SOME THOUGHTS ON E-LEARNING

It is a fact that people often find it hard to imagine what I do when I tell them that I work in the field of e-learning. These conversations often end only after hours of explanation—or even argument.

Some people assume that e-learning is merely an additional resource for learners, that it is not effective in supporting learning, and that it can never replace traditional education. To support their view, they argue that the focus on technology rather than pedagogy in e-learning results in “vending machine” courses that churn out PowerPoint-style learning, poor experiences, and shallow knowledge penetration. This leads them to conclude that traditional methods still have the upper hand. With this mindset, many people fail to see the advantages of e-learning implementation, and as a result, they are surprised when I insist on pursuing this career path.

Personally, I think online and face-to-face courses serve different purposes and different learners; therefore, it isn’t a competition between e-learning and traditional learning. Online learning is often most effective for highly motivated and organized visual learners. In addition, with its ability to make the acquisition of human capital cheaper and easier, e-learning is extremely effective in providing education for millions of people living in inaccessible areas (such as rural, mountainous, or landlocked regions where education is not readily available) at the “click of a mouse.” E-learning also has the potential to eliminate the human capital “bootstrapping problem” in organizations by guaranteeing “just-in-time” training for employees.

If it is true that today’s e-learning is sometimes less effective than it could be, I believe this is due to poorly designed, boring courses that resemble PowerPoint templates filled with animated text. Changes are therefore needed—and this is the responsibility of people working in the e-learning field. I believe that good e-learning can effectively create learning experiences by encouraging learners to analyze, reflect, and make connections. It is flexible, individualized, and allows learners to discover their own learning path.

In the end, I would like to close this short reflection with my belief that e-learning, at its best, will surely make learners active participants in their own learning experiences. Finding the right strategies to help learners get the best out of e-learning courses is what excites me most about working in this field.