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Distance Learning – What Are the Benefits of Distance Learning?

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:45:40 +0000

Distance learning is gaining popularity among adults who are keen to upgrade themselves for better career opportunities. Distance learning provides an alternative for people to further their education without having to undergo the traditional classroom learning. Nowadays, more adults are becoming interested to pursue higher education in order to compete more effectively in the job market. In response to this growing interest in higher education, education providers are creating new courses using new technologies to meet the demand. Many distance learning online courses are developed to meet this increasing need.

Many people choose this learning mode of study because of the flexibility and freedom it provides. Some of them enroll in this type of learning courses because they are working full-time and could not afford to lose their jobs. They need their income for their own as well as their family’s living expenses, and leaving their jobs would bring about financial problems. They have to find a way to fit learning into their schedule of family and job demands. Some people take up distance learning courses because they live far away from the school and attending classes is inconvenient. For some, this problem arises because the program they want to study is not offered by a nearby school and they have to choose a school far away from their residence. Traveling to a campus far away is inconvenient and time-consuming. Some people have family commitments which make attending class difficult. These people may have elderly or kids at home to look after and are not able to attend classes. Studying through distance learning can enable them to look after their family while they study. There are some people who are keen to do a certain course but feel shy about joining a class. Hence, they choose to do distance learning courses because these courses do not require them to attend classes.

Distance learning has several benefits in which the classroom learning lack. One of the benefits is that a learner can learn at his or her own pace. In classroom learning, the faster learners need to wait for the slower learners to catch up with the lesson before the teacher can move on to the next topic. They have to slow down their pace for the sake of the slower learners. With distance learning, the faster learner can go on to the next topic any time he or she wants. Furthermore, in classroom learning, a learner has only one chance of listening to a class lesson. However, with distance learning, the learner can replay a portion of the audio tape or video, or read again the notes for a particular module.

In classroom learning, each module of the course is given the relative amount of emphasis and time that the teacher deems necessary. Students have the flexibility to spend the amount of time they choose for each module. They can spend less time on the modules that they are familiar with and spend more time and attention on modules which are new to them. This mode of study allows the students to use their time according to their needs.

One of the advantages of distance learning is that the student can have access to learning at any time and any place. There are no restrictions imposed on their study time and location. Students can easily fit learning into their family and work life. They do not need to adjust their family and work commitments in order to attend fixed class schedules. Besides, it enables students to save on travel time and travel costs. They can spend more time and money on other areas.

Distance online learning creates interactions that stimulate understanding and exchange of ideas. Online programs require the student to actively participate in the learning process. Throughout the course, the student is presented with opportunities to interact with the course instructor as well as other students via website forums, chat rooms, Internet conferencing and emails. Online course developers try to get the student to participate and engage as much as possible.

Some research studies have shown that distance learning education can be as effective as campus-based education. These research studies reported that distance students can perform as well as or better than campus-based students. Many students who have succeeded in distance learning education have reported that they have a positive experience with distance learning courses.

We can see from the above that distance learning has many advantages. It provides a great opportunity for people to obtain higher education for their career advancement. If you are interested in taking up a course to upgrade yourself, you can consider a distance learning course. Many schools provide courses in various disciplines. There is a great variety of courses available to select from.

By: Rose Mary

Blended Learning Combines Different Methods of Learning

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:58:18 +0000

Blended learning combines classroom instruction and online learning. Learning that takes place in a classroom is teacher-directed. The teacher interacts with the students face to face and controls the content and pace of the lesson. Despite common misconceptions, learning that takes place over Internet can also be teacher-directed. In online learning, teachers can give a lesson via a live webcast where students watch the teacher in real time on a computer screen. Teachers can also post lessons and make assignments that students complete on their own. The teacher still controls the content of the course and establishes final deadlines, but online learning allows students the freedom of choosing where, when, and how they learn.

Best of Both Worlds

With Blended learning, students benefit both from the traditional classroom method of instruction as well as a computer aided method. A student in a classroom receives direct instruction, participates in timed activities, and socializes in a group setting. Alternatively, students learning online can work in a comfortable environment of their choice, learn at their own pace, and manage their own time. Blended learning gives students the opportunity to receive the personal attention and discipline of classroom learning and at the same time to build independence through online learning.

Convenient

Blended learning can be very effective for children in grades K-12. Because the online lessons and classroom course content complement one another, students are able to cover the necessary subject matter with limited classroom time. For example, students taking a Blended learning science class can complete the majority of their class work online by accessing course material, watching videocasts, and instant messaging or emailing their instructor with questions. This online instruction would be enhanced by in-class labs, providing the opportunity to do hands-on experiments under teacher supervision. By having to attend only the labs in a traditional classroom setting, students have greater flexibility in their schedules for attending other classes, studying, and socializing with their peers.

Students Practice Valuable Skills

Blended learning exposes students to working online and encourages them to advance their computer skills. With a curriculum, students use computers daily to participate in lessons, take quizzes and exams, and communicate with teachers and other students. By using such tools, students learn not only course material but also valuable real-world computer skills that will be necessary in the knowledge-based economy of their future.

At the same time, schools do not need to make a substantial financial investment to offer this advantage to their pupils. Companies such as IQity can provide the software and technology that makes Blended learning possible at a low per-pupil rate, requiring the school to have only the computers and an Internet connection.

By: Susan Bond

Elearning Authoring – Modern Cyber Age Teaching

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:51:06 +0000

Knowledge is power as history has proven, that is why the demand for it will never cease and will continue to grow. Man will never be satisfied until he learns everything but man is not selfish when it comes to sharing the knowledge he acquired. Teachers are the main contributors of education; they spread knowledge where ever they are assigned to. Teachers, trainers and professors all have one goal and that is to make sure that their pupils will understand whatever they are teaching but each of them has different ways of teaching lessons to their students.

In the advent of digital technology and the birth of Internet, the education system has evolved to a more fast and advanced form. Elearning is the new teaching method being used by universities, colleges, administrations and corporate companies, to teach their students and train their employees. It is a Technology Enhanced-Learning or TEL, unlike the conventional and traditional teaching method where students group together and listen to the lesson lectured by a professor. This new teaching system makes use of the Internet where students can study lessons through their computers. Online students do not meet face to face with their fellow students and instructors. Instead they are interacting with each other through online connection.

This new learning system provides educational course to students across the globe, backed up by a software application called Learning Management System or LMS which handles, delivers web based course, monitors student performance and reports progress results to the instructors. There instructor-led and course E-Learning programs. Instructor led set up; an instructor leads and facilitates a training session where students and trainees simultaneously study. Another type of this learning system is where students’ learning is facilitated by an education course program. These programs are generated specifically to simulate a traditional classroom set up, complete with examinations and a full lesson plans. In the conventional school setting lesson plans and examinations are prepared by professors, while online education course programs are prepared by elearning authors.

Elearning Authoring is the process of producing online learning content to distribute through Learning Management System. Usually programmers are the ones who produce online learning content. Although with the high demand for the modern teaching system, the demand for learning content also rises. Before only highly skilled programmers can produce learning content but with today’s technology authoring tools that can be used to create learning content is abundant. Authoring tools are software application used to teach an individual to create their own learning content. These Authoring tools are user friendly and with a little time one can learn how to create test, training modules, and study program to be used as learning content, thus Authoring learning content has become the modern day teaching method of the cyber age.

Since the demand for online learning content has soared, elearning companies resort to outsourcing to produce learning content for them. Outsourcing companies then purchase authoring tools software and train people to become elearning authors. Man’s desire for knowledge is boundless and man will continue to find faster and efficient ways to share the knowledge they acquire and E-Learning Authoring just proves that there is no place else to go but to go digital. Teaching will change its form and continue to evolve along with technology.

By: Maria Lopez L.

E-Learning and Its Most Popular Forms

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:24:10 +0000

E-learning can benefit a company’s web site by providing compelling, sticky content.

Companies can use e-learning to train employees, customers, and business partners.

The benefit of e-learning to companies is that students can take a class anytime form anywhere. Companies can ensure that the material delivered is up-to-the minute, since the content is served from a central location. Serving training to employee’s desktops can be a very efficient use of resources, saving a company time and money while increasing employee skills.

E-learning can be used by human resources, traditional trainers, marketing, and sales. Specifically, marketing can use e-learning to train salespeople, distributors, and customers, while support can provide e-learning courses to lower support costs by better educating customers.

New technologies such as the Internet and changing business practices such as the use of more consultants are modifying the way we work. Our current low unemployment rate is making hiring a challenge at every level. Companies, especially those in competitive sectors, will need to use training as one of their most powerful tools. Training increases employee productivity, builds stronger and more effective relationships with business partners, and creates greater brand awareness/preference with customers. Training has moved to a critical role because companies need to maintain their competitive edge.

Training needs in the corporate world are definitely growing, and companies need to find ways to make their training more efficient. Traditional classroom training is still a very effective method, primarily because it is interactive and it provides a structured environment that encourages students to complete the courses. However, classroom training has several drawbacks: high cost and difficulty of student access. Arranging for employees located in different facilities to be in the same room at the same time can be very difficult and expensive.

To get around these negatives, companies have provided employees with books and CD-based courses. Books are easy to use, but it is nearly impossible to keep buys employees focused on learning from them – books do not provide any interactivity or methods to force the student to complete the course. It is also very difficult to maintain a book’s timeliness. CD-based courses are better because they can include interactive exercises. However, just like books, they are difficult to keep current and provide low impetus for course completion. Both CDs and books are also expensive to distribute. These limitations force companies to look for methods that are low cost, effective, interactive, accessible, and motivational. E-learning has stepped in as the latest approach to solve the employee training problem.

E-learning is best defined as the category that consists of training and learning over the web. E-learning is training that can be delivered over an Intranet, extranet, or the Internet. Since courses can be centrally administrated, it is easy to track students (thereby providing motivation to complete courses), control content (for easy updates as material changes), and keep costs down (since distribution of media is not an issue). Students can access training from their desktop.

There are two popular forms of e-learning: asynchronous and synchronous learning. Asynchronous consists of learning that is stand-alone. Asynchronous e-learning can be delivered through the web, via an Intranet, or by way of an extranet. The main feature is that the student takes courses when it is convenient for her. In contrast, synchronous e-learning is carried out at designated dates and times. Delivery is through the web, so that an instructor can take advantage of new technologies such as electronic presentation delivery, chat sessions, and collaborative electronic blackboards. Essentially, the concept of classroom training is extended to distance learning through the use of technology.

By: Vipin Kumar Jain

Technological Advancements in Online Learning

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:21:51 +0000

Online learning is the hot topic these days as millions of dollars are being invested in new technologies, such as the Internet, with the expectation that education at all levels will be revolutionized. Newspapers now have feature sections about the Internet and technology-related self-help books are proliferating. Technology is frequently hailed as the “magic pill” that will somehow provide solutions to the organizational and political issues that are endemic to adult education. Adult and continuing education programs are rushing to become players in the new world of global technology, searching for new applications while fearful of “being left behind.” Discussions seem to center around the impact of technology on online learning provision, but perhaps these discussions are reflective of the past rather than predictive of the future.

Online learning technologies have been primarily used, historically, to extend access to classroom instruction to rural or isolated sites. For the most part, adult online learning programs have done that with high levels of success long before the Internet or computer networks were cost effective. Efforts such as Project Leap in Mississippi and the GED on TV are excellent examples of successful and effective online learning programs. Overall, it is evident that online learning programs have exceeded their potential in enabling adults in rural and isolated communities to gain access to instruction.

However, is providing access to “a traditional classroom” reason enough to expand investments in such new technologies as desktop video conferencing and the Internet? Is the goal simply to make a better mouse-trap (i.e., a faster machine to deliver traditional classroom-based instruction)? We can improve our existing online learning programs cheaply by simply upgrading existing broadcast and cable systems. Instead, the emergence of new technologies enables us to shift our focus from the delivery of classroom-based instruction to the delivery of new materials and the facilitation of new ways of learning. In this environment, issues of instructional content, information resources, leaning theory, and quality are paramount. The question is not, “How can we transport the classroom?” but rather, “What can we do with the new technologies to reform, change, and improve adult learning?”

Clearly, we are no longer talking about online learning but rather beginning to envision distance learning:

• What does learning look like when it is not bound by four walls and the knowledge base of one teacher?

• How can we modify our organizational structures to enable learners to interact from a distance with more than one instructor, other learners, and extensive, accessible resources?

• How can we begin to conceptualize and initiate learning experiences that capitalize on this new extended learning environment?

Using technology to create new models of adult learning may have an impact on the adult education provision system. Adult education programs will become hubs of learning instead of just places to learn. Does this mean that formal classroom-based instruction will be viewed as obsolete and will be replaced? Actually, the number of classroom-based instructional settings could increase as adults encounter educational demands in new settings. Those who had never before considered entering an adult education program via the front door may soon enter on-line, realize their educational needs, become motivated to learn, and then choose to participate in adult education classes that provide face-to-face interactions.

How successful we are in moving from the familiar model of online learning to the future model of distance learning will depend in part on the assumptions and preparations we make now. We can begin to define and plan for what we want to happen. To influence the future, we must be proactive. To wait passively, will relegate us to the role of adjusting to changing technological and learning environments that will be thrust upon us, We suggest six assumptions as points from which to develop a model of distance learning:

• Traditional classroom-based models of online learning will be enhanced not replaced by the new technologies. Classroom-based models of online learning will change, but they will have an important and viable role. New technologies will be used to enhance formal learning. Students will have Internet tools at their fingertips to help develop their own learning paths.

• Self-authoring of learning activities will be commonplace. In the past, the resources required to customize learning were not available to teachers, let alone adult learners. Networking technologies, such as the Internet, and multimedia databases will greatly increase access to learning resources on a scale unknown to adult education. Distance learning will, at some level, be about customizing learning for specific learners.

• Instructors will become facilitators of learning not transmitters of knowledge. Research has shown that advanced skills are acquired not through the transmission of facts but through the learner interacting with content Learners learn more effectively when they create, build, and interact with knowledge, thereby constructing their own meaning.

• The future of learning will be about connecting learning to the world of work and home. New technologies can provide those important links so learning will be relevant and skills developed in one setting can be transferred to other settings (home, work, school).

• Collaborative learning will be stressed. Most adult learning emphasizes individual achievement and solving problems without the aid of other people. However, in the world of work and personal relationships, collaborative problem solving is not an exception but rather the role. Collaborative learning focuses on processes rather than isolated topics or simple one-word answers. With the development of collaborative computing, adult learners at different places can come together on-line to collaboratively solve problems anytime and anywhere.

• Staff development and teacher training will need to be continuous and ongoing. Traditional staff development models of workshops and conference presentations will not meet the need for continuous on-going technology. New methods of continuous improvement and training will need to be developed. Technology will help, but staff development will need to be readily available.

Planning for the future of distance learning requires envisioning how learning should change for a changing world. Distance learning will only be successful if it is educationally grounded and not driven by the technology. Technology will be a powerful tool that we use for a continuous renewal, reflection, and improvement. However, it will not in itself create a learning community of thousands of teachers and learners interacting and borrowing resources while at the same time building and providing new resources. Only people with ideas can do that.

By: Mathew Simond