The importance of E-learning has increased manifold in recent years due to the advent of computers and the Internet. In the traditional classroom-based educational system, teachers are faced with certain challenges like the scarcity of teachers. A lot of time is spent on training the teachers and they spend a lot of time in preparing lectures which students do not find much value in. The learning process becomes repetitive and boring for most of the students. Due to this reason, the popularity of E-learning systems has increased dramatically. E-learning enables teachers to give lectures to the entire class at a single sitting and students get to view them later. This saves a lot of time as well as money.
Always being online makes it easy for students to be connected anywhere at any point in time and receive support for their problems or questions. It allows students to search for information quickly and easily. E-learning systems can be accessed at the same time by many people simultaneously. The teachers can easily keep a record of the marks and grades and maintain the class attendance records.
E-learning is used to cater to the needs of both beginners and advanced students. Some universities are also adopting E-learning systems to increase the quality of education to students. In a company, it is very important that employees are not only taught how to perform their duties but also understand the basic principles behind them. The use of E-learning can help companies to achieve this goal.
It is easy for companies to adopt E-learning systems as they do not need any additional investments and they do not have to train their own staff. They also get immediate feedback from the students about their performance. E-learning can be defined as a learning system based on formalized teaching but with the help of electronic resources. It can be termed as a network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge, and the delivery of education is made to a large number of recipients at the same or different times.
Earlier, it was not accepted wholeheartedly as it was assumed that this system lacked the human element required in learning. There are many types of E-learning, such as distance education, web-based, self-paced and blended. A distance education course is a course that is conducted via the Internet or through email. Web-based courses are those which are available online. Self-paced means that the students decide how much to study. Blended courses combine both face-to-face teaching with E-learning.
The former is when a teacher gives instruction to the entire class at the same time and the latter is when instructions are given to individuals at different times. A student enrolled in an E-learning system may not always get to hear about a subject from the teachers. In order to ensure that students get an opportunity to access the material, a teacher should keep a blog on his/her site, and the students can follow this blog to get the latest updates. Students may also log in to the website of the university and find out the course details.
In addition, the company can make use of virtual classes. These classes allow a group of students to take part in a discussion where they interact with each other. The teacher may be present or absent during these sessions. E-learning is based on a number of principles, such as information management, knowledge management, learning management systems, learning analytics, social learning and collaborative learning. A learning system based on formalized teaching but with the help of electronic resources is known as E-learning. E-learning can also be termed as a network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge, and the delivery of education is made to a large number of recipients at the same or different times.