Is E-Learning a good idea?

In ancient times, education was a lot more different than what it is today. In today’s world education has been modernized. How common is it to watch a YouTube tutorial if you need help with a specific task? Today E-learning is one of the major ways to educate. But is e-learning good or bad? This blog is all about why millions are taking e-learning courses each year, how e-learning is good or bad and how to take maximum from it without any disadvantages.

WHAT IS E-LEARNING? E-Learning is the education system that uses technology to transfer skills and knowledge from the tutor to learner. It is also being referred to as distance learning, online learning, or web-based learning. It helps people advance their knowledge anytime, anywhere, with more flexibility and consistency. An e-book or a recorded classroom lecture technically is not e-learning. Elearning can include virtual education, social media, digital collaboration, computer-based curriculum, mobile learning etc.

For most, e-learning is seen in a positive way given its vast number of benefits. Fundamentally, good e-Learning delivers skills, learning, and knowledge in an effective way. It is giving people the opportunity to learn from anywhere at any time, and all at a reasonable cost. After taking any e-learning lessons, one is able to understand the topic, retain the information and be able to practically apply the lessons that they’ve learned. Good e-learning continuously involves the learner with interactive means of learning, exercises, and animations so they keep being attentive to the lesson. E-learning provides a flexible schedule to learn i.e. one can learn according to his/her convenience, anytime. It provides one the facility to learn from anywhere, start, pause, resume your lessons from anywhere. And most importantly, the learner can control the pace of the lessons, and if they feel that the lessons are too fast or too slow or had to do some other work in between they can pause the lessons and come back to it later and continue. E-learning programs also take less time to complete the given course than the classroom programs, and one can cover more material in an e-Learning course than a normal classroom course. It reduces the commuting time a person spends to be in-person at a physical place to learn. This time means a lot for a student which he can use to focus on building or acquiring more skills. Also, the travel expenses are reduced to zero. And the stress that comes inbuilt with traveling is also gone. With eLearning, this expenditure even not exist. The online education facilitates the person with many options to choose from which provider one wants to study. The online education overall is cheaper than the high-class universities which demand the lakhs of fees. Also, better assessments are there in online education. More one on one time and feedback received.

As we all know excess of everything is bad. Everything has a limit if one is doing it in an efficient and effective manner. Right tools in the right manner then only one can succeed in that particular area. Online learning is a powerful gift in the field of studies. This could be more valuable if the concepts are much clear rather cramming the things. Because things are more clear when the doubts are much clear and then only the path is clear for a bright future.

The first most important drawback of online studying is that e-learning can be extremely boring. I know this to be true, as I have taken plenty of e-learning courses that later on proved to be utterly boring. I believe that this all stems from e-learning's roots being in Microsoft PowerPoint slides can be pretty dull. We’ve all faced “death by PowerPoint”, where each screen is a dump of information on a template style PowerPoint layout. When learners see this, it’s an immediate turn-off. A powerpoint with written notes or with pointless monotone voiceover or with 90’s clipart, all proves to be monotonous for its audience. Sometimes there is a lack of focus on the learner. Attention has been paid only to the content or to the style, without any consideration for whether providing training in this format will provide the best outcomes for the learner. There is a lack of standardization. If a group of people is learning from a number of different sources, they’ll have a number of different interpretations of what they should be doing which leads to chaos. Many times the learners get turned off by the sheer magnitude of the content, and chances are they will get burned out with information overload. Sometimes the long hour's videos diminish the enthusiast of the learner and he/she only gets in the attitude of just finishing the course without learning anything from it. Usually, the learner doesn't feel attached to the person teaching from the other end due to lack of interaction. Also, not all online courses provide the right quality of education from the amount paid. The students generally end up buying courses they never even touch or don't complete the already bought up courses. There is a lack of face to face group interaction or learning environment and most importantly this lacks the asking of questions on the spot to clarify things. Sometimes animations in the videos or powerpoints distracts the learners from focussing on what needs to be grasped. Many a time, the learner end up buying the old courses with out of date information.

In the end, it all depends on the learner whether he is able to keep up with the e-learning courses or wants to opt for classroom programs. The learner should be able to identify what is benefitting him more online education or physical classrooms. E-learning is a boon to mankind but not for every man.