Elearning in the Eyes of a Learner

I was in my early college days when I had my first encounter with elearning. Technology in the field of education has long been commonplace by then, since I was fully aware that mailing lists, chat groups, and even class websites were being used by students to update each other on lessons and activities. But I never expected that a fully functional classroom setting is possible to set up online.

The class was part of the last leg of an IT-related subject. We were given accounts that gave us access to our enrolled courses, remaining units for the school year, and schedule for available online classes. There was also an online classroom with chat feature for teacher-student interaction. I was impressed and amazed, but got disappointed when it ended abruptly.

I later learned that we were the first batch to test the school’s venture into elearning. The school was planning to make online classes regular, as part of their efforts to produce graduates that are as technologically literate as possible. This was a bold move, as the world now heavily relies on technology for a lot of things, including office tasks.

Technologically-enhanced learning has been widespread and undoubtedly rapidly improving. While my first encounter few years ago may be considered outdated in today’s standards, I believe it was able to give me some basic ideas about what makes it an attractive learning method:

1. It is a fresh, high-tech, and advanced learning approach. Let’s face it; younger learners get more interested and motivated when presented with something new and high-tech. Electronically-enhanced education taps on this fact to catch the interest of learners and allow them to absorb lessons at their own pace.

2. It is interactive. I’m pretty sure that there are learners like myself who find interactive learning more appealing than the usual autocratic or one-sided teacher-student experience. Modules can be designed to require learners to participate in activities and discussions. Not only is interactivity present in modules with chat feature during classes; it may also come in the form of “after-class” learning or feedback groups in forums or discussion boards.

3. It strives to create a rich learning environment. Elearning modules utilize multimedia and carefully thought-out instructional design to create an online environment that is as conducive to learning as possible. Educators and trainers can easily incorporate in their modules whatever audio-visual learning aids they think is necessary for best information retention.