The Basics of eLearning

ELearning uses learning management systems (such as Blackboard, WebCT, KEWL, etc.) as a web-based platform for distributing and facilitating the eLearning curricula. Learning management systems allow for effective use of the Web for learning by:
Providing access to rich sources of information.
Encouraging meaningful interactions with content.
Bringing people together to challenge, support, or respond to each other.
Exemplary eLearning courses should have the following aspects:
eLectures – eLectures provide crucial concept or technique that students need in order to apply it to a problem or discussion.
Discussion Forum – This is where online interaction takes place for each course. You will be expected to initiate a discussion and post replies.
Ask an expert – In addition to the local learning facilitator, you will have access to an expert practitioner for each course. This expert practitioner will be available to generate discussion about a particular topic and to respond to questions.
Mentorship – If you require an online mentor who is a professional in a particular subject area and who can provide ongoing feedback let your course instructor know so we can help locate an online mentor for you.
Local learning facilitator or tutor support – A local learning facilitators and/or lecturer will be available for face to face interaction at your Home Institution.
Access to network resources - Additional reading materials relevant to your course are located in “Course documents”. Moreover, some assignments will require that you locate material on the Internet for sharing in the conference room or discussion forum.
Structured group activity – You will be expected to participate in a combination of the following structured group activities: seminars, small group discussions, learning partnerships and dyads, student work groups and learning circles, team presentations, simulations or role plays, and peer learning groups. Please get some guidance from your course instructor or local learning facilitator.
Informal peer interaction -- Sometimes the best learning occurs during informal peer interaction so please email each other if you require private space.
Connected Education
Of the various related terms and definitions, I appreciate Steven Gilbert (2000:15) vision of connected education. “In this vision of education, individual learners, teachers, and related support professionals connect better to information, ideas and each other via effective combinations of pedagogy and technology – both old and new.” Gilbert continues that “within the context of the institution’s educational mission, all have more opportunities to connect with each other’s efforts to identify, understand, develop, and improve effective combinations of:
Learners’ capabilities, needs, and goals;
Teachers’ capabilities, needs, and goals;
Academic content;
Approaches to teaching and learning (pedagogy);
Media and applications of technology; and
Assessment and Feedback.”
e-Quality: Access to Quality eLearning
Before we proceed, let's take some time to look at quality assurance concerns that started to be voiced as more traditional universities started to offer Internet-based distance learning and as more private sector entities started to offer diplomas based entirely on computer-mediated learning. The eight regional accrediting commissions which assure the quality of the great majority of degree-granting institutions of higher learning in the United States issued a statement of commitment about their resolve to sustain certain values in the face of greater movement towards Internet-based distance learning (not as we have defined eLearning above). These values are:
that education is best experienced within a community of learning where competent professionals are actively and cooperatively involved with creating, providing, and improving the instructional program;
that learning is dynamic and interactive, regardless of the setting in which it occurs;
that instructional programs leading to degrees having integrity are organized around substantive and coherent curricula which define expected learning outcomes;
that institutions accept the obligation to address student needs related to, and to provide the resources necessary for, their academic success;
that institutions are responsible for the education provided in their name;
that institutions undertake the assessment and improvement of their quality, giving particular emphasis to student learning;
that institutions voluntarily subject themselves to peer review.
Based on an initial draft by the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (http://www.wiche.edu/telecom/), the eight regional accrediting commissions offered the following best practices to reflect the “common understandings of those elements that reflect quality distance education programming.” The best practices are meant to assist institutions in planning distance education activities and to provide a self-assessment framework for those already nvolved and are intended to inform and facilitate the evaluation policies and processes of each region. These Best Practices are divided into five separate components, each of which addresses a particular area of institutional activity relevant to distance education. They are:
Institutional Context and Commitment
Curriculum and Instruction
Faculty Support
Student Support
Evaluation and Assessment
Blackboard Inc and the U.S. National Education Association (NEA) commissioned a study on “Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education”. The study set out to validate a set of benchmarks applicable to Internet-based distance education.The study outcome is a list of 24 benchmarks, grouped under seven general categories that are essential to ensure quality in Internet-based distance education. The seven categories are:
Institutional Support Benchmarks
Course Development Benchmarks
Teaching/Learning Benchmarks
Course Structure Benchmarks
Student Support Benchmarks
Faculty Support Benchmarks
Evaluation and Assessment Benchmarks
These are the very same benchmarks used for addressing quality in traditional on-campus education. For example, the core criteria for education and training providers in South Africa include the following:
Policy statement
Quality management systems
Review mechanisms
Programme delivery
Staff policies
Learner policies
Assessment policies
Management system and policies
These core criteria are reflected in the Quality Evaluation Guide prepared by the Association of African Universities. Included in the quality evaluation are: performance areas and some related quality indicators include vision, mission, goals and objectives; teaching and learning; assessment; research; organizational and management structure; planning, budgeting and human resources; campus and community relations; facilities; norms, values and ethics; gender equity; new technologies; internationalization; response to changing social demands. I am not sure to what extent this quality evaluation guide has been tested with distance education programs in Africa. For quality assurance purposes, institutions in Africa, such as the University of Dar es Salaam, are recognizing the need to prepare for an Internet-based on-campus and off-campus education. They are reviewing the applicability to their own situation of the “Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education.”
Related Terms to eLearning
Related terms include Distance Education, Online Education, Distributed Learning, Internet Education, Computer-based Training, Computer-Mediated Communication, Computer-Assisted Instruction, Virtual Education, Cyber-Learning, Asynchronous Learning, and Multi-modal Instruction. The meaning of these terms are starting to converge. Where there is a difference in usage is explained by place (same place, any place, on-campus, off-campus); time (same time -- synchronous or not at the same time -- asynchronous); interaction (learner to computer; learner to instructor; learner to other learners); use of the computer (presentation, interactive, collaborative, generative); type of technology (text, audio, video, multimedia); and absence or presence of face-to-face interaction.
Here are some basic definitions and characteristics of these related terms:
Distance Education
Barry Willis (1995) considers distance education as taking place "when a teacher and student(s) are separated by physical distance, and technology (i.e., voice, video, data, and print), often in concert with face-to-face communication, is used to bridge the instructional gap." Willis (1995) indicates that "these types of programs can provide adults with a second chance at a college education, reach those disadvantaged by limited time, distance or physical disability, and update the knowledge base of workers at their places of employment.”
Traditional high-end distance education technologies require special-purpose equipment or services (video-conferencing rooms, satellite uplinks). At the low end, reliance on public services designed for one-way broadcast (such as television) or point-to-point connections (the switched telephone network), severely limit the interaction between participants.
Online Education
Greg Kearsley (1997) defines Online Education as follows:
“OnLine Education allows the study of higher education courses through the electronic medium of Internet. Course Materials, including reference papers, study materials and contact with tutors and fellow students are all accessed through the use of personal computers and telecommunications.”
Kearsley continues:
“OnLine Education allows students previously unknown freedom to study at virtually any location and at any pace that can accommodate their other commitments such as work and family. Diploma, undergraduate and masters degrees, the duration of which is a maximum of five years, can be studied at day or night from home, office and even hotel room if you are a frequent traveler.”
Kearsley indicated that online learning affords learner's great flexibility in terms of location and duration of study. He also suggests that additional plus is that online courses "are also highly regarded by both the academic and business community.”
Here is yet another definition of online learning:
“Simply put, online learning refers to learning and other supportive resources that are available through a computer. The computer prompts the learner for more information and presents appropriate material based on the learner’s response.” ( Carliner 1998).
Carliner's definition suggests a "learner to computer" interaction whereas other definitions highlight "online interaction" also historically called "computer mediated communication" (CMC), although this term covers applications beyond instruction (e.g., decision-making in work teams).” Electronic Collaboration: a Practical Guide for Educators (1999:1) states that
"Internet-based work allows collaborators to communicate anytime, from anywhere to any place. People from different parts of a building, state, country, or continent can exchange information, collaborate on shared documents and ideas, study together, or reflect on their own practices.”
A comprehensive definition from Department of Education, Training and Employment (South Australia) follows:
"Online Education courses are conducted through the Internet, allowing you to receive and submit course work and interact with participants and your professor via your computer and modem. The predominantly asynchronous nature of the lessons, activities and communication methods allows you to participate in courses at times and places convenient to you."
Distributed Learning
Oblinger and Maruyama (1996:6) characterizes a distributed learning environment as follows:
"where the learning environment exists among a dispersed student population, is structured according to learners' needs, and tends to integrate traditional institutional functions (e.g. classroom and library)."
Internet Education
Using the Internet to teach. The Internet is the "network of networks" or a global computer connection, that allows any user (called a client with an Internet connection) to access information on any other computer that furnishes it.
Computer-Based Training (CBT)
Training (of humans) done by interaction with a computer. The programs and data used in CBT are known as "courseware."
Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)
Computer-Mediated Communication that takes place through, or is facilitated by, computers. Examples include Usenet and e-mail, but CMC also covers real-time chat tools like lily, IRC, and even video conferencing.
Computer-Assisted Instruction
In a one hundred percent computer-assisted instruction program, "the computer takes over from the teacher in providing the learner with drill, practice, and revision, as well as testing and diagnosis". The teaching may be linear or branching, or extended to thinking and problem solving through simulation. However, learner's responses are limited to a prescribed set of multiple choices. Free, creative responses, cannot yet be accommodated.
Virtual Education
Virtual education is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to deliver educational programs and courses. Farrell (1999, p2) reports that "the label virtual is widely and indiscriminately used around the world and frequently used interchangeably with other labels such as open and distance learning, distributed learning, networked learning, Web-based learning, and computer learning."
Cyber-Learning
Cyber Learning is an innovative approach to higher education on the Internet. Students take courses from home, office or other convenient locations at times that fit their schedule.
Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN)
The ALN Center defines Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) as "people networks for anytime - anywhere learning. " ALN "combines self-study with substantial, rapid, asynchronous interactivity with others." In ALN, "learners use computer and communications technologies to work with remote learning resources, including coaches and other learners, but without the requirement to be online at the same time. The most common ALN communication tool is the World Wide Web.” ALN, by this definition, includes: a web-based workshop that requires frequent online conferencing and collaboration with others; a text- or computer-based training course that requires learners to use email to discuss assignments with each other and with the training coach or facilitator; a proctored examination at a specified time and place; occasional synchronous chat or lab sessions for near-campus learners, or face to face kickoff meeting. By the above definition, what is NOT ALN includes: distance education based primarily on a synchronous audio or video presentation or conference requiring learners and instructors to be available at the same time; a videotaped course or mail-based correspondence course or computer-based training with no substantial and rapid interactivity with others, even though the learner might mail in a paper or test and receive a reply days later.
Blended learning and multi-modal instruction
This term is often used when learning takes advantage of the best aspects of in-person or face-to-face interaction and e-learning technologies

Why should I use e-learning?

Generally e-learning is seen as offering solutions to several challenges currently facing HE. These include the move towards lifelong learning, with its ongoing demand for continuous professional development, and the drive to widen participation. These challenges come at a time of increasing pressure on resources, and the increasing diversity in the student population and their modes of attendance, including learning that is part-time, at a distance, open or flexible, and work based E-learning can improve the flexibility and quality of learning by:
providing access to a range of resources and materials which may not otherwise be available or accessible, for example graphics, sound, animation, multimedia;
giving control to students over when and where they study;
allowing students to study at their own pace;
providing a student centred learning environment which can be tailored to meet the learning needs of individual students;
creating an environment that promotes an active approach to learning;
supporting increased communications between staff and students, and amongst students;
providing frequent and timely individual feedback, for example through computer assisted assessment, and positive reinforcement;
motivating students through appropriate use of interactive courseware;
supporting and encouraging collaborative learning;
supporting economic reuse of high quality, expensive resources;
encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning

Why is eLearning Important?

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:Explain why eLearning is important to your country's telecommunications sector.

llustrate why eLearning is important to your country's education sector.

Highlight the top five challenges that decision makers must face in order for eLearning to succeed at your institution or in your country.

Is e-learning worth my time?

E-learning requires investment of time and effort in developing new skills, new approaches, and new resources: perhaps time and effort that would otherwise be spent on research. However, you can save time and effort in the long term. For example, you may create banks of flexible resources that can be reused, you may design learning activities that can be redeployed, or you may produce computer assisted assessment (CAA) that will allow you to cope with increasing student numbers with no increase in marking time. The key to improving the effectiveness and quality of student learning and making it worthwhile is to replace existing traditional modes of teaching with more active and engaging learning opportunities, delivered where appropriate by e-learning.

How it all relates to Online Learning ?

In an online class there is a lot of passive learning done through reading text, listening to audio clips, and seeing graphics, but the active "speaking" mode is done very much through writing, email, and chatting. Online learners are often self-directed and/or working in their chosen fields, so a lot of doing happens in the way of applying their newfound knowledge to the workplace, hobby, or home. For this reason many online learners say they learn more in online classes than traditional settings, and have better retention, too.

As you consider online learning, recognize that everyone learns differently and attempt to zero in on the particular style you use best. Maximize your online learning by choosing the courses suited to your learning styles - and be sure to talk about and apply what you learn.

The Illinois Online Network says one of the best things you can do as an online learning student is become a true advocate of its merits through discussion. If you ". . .truly believe in its potential to provide quality education which is equal to, if not better than the traditional face-to-face environment", you'll strengthen the habits you need to succeed.

What are the benefits for the educator?

E-learning could benefit you by:


reducing the administrative load by making routine information available online. This will release more time for other activities;making communication easier with individual students and groups of students;making it possible to use a wider range of resources that may otherwise be too difficult or expensive to use;reducing assessment and marking loads through the use of CAA and computer mediated communication (CMC);motivating and supporting students to take responsibility for their own learning;supporting an increasingly large and diverse student population with little increase in teaching time;releasing time for more active, engaging and interactive forms of teaching;making it easier to amend and update materials;contributing to Quality Assurance Agency institutional audits.

E-learning offers practical ways of dealing with some of these challenges and can help shift your role from that of teacher to a guide and facilitator of students' learning.

e-Learning Portal

Web content management paradigm to document management repositories, giving NIC Professionals a relevant and useful “views” of all knowledge within NIC intranet. This will encourage the acquisition of new skills and knowledge that we all need for personal and professional development and for active participation in an information-driven society.


NIC is in the process of offering full fledged e-learning , that utilises various electronic media to fully or partially deliver trainings. It has the advantage in allowing learners to monitor their pace and in a single window learner has access to a repository on various latest technology areas.