Comments on: Is e-learning “Bad” Education?

By: amrith

amrith — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:40:39 +0000

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By: Amulets

Amulets — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:24:47 +0000

I think that this the Best way to go for working Parents, as there is always limit on available time, and e-learning is perfect in this case.

By: John

John — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:38:39 +0000

Hey, thats quite interesting information.!

By: Chadia Abras

Chadia Abras — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:25:15 +0000

Great Blog, although I might agree with Plasterk and Brazier, that in
the online world important cues are missed, I still believe, with technological advances those hindrances are being reduced. I also believe that online communication is a different form of interaction and many have become very adept at it without worrying about what they have missed. They are able to imply and read inflections that others might miss. The persona that we transmit online of ourselves and we create of others is real in our mind and we are able to relate to it as long as it is consistent. This said, this statement does not hold true for all.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:41:59 +0000

Is anyone asking the question “Does this ban imply that the visually impaired cannot learn?”

By: Salvador Quirarte

Salvador Quirarte — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:34:10 +0000

I agree with Mike Becvar’s comment and woudl add that it�s not only the qualities of instruction in the way of which delivery method is chosen but in the way that the actual materials are desing to be used within a specific delivery method.
I am currently working on an academic university that we launch for a bank in mexico las year. The bank decided to create 3 under grad programs and 2 port grad programs aligned to their business needs.
We decided that we needed to offer is via distance education beacause of the geographic dispersion. All class sessions are given via Virtual classroom in realtime and we have hired about 90 different professors for a population of 800 students.
The main difference has been that we work two different angles with our professors:
1.- with train them (certification level) on the applicable use of the virtual classroom software so the understand how better design their sessions. This process includes practices, voice modulation, content design, virtual classroom interactions and distance education best practices.
2.- additionally, a group of instructional and graphic designers (experts in virtual classroom material development) work with each professor to design all the materials he will use through out the course.
This has led to better retention and grade levels, better interaction from all students and better group control for teachers.
We have hired teachers from the best universities in mexico most of them with more than 15 years of university experience and they all comment that the level of interest, participation, interaction and attention they get through this technology is by far higher than the one the get in their traditional F2F classes.
Furthermore they all agree that technology allows them to create better content and share knowledge in a more attractive, efficient manner compared to traditional.

By: Mark Notess

Mark Notess — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:01:51 +0000

Maybe we need to move from thinking about “quality of instruction” as uni-dimensional to thinking instead about qualities of instruction and how they differ across modalities. It’s not a question of whether elearning is good but rather what it is good for, in which contexts, and how that situational goodness can be increased.
An easy way to raise this issue is to ask what students are to do if they can’t travel to a physical classroom or are physically unable to sit through a F2F class.

By: Mike Becvar

Mike Becvar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:55:31 +0000

While I agree that face-to-face communication provides many non-verbal communication cues, my guess is that the issue here is not really the quality of education.
In my experience, many teachers spend half of the class period with their back to the class while writing on the board. And when their face is towards the students, they are often busy taking notes and not looking at the teacher. A good teacher can still tell who is slouching and half asleep and who is taking good notes without being able to look each student directly in the eye.

By: Mark Turner

Mark Turner — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:10:51 +0000

Thanks Lisa – you have described one of the defining differences between online and face to face learning.
I have been researching and using online blogs to find out the experience of online learners. I am coming to the end of a major research project on this subject as part of my professional doctorate in educational psychology.
I have found that confidential online blogs can offer a way for the online tutee to share their honest experiences with tutors. Tutors then have the opportunity to respond and adjust their tutoring and instructional design. Too often monitoring and feedback happen after the course and it is too late to change the experience of those on the course. It is also difficult to collect the experiences of those who have dropped out.
This is not the use of blogs as reflective learning diaries but specifically provide a new feedback mechanism which tutors will interpret and which can act like the interpretation made of non-verbal messages by tutors.
Mark Turner
Real Training (www.realtraining.co.uk) & University of East London
BTW I have lectured in Kuwait and was able to teach a wonderful mixed group of students, some of who chose to be covered. As long as our assessment methods are reliable and valid I wish to make learning as accessible as possible to all.