In my presentation, I am going to talk about E-learning tool that is actively used in various education programs nowadays.
E-learning System: The Problem of Choice
Companies and organizations apply to academic sources to reveal all the drawbacks and advantages of using e-learning system.
In the 21st century, due to the development of modern technologies, it is possible to introduce new education systems that allow upgrading the skills of employees in organizations and increasing knowledge of students in colleges. The e-learning system is one of them. There are numerous companies, institutions, and educational organizations that examine the e-learning system trying to decide whether they should use it or not. Academics and researches around the world are involved in debates and discussions about all the drawbacks and advantages of this system.
Scholars’ Opinion
Scholars about e-learning:
- “E-learning courses are typically self-paced, allowing the individual learner to access training at any time or any location on their own” (Clark and Mayer 9).
- “When it comes to improvement of learner’s communication skills, e-learning may have a negative effect” (Arkorful and Abaidoo 36).
For example, American psychologists Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer in their work “E-learning and Science of Instruction” reveal positive effects of the e-learning system (9). However, professors of the University of Cape Coast Valentina Arkorful and Nelly Abaidoo in their work “The Role of E-learning” assert that using the e-learning system can negatively impact learners’ communication skills (36). Therefore, there are some pros and cons of the described education system. Having searched both online and offline sources, I managed to reveal the main advantages and disadvantages of the e-learning tool.
Advantages of E-learning
- Professional growth of employees;
- Encouragement of self-development;
- Low cost of introducing the system;
- Saving the time of employees and learners;
- Easy access to the results of trainings.
The main advantage of using e-learning is an opportunity to improve the skills and knowledge of learners. It is a perfect tool that helps employers to upgrade the skills of employees in case if there is an introduction of a new business method that should be implemented in the near future. The opportunity to use e-learning helps to reduce expenses for renting rooms for lectures and saves the time of employees who do not have to spend hours on coming to the office. This system is actively used by some universities that offer online courses for students. It allows those who are disabled or live abroad and cannot attend courses at universities obtaining high education without leaving a place of their location. The e-learning system also saves time for instructors and employers who do not have to check papers in order to see the results of trainings and courses. Everything can be found in charts that are created automatically by an electronic system.
Disadvantages of E-learning
- The lack of interaction between instructors and learners;
- The lack of improvement of communication skills of those who study;
- Difficulty of studying hard sciences through e-learning;
- The lack of will to study on their own for some people.
As it was mentioned earlier, there are some disadvantages as well. First of all, the e-learning system lacks interaction between instructors and learners. If learners have some questions, it might be problematic to find answers because there are no teachers and other experts who can give an appropriate response.
Moreover, the lack of communication can provoke the loss of interest to studying through e-learning since people spend time studying on their own and may find it boring. In addition, the e-learning system can be difficult to use for studying some sciences, such as mathematics, chemistry, or physics. Therefore, it means that there are some limitations to using this system.
Recommendations
- Building training based on the fulfilment of tasks;
- Including interactive tasks using multimedia content;
- Tracking of learners’ progress;
- Supporting students and creating motivation for them.
Therefore, the e-learning system can be used in certain fields and bring positive results. There can be negative consequences as well. However, there are some ways to avoid it. The regular tracking of progress will provide information about the gaps in knowledge of learners and which themes should be studied more intensively. It will also allow revealing the most successful learners and those who do not show positive results for some reason. Therefore, it is important to create trainings based on the fulfilment of previous tasks and the abilities of learners. In addition, it is necessary to remember that it is essential to make tasks interactive and to motivate and support learners to keep them interested.
Any questions?
It can be concluded that adopting the e-learning system can bring both positive and negative results. Also, there are certain fields where using this system may be especially beneficial, while in some areas it cannot be used effectively. Therefore, it is important to determine if the system should be used depending on the area of studies. If the decision to implement the system was made, it is necessary to control the process of studying in general and the progress of learners in particular. Then the adoption of e-learning tools will bring positive results.
I hope that my presentation will contribute to a better understanding of what the e-learning system is and how it can be used. Please, feel free to ask any questions. I will be happy to answer them.
Works Cited
Arkorful, Valentina, and Nelly Abaidoo. “The Role of E-learning, Advantages and Disadvantages of its Adoption in Higher Education.” International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, vol. 12, no. 1, 2015, pp. 29-42.
Clark, Ruth, and Richard Mayer. E-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2016.