E-learning-The Gateway to thought, knowledge and skills acquisition
What are the quality standards for e-learning?
And what are its pros and cons
E-learning is one of the means of distance education and self-learning support that has developed over the ages thanks to the development of technology and the emergence of modern technologies.
This type of education has become an essential means that millions rely on to learn and acquire skills, so we are interested in the WWNEED .COM website to talk with you about e-learning in detail, so let’s continue together.
Article content
- The concept of e-learning and its characteristics
- Quality standards and conditions for its success
- Pros and Cons
- species with a simplified explanation of each
- The use of e-learning in teaching
- The difference between e-learning, digital education and distance learning
E-Learning
E-learning is one of the means that facilitate distance education and self-learning by using intensive communication and information technology. It is the alternative method for receiving and sending traditional content using mail.
It is possible for e-learning to be synchronous and not synchronous with traditional education, and what is meant by this is that it is not linked to specific dates or specific places, as it does not depend on the presence in the place of teaching or direct interaction between the teacher and the learner.
E-learning refers to training courses that take place entirely on the Internet, where the student and teacher do not meet face to face through it, as it is a means of distance education and many consider it synonymous with it.
Dealing and communication between the parties takes place through email, chats or forums and video conferencing, which some organizations define as a fully web-based session.
We can also define e-learning as a means that supports education processes and transforms them from indoctrination to interaction, development, creativity and skills development.
Where the learner continues his lessons through it according to his energy, ability, time and speed of response to receive information and acquire skills and experiences based on his previous experiences.
The main task of e-learning lies in solving the problems of the increasing demand for educational processes, the explosion of knowledge, and increasing the chances of admission to education.
In addition to contributing to the education and training of employees and workers without having to leave their jobs, breaking the psychological barrier between the learner and the teacher, and satisfying the learner’s need at the lowest possible cost.
Properties
Each type of education has its own unique characteristics, and among the characteristics of e-learning are:
It is presented via the Internet, computers, smart phones, or radio, television, and video DVD.
- It is digital and multimedia content such as still and animated images, written text, video clips, graphics, and sound effects.
- It is managed using electronic technology of all kinds.
- It provides many services and tasks related to the management of teaching and learning processes, as it is less expensive than traditional education.
- Achieving interaction in education processes.
- Quality standards and success conditions for e-learning
The success of the e-learning process requires some conditions, and the quality of the programs provided depends on some standards to achieve the desired goals. These conditions and standards are represented in the following points:
- Conditions for success
- Determining the educational objectives and striving to achieve them.
- Accept diverse ideas, results, and answers.
- Seek to provide knowledge rather than transfer it.
- Evaluation of educational tasks rather than the level of knowledge.
- Work to encourage the remote group instead of local groups.
- Quality standards
To provide e-learning programs characterized by high quality and accuracy, the following points must be taken into account and strive to achieve them:
First take into account the educational objectives
The educational objectives are:
- In the beginning, the desired objectives of the education processes are defined, and they are formulated in a clear and simple manner that is easy to measure.
- Choosing an appropriate education strategy that helps achieve these goals.
- Choosing an interface for the lesson or program that is easy to use and helps interaction, in addition to assisting the teacher in identifying and diagnosing incoming errors and eliminating them.
- The content of the page should be simple, accurate and unpretentious, in addition to placing the main ideas group at the top of it.
- Organizing the various educational material elements in a clear and appropriate format.
- Add group and individual activities to be carried out by the learner.
Secondly, the elements of look and feel
These elements are represented in the following points: –
Use clear, easy-to-recognize navigation tools.
Distinguishing links and links in a uniform color that differs from the color of writing.
It is preferable that the writings do not occupy more than a third of the page or screen.
It is preferable to use a background of consistent colors, and writings using one type of font or two as a maximum.
The maximum color used is seven per screen, and it is preferable to use video if required.
Obstacles and drawbacks of e-learning
Among the challenges facing digital education are:
- A rapid and continuous development in the vernacular measurement standards, which requires modifications in electronic courses.
- Lack of sufficient culture and awareness of e-learning by members of society.
- Electronic certificates are not recognized by many official authorities.
- Lack of sufficient privacy and confidentiality, as sometimes hacking of educational content and tests occurs.
Advantages and benefits of e-learning
There are many advantages and benefits of e-learning, and below we will mention some of them:
- Supporting self-learning by providing virtual classes and educational training courses in various fields.
- Providing learning opportunities for all members of society, as it is a good opportunity for everyone who missed out on traditional education.
- Save time, money and effort, as there are many free educational sites, in addition to mixing entertainment and education.
Reduce workloads in schools and universities, as e-learning provides some tools that help in analyzing grades and collecting test results, in addition to the ability to send and exchange data between the student and the educational institution.
Assisting teachers in performing administrative work, as it provides the possibility of communication, sending and receiving information between the teacher and the student, and ensuring that it is received.
How can e-learning be used and employed in teaching and the education system?
E-learning is employed within the educational institution in several ways, including:
pure form
What is meant is the total reliance on e-learning, as it becomes an alternative to traditional education, through which the teacher follows educational programs and training courses at any time and from anywhere, as he is not linked to a specific institution.
This is represented in self-education or independent education, where the learner relies on the Internet and various e-learning platforms to obtain information and acquire various skills and experiences, or the learner participates with his colleagues in one of the training courses through educational forums.
The mixed model
It is intended to integrate e-learning with traditional education and benefit from the advantages and benefits of each, as each of them is used in places and rooms equipped with electronic technologies to deliver lectures and explain lessons.
The role of the teacher in this type is limited to management and guidance only, while the role of students or learners is effective and positive.
Complementary form
In this type of e-learning, e-learning is used only to support traditional education. For example, the teacher asks the students to do research and look at certain lessons online before explaining them in the school, or requires them to do some research related to certain topics.
What are the types of e-learning?
Species are classified according to time and place as follows:
1- Synchronous E-Learning
What is meant is direct communication between the teacher and the learner through various live broadcast applications, as it requires the presence of all parties participating in the program at the same time.
In this type, e-learning tools are used such as virtual classes, chat rooms, and video and audio conferences, in which interaction takes place between the parties involved, discussions are held between them, and knowledge and information exchange.
Among the advantages of synchronous education is not having to go to the place of study and saving costs, in addition to obtaining a large amount of information through discussions between the learner and his colleagues or between him and the teacher.
The most defective of it is commitment to time, as it requires attendance at specific times, in addition to using the internet and modern technologies, and conducting research when required.
2- Asynchronous E-Learning
What is meant by it is the absence of direct interaction and communication between the parties participating in the program or course, as it is not tied to time, so it does not require commitment to attend the explanation.
Through it, the learner obtains the courses and studies them at the appropriate time for him according to his efforts and abilities, and uses electronic tools such as the web and e-mail.
One of its most important features is studying at the right time for the learner and according to the effort and abilities he can provide, in addition to the possibility of saving the educational material electronically and referring to it at any time.
Despite these advantages, it also has some disadvantages, such as the lack of interaction with the teacher, gaining information from him, and obtaining answers to the questions that revolve in the mind of the learner, in addition to the learner’s exposure to introversion.
3- Mixed e-learning
It is the combination of synchronous and asynchronous education according to what is appropriate for the teacher and the activities and educational programs that he provides. It gives the learner the freedom of time while benefiting from the teacher’s dialogue and interaction with him. Therefore, it combines the advantages of both synchronous and asynchronous learning and fades away the disadvantages of each as they become complementary to the other.
What is the difference between digital education, e-learning and distance education?
Opinions differed about each of them, and many people think that they are synonymous with the other, but each has its own concept, as the fundamental difference between e-learning and digital education lies in the type of technology and tool used for teaching and learning.
It is worth noting that both of them are distance learning methods. You should also know that there is a difference between the process of teaching and learning. Everything that e-learning sites offer is education, while learning is the occurrence of change and development in human behavior, skills and experiences.
If the tool used for learning is television, analog radio, DVDs and audio recordings, this is called e-learning.
But if the tool used for learning is computers, smart phones, internet networks and digital television, this is called digital e-learning.
Distance Learning
Distance learning is one of the relatively modern methods of education, as it depends on the learner being in a place far from the educational institution and different from the source of learning, whether it is a teacher, a book, or any other source.
It is about transferring educational programs away from educational institutions to different geographically dispersed places. Its aim is to attract students who cannot join and continue with traditional education due to certain circumstances.
In the beginning, the method of distance learning was the correspondence between the student and his professors or educational institution using mail, but today, with the advent of technology and the development of the era, online education has become the means of distance education.
E-learning or virtual education
It is teaching and learning that takes place and takes place in an electronic environment that relies entirely on the use of electronic technology of various types, such as audio recordings, radio, television, DVD video, computer, and the Internet, as these tools are among the electronic educational media.
It relies on it to provide educational content with all its skills, tests and activities to achieve the required educational goals, with simultaneous or asynchronous communication between the parties to the educational process (student and teacher).
Digital education
Digital education is a general term that includes any type of teaching and learning that takes place and takes place in a digital environment and depends entirely on the use of various types of digital technology and tools such as digital devices, smart boards and the Internet.
In providing the educational content with all its skills, tests and activities to achieve the educational goals required of it, with simultaneous or asynchronous communication between the parties to the educational process (student and teacher).
Any educational course that relies on digital tools is one of the types of digital education, so digital education is not limited to the Internet only, as it is found in schools and universities, through which the teacher and students meet face to face.