Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Abstract
with its user’s feelings. The four primary subjects looked at in this work were Librarians,
Professors, Students and library patrons. The primary methodology used to determine
the outcome was a review of the related literature. The findings were quite positive,
being that all users found that its use is quite effective depending upon how it is being
used. The results of these studies will be revealed, and the conclusion that e-learning
Title
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 3
Definition of terms
Economies of Scale – Forces that reduce a firm’s average cost as the scale of
operations increases in the long run.
Questions
This work will seek to find answer to the question of effectiveness of electronic
learning in multiple environments including both the academic and public field.
Next, one will try to answer the question, how is e-learning perceived in the
This work will look at various aspects of e-learning such as which are the best
resources and ways of implementing e-learning. And last, the future of e-learning and
On multiple occasions, while visiting my university and pubic library, this author
pondered the question, “E-Learning, is it an effectual tool?” The purpose of this study is
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 4
to determine how effective electronic learning (e-learning) is. Electronic learning has
become a tool to help librarians achieve continuing education along with other
educational purposes.
tutorials as part of a class, to help ease traffic at the reference desk, and to allow
learners to continually refer back to the information whenever they need it. But, do they
effectively help individuals learn what is intended? One plans to determine this though
this work.
Introduction
This work will begin with an analysis and explanation of e-learning and its history.
One will then look at the different methods of e-learning that exists and how it is being
used within educational organizations. Next, will be the views from faculty, librarians
and users on its effectiveness and last, a discovery of who should implement it, use it,
watch a number of videos, read documents posted by the creator and respond to an
electronic discussion board, broken up into segments by topic to show they have
as learning tools to reduce time constraints on staff and provide a mechanism for
patrons and students to access for help with information that is continually requested. It
is often used as a continuing education tool for professionals, librarians and teachers to
acquire skills.
for working individuals who want to obtain a degree, but cannot due to time and travel
This type of product has opened up the door for both libraries and colleges allowing
E-learning, which was known as distance learning prior to computers, has been
around for many years and in many different formats with its origins in the United States
educational setting, but mostly in universities around the country and was dependent on
the United States mail system to ensure that taught materials were received by learners
As the country began to increase its output of goods and services a greater
demand for a smarter workforce was desired. Companies had to find a way to spend
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 6
less money and resources to train their employees. With the greater demand for
employee work hours, companies had to figure out ways to reduce the time employees
needed training using distance education especially for those companies whose
headquarters were located in other nations and training sessions were impossible to
attend. Companies would provide materials through different mediums for employees
to learn.
E-learning’s next big movement was by radio and TV. This is noted by the
United States Distance Learning Association (2010), “…the demand for education
increased significantly. With the ensuing emergence of radio and TV, the education
community quickly realized the potential of these new media and adopted them to
& Evolution of Distance Learning in US, 1979, ¶ 1) As years went on the computer and
The internet provided greater opportunity as noted in Dykman and Davis’s (2008)
work, Online Education Forum: Part One-The shift towards online education, “ As
internet technology matured, it has become feasible to address issues that have
Connectivity and the ability to create online courses to specific learning needs has led
There are three different methods of e-learning that are used. They consist of
self paced, a-synchronous and synchronous. All three equate to the learner gaining
knowledge, but many feel that one meets specific needs over the other.
Self paced learning allows the learner to work on any assignments or learning
objects when they feel appropriate. The instructor post work and reading onto an
electronic management system and the student logs on when they have time available.
The environment is more relaxed and the student is allowed time and freedom to work
at their own pace. The instructor and the student rarely work at the same time.
The second, a-synchronous, is similar to the first in that the students and
instructor work at different times. The facilitator may post a topic or discussion question
and expect the learner to answer it within a prescribed time. This is different from the
first due to time constraints. The student will have a time frame to work in and must
The last, is synchronous which consist of an interaction between the student and
video conferencing where the instructor might be located anywhere in the world along
with the student. The instructor would conduct himself in a manner similar to that in a
traditional classroom. Both the student and instructor would have the ability to speak
and be heard. And both would be able to see each other using separate monitors. This
is quite different from the two prior examples being that the professor is live with the
The pressure is quite high for the student due to the facilitator’s ability to ask a
question and expect an answer that is appropriate. The instructor may post materials
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 8
online prior to the session and would expect the student to have read them before the
session.
between instructor and student, explains Marilyn Gell Mason, ET el. (2006) who
believes, “The current trend among e-learning developers is to blend self-paced and
implementers are blending self-paced with facilitator led modules because of the
modern belief that having a mix of both creates a more effective learning environment.
It creates better communication between the learner and instructor. It also creates a
learning environment that has structure. The facilitator expects that student to work at
their own pace, but have the work done within a certain time frame.
The blended interaction is needed for both the student and instructor. This is
quite relevant in higher education when the student is not sure what to expect of the
and Davis (2008) note in their work, Online Education Forum: Part Two - Teaching
Online Versus Teaching Conventionally, that, “The primary way students feel
inquiries.”(p.160) This is why communicating from the first day of class is important.
Going from the classroom setting where the instructor acts as leader to the online
environment where the instructor acts as a guide can be a bit daunting, especially when
realizing that the student is alone when doing their work. Students have to ensure that
they are prepared to take on a more rigorous setting and be focused to get their work
done.
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 9
warrant that students stay on track and work is completed. Also, having the instructor
participate helps alleviate any misconception that learners may have or questions that
Prior to starting the next topic one thinks that it is fair to clarify what is described
as effective in relation to learning. This will allow for the work to proceed to a full
It is noted that those who are able to draw their own meaning or interpretation of
what they are learning are in the best possible situation to gain the most effective
understanding of materials. This is more so when dealing with e-learning which creates
a student centered learning environment as noted by R.S. Graves (2008) who stated,
“Efforts to improve students' learning outcomes have suggested the need to embed the
students construct their own meanings.” (p.109) E-learning provides the learner a
centered environment that allows the student to gain a better understanding of the
materials. It also provides the opportunity for the student to construct their own meaning
of what is being learned which is due to the minimal guidance or explanation from the
instructor.
common is a mix of the learner’s memory, how well they will retain the information, prior
knowledge of the topic. Also their ability to evaluate and differentiate different ideas, do
learners have the ability to accept and value information and last the quality of the
instructor.
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 10
Being able to remember something taught long after the period of learning the
information is quite significant. Most individuals are not able to do this well. A subject
that is remembered long after it has been taught, has been taught effectively. It has
been stored in a way that can be related to other thoughts and ideas. Thinking back on
previous experiences, subjects that were remembered, where those that a teacher
Having prior knowledge of a subject will allow the learner to adapt much faster to
a deeper teaching of the subject along with a clearer understanding of and an easier
time recalling information that is stored in memory. Tzu-Hua Wang (2009) addressed
this idea,
It seems quite evident that having some prior knowledge of a subject area would help
Next, to ensure that a learner has effectively learned a subject area, they should
be able to evaluate and differentiate these ideas. Nigel Ford (1981) authenticates this,
“Being able to evaluate different evidence, points of view, and interpretations bearing on
individual is dealing with complex information. If a learner is able to rectify and retell
generally believed that the learner has acquired the learned information.
interest to the learner it will be a never ending battle to try to get the learner to
remember what has been taught. Indeed, Ford (1981) has argued that
It is inherent within us to seek out things that interest us and avoid thing that are boring.
When dealing with education in general it is believed that a well rounded knowledge
base is best. With this, students are exposed to many different subjects and teaching
styles. It is not uncommon to find students expressing their hatred for a particular area,
but do well in the class. This is quite bad when a student shows potential, but is unable
instructor or professor who knows the material well and has a true love for the subject
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 12
can make a learner enjoy a subject. I have had this experience many times with great
that are tied together by one common item, the learner. Most have inherent within them
the ability to complete all of the previous items discussed for effective learning.
Now that this work has laid down the underpinnings of what effective learning is,
we can now determine how it is valued as effective based on instructors, learners and
users feelings.
Faculty tends to evaluate e-learning in a different way than patrons and learners.
Due to the traditional educational setting, many faculty members of an institution feel
that e-learning is lacking the much needed interactions provided in the traditional sense.
each of their student’s receive and is taught the course requirements. Students must be
Instructors must provide effective teachings so that each student learns. Many
instructors feel that using e-learning as the only medium creates the above referenced
as just online classes. Having e-learning as a supplement provides a place for students
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 13
to record answers and engage in class discussions after the class has ended. It also
Librarians feel that e-learning is very effective and are implementing e-learning
and tutorial type workshops in all types of libraries. Marilyn Gell Mason, ET. El (2006)
states, “When fully realized, e-learning programs can provide convenient, high quality
manners with different topics to meet individual needs. Slebodnik et. El. (2009) feels
E-learning as a teaching tool in libraries can be very effective, but costly in current
scale will help reduce the amount of money and time invested.
Librarians need not worry about the learner’s ability to gain a great understanding
of the content as professors do. Librarians use this type of resource as a backup for
patrons to use as a tool for extra help after the librarian has assisted them. Patrons will
be able to access them all of the time as they are usually posted on the libraries
website.
Most students and library patrons find online tutorials and e-learning very useful.
Although, students who have used e-learning as a teaching tool more than once find
that it gets easier, as noted in John R. Tanners work (2009), “…students with prior
online experience appeared to view online courses more favorable than students who
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 14
had no prior online experiences.”(p.32) Using this type of instructional delivery is quite
easy to get used to, but can be significantly more challenging if it is a complex subject
Overall, e-learning is very effective for both the classroom and the library. This is
noted by Susan L. Silver and Lisa T. Nickel (2007), “The tutorial proved to be as
the quiz scores between the students in the tutorial and classroom groups”(p. 395) This
research has great significance for the future of e-learning. As students and library
patrons become used to this type of instruction it will become more used and
demanded.
we have found that this form of instruction has potential value and the ability to
effectively teach those who use it. But the major concern is whether you should build
and create your own e-learning systems or should purchase them from vendors like
web junction.
To build or create your own content has many costs, directly and indirectly,
involved. First, the creator would have to determine what software package to obtain
and whether they have the correct computer systems to properly operate the software.
Most software packages range from two hundred to a few thousand dollars.
The next consideration is the great amount of time that will be put into creating
the tutorials and the skill set employers should have to create the programs. Selbodnik
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 15
et. el (2009) emphasizes this, “Creating online tutorials is time intensive. Libraries that
have staff already trained in programming, audio recording and editing, and Web
development will have key advantages.”(p.37) It is not rare that small libraries will have
employees who have these skill sets, but they are unable to allocate the time needed to
create this type of technology. Large institutions may have they time, but not want to
spend the resources creating tutorials. It may, however, be feasible for library systems
to create e-learning technologies and disseminate them to member libraries for use.
from a vendor or purchase bundled tutorials from companies like Web Junction who
offer already made electronic resources for staff, patrons and other users. Along with
the purchase, come many unrealized benefits including technology support. Including
tested content to ensure more effective learning and instructors who are well versed in
particular institution goes about implementing it. Its high cost along with the opportunity
cost of having a staff member work on more meaningful projects are only a few
considerations.
Other items to consider are the technological infrastructure needed to create and
maintain this type of content. Libraries are receiving technology grants such as the
Universal Broadband Access Grants from the Federal Government, but are these
enough to enhance and modify a library or educational institution and help bring down
Next, who will update the content and service it when issues arise along with the
ability to troubleshoot it when it is down? It seems that we revert back to our original
conclusion that purchasing the content from a provider is quite beneficial and would
greatly reduce the cost to institutions. It also helps reduce the staff members in the
information technology area concentration on its upkeep. Overall, the barriers to its
creation are high if you lack all of the resources to maintain this type of technology.
The future has a great deal in store for e-learning and the literature is beginning
to show this. As the different types of content begin to surface the most discussed is
that of gaming in the library and academic world. Students play and love games and
most that were born after 1985 have become used to having a computer in the hours.
This became more prevalent with the technology boom. As noted by Robert J. Marzano
(2010), “Games are a regular part of students’ lives, no matter what their grade level.
Students play games throughout the day on their computers, the Internet, and their cell
phones.”(p.71). More research is beginning to show that implementing gaming into the
E-Learning will morph into a type of 3D game that will allow the user to learn and
interact with avatars as they play. It is noted that many individuals learn content much
more easily when using animation as that found in a video game. As Robertson et. El
(2009) describe in their work, “…research suggests that digital animation may support
learning tool will allow the user to break down the materials being learned to a simpler
Also, Robertson et el (2009), note chemical activity in the brain changes when
students are engaged in video games. He feels that, “…research in data mining
presentation techniques and runs parallel with finding in cognitive neuroscience that
indicate increased dopamine levels in digital game users during user-system interaction
periods”(p.260) This research is indicative of the trends towards the gaming use in
the learner’s ability increases and provides a greater opportunity to learn when gaming.
indicates an overall preference…as notable enthusiasm for the 3D immersive GUI, the
principal user interface throughout current digital gaming technologies.”(p. 267) Both
students and researchers feel that gaming would be an effective manner to learn.
Although, this will take a bit of time to plan and design the best resources for this type of
use.
Conclusion
Based on research and a literature review one has found that e-learning is in fact
an effective tool for use in both the academic and library fields. E-learning will continue
Effective learning is inherent within the student and their desire to learn the
As has been discussed this researcher believes that the content should be
purchased rather than developed. This is due to the many offerings currently available
maintain skills, patrons to acquire skills, and students to supplement their course work,
The future of e-learning is bright. It will continue to be looked upon for its ability
to help and its ease of use. Gaming will eventually become the next wave of e-learning
as this has already begun. Students will be able to interact with the program as they do
with games.
E-Learning, is it
and effectual tool? 19
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