laptops. 
• The advanced m-learning technology delivered through web TV, cellphones, pagers, PDA, palms, iPods, etc. 

    In this way, we can term the present day e-learning as a learning carried out, supported and facilitated bu the advanced multimedia facilities as well as internet and web technology delivered to the end users via computers, latops, and mobile ICT appliances. 

Modes and Styles

1. Support learning- a teacher may make its use for his better teaching and a learner for his needed learning
2. Blended learning- the programmes and activities are so planned and executed as to present a happy combination of both the traditional classroom teaching practices and e-learning based instruction
3. Complete learning- the traditional classroom teaching learning is totally replaced by the virtual classroom teaching-learning. There is no existence of classrooms, schools and teaching-learning environment as happens in the traditional set-up of school education. 

• Asynchronous communication style: the course information or learning experiences are passed to the learners through e-mail, discussion forum, web pages, web logs, blogs, wikis or through the recorded CD-ROM and DVD. 
• Synchronous communication style: the communication between the teacher and students directly occurs in an on-line chat room or through live audio video conferencing. 

Promotion and Arrangement for e-Learning in our educational institutions

1. To develop a positive attitude towards the processes and products of e-learning. 
2. Provide the needed facilities for training and equipping the students and teachers with the essential technical knowledge and skills related to the operations and utilization of multimedia appliances, computers and their networking with special emphasis on the internet and web technology. 
3. Provide proper orientation to the staff and students. 
4. Make provision of the internet facilities and classroom websites for giving opportunities to the teachers and students to carry out the teaching learning tasks using the mechanism of e-learning. 
5. Make adequate provision for the availability of the technicals support services to train and provide online support to both the teachers and students. 

Advantages of e-Learning

1. Most of the learners may not have time and resources for getting access to the traditional class-bound learning experiences may get it now easily at their convenience in the form of e-learning. 
2. E-learning has enough potential to make the education, instruction and learning opportunities provided to the learners adaptable to their needs, mental and skill level, locals need and resources at their hands. 
3. It has a unique feature of arranging an access to the same quality of the content that a full time students has. 
4. E-learning can cater to different learning styles and promote collaboration among students from different localities, cultures, regions, states and countries. 
5. E-learning can prove and effective media and tool for facing the problems of lack of the trained and competent teachers, paucity of schools and the needed infrastructure and material facilities for providing quality education to the number of students residing in the far and wide concerns of the country
6. The flexibility of e-learning in terms of delivery media. 
7. E-learning may make the students more interested and motivated towards learning.
8. The opportunities of having an on-line,off-line and live interaction between the students and teachers among the students themselves may make the task of e-learning a joy and best alternative to the traditional classroom setting
9. Audio-visual recording technology has a unique advantage of providing learning experiences that can be paused and reversed. 
10. Provides opportunities for testing and evaluating the learning outcomes of the learners through teachers, peers and auto-instructional devices and software available with the reading material on-line. 
11. Learning experience via simulated and gaining techniques, may also provide the benefits of getting richer experiences on the useful pedagogical footings of play-way spirit and learning by doing or living. 

Limitations and drawbacks

1. e-learning requires sufficient level of knowledge and skills for the use of multimedia, internet and web technology on the part of its users. 
2. E-learning requires that they must have a proper, easy and timely access to the needed resources, tools and equipment. 
3. Schools are not all ready, willing and equipped for making use of e-learning in the proper interest of the teachers and students. 
4. There is no proper provision of equipping the teachers in the pre-service or in-service programmes for getting acquainted with the knowledge and skills required on their part for the use of e-learning at their workplaces. 
5. The feeling of isolation experienced by the users of e-learning. 
6. An overall attitude of the learners, teachers, parents, educational authorities, and society is usually found quite negative towards the processes a d products of e-learning. 

Virtual classroom

       We can understand virtual classrooms as the classrooms capable of replacing partially or totally the conventional educational, evaluative and administrative functioning of a regular classroom by adopting the advanced computer and ICT technologies like the internet, e-mail, on-line-chatting, WWW, CD-ROMs,DVDs, teleconferencing and video conferencing. 

Advantages

1. It has provided great amount of flexibility to the learners in getting the desired learning experiences at the time and place along with pace of their choice. 
2. Since the learners have not to present themselves for their pursuit of an instructional course at a fixed time and place, it does not come in their way pf doing a job or engaging in other learning pursuit simultaneously at a time. 
3. The facilities regarding receiving instructions or gaining learning experiences are available to the learners during 24 hours of all the 7 weekdays. 
4. The system is quite capable of providing the services of the most experienced and capable faculty belonging to any stream and discipline of the school curriculum which is mostly denied or remains impracticable in the conventional educational set up. 
5. System is quite capable of providing learners the joy and benefits of the real-time learning through the utilization pf the most advanced technologies. 
6. There is no fear of criticism, snubbing and ridiculing bu their teachers or colleagues. 
7. Prove quite advantageous to the students on account of its on-line features related to admission, information about the courses and academic activities, assignments and projects, etc. 
8. it saves the valuable energy of the faculty and administrative authorities. 

Drawbacks and limitations

1. The system may be misutilized and misdirected on the part of students. 
2. The organization and working of a virtual classroom or campus is found quite hopeless in terms of its quality of study material and its delivery to its students. 
3. The dreams and promises of providing real classroom experiences through virtual realities of the virtual classroom system are hard to realize. 
4. In the absence of the needed humanistic touch, socio-cultural environment, and activities to promote social and moral values and opportunities for building physical, social and emotional competencies, the system is quite incapable of turning our youngsters into a human being sensitive to moral values and mutual brotherhood. 

Review questions

1.  whats is e-learning? Throw light on its nature and characteristics. 
2. Define the concept of e-learning. 
3. Discuss, in detail, the various modes and styles prevalent for carrying out e-learning. 
4. What steps would you like to take for the promotion and organization of e-learning in our educational institutions?
5. Discuss the advantages and shortcoming of the system of e-learning. 
6. What are virtual classrooms? 
7. Discuss the concept of virtual classrooms system by throwing on its merits and limitations