Online Learning or e - learning clinched a business of $50 billion with some 3.5 million students benefiting from it in 2006 and the figures are only leaping. A report by Ambient Insight Research suggests that in 2009, 44 per cent of post-secondary students in the USA were taking some or all of their courses online, and projected that this figure would rise to 81 per cent by 2014. In a couple of decades, it is touted to touch a trillion dollars, when third world countries are expected to wipe out rural illiteracies though online education, and with a laptop costing just Rs. 1500 in India it’s no longer a dream. The Letter "e" in e-learning does not stand for just electronic in today's context. As the learned author Luskin puts it, it is interpreted to mean exciting, energetic, enthusiastic, extended, excellent, and educational in addition to "electronic".
With more and more youngsters using the internet these days, online education has found a worldwide acceptance due to its flexibility. In many developing nations e-learning has not only been welcomed in formal educational institutes but is also adopted by the administration as a method of imparting education. This seems to be a blessing of the new-generation technology which makes teaching possible anytime and anywhere.
But the popularity of e-learning has raised many questions regarding the relevance of traditional classroom teaching in the new world and whether teachers teaching in schools and colleges are gradually becoming dispensable. What about the existence of the text books? Can e-learning companies take over the publishing companies? Does that mean our classrooms are going to turn obsolete?
Well the basic answer to all these questions is that the key areas of framing a course and its execution are the same be it a formal classroom teaching or online teaching. The basic factor in the both the cases is the effective learning. Learning is not a passive experience. Instructors do not teach, they help people to learn. The primary responsibility for the learning experience rests with the student who must be motivated to be an effective learner. Both classroom teaching and online teaching need to have a systematic approach to a course.
Classroom learning stands for formal learning for it has stated objectives and gives fixed results. Some kinds of e-learning also give formal education and learning experiences online. Online learning is boosting up because of its flexibility. In many contexts, online coaching is self-paced and the learning sessions are available 24x7. Learners are not bound by a specific day and time to physically attend classes. Most online learning environments are accessible from a standard internet connection and typically require average home computer system requirements. Students often correspond and share ideas with other students taking the same course via e-mail and correspond with instructor/mentors for clarification of concepts. Group discussions can be mediated by the instructor and facilitated in real time via any of several chat services. One of the major benefits of completing a course online is that you can fit it around your work schedule, and when you have a spare hour you can log on and do a bit more of your training. In the developing countries context, online coaching is all the more relevant, not only for reaching out to the rural illiterate mass through technology, but also for higher levels of learning.
However e-learning is not without its flaws. Here only motivated students who are matured enough to take the responsibility of their studies on their own can do well. Unmotivated students either end up not doing anything or not finishing their course which means nothing but a waste of time. Other than this adequate computer knowledge in students and proper interaction between the learner and the instructor is mandatory which in most cases prove to be a weakness. Many people still think classroom teaching the best mode of education.
Classroom training under the right conditions is still one of the most effective training methods available. Classroom time should be dedicated to organized case study, team problem solving, and labs that re-enforce concepts learned thru self-study. The classroom training experience should be enjoyable and productive. None of the systems can completely replace the other and online learning in no way can be thought to replace formal classroom teaching completely. E-learning best complements the already existing education system. The perfect classroom teaching should be followed by a successful completion of web-based course and online group assignments to make the learners more competent to face the competitive world outside. Learning highly depends on the individual's motivation to learn. So it still comes down to the effort that the students put into their education that ultimately determines how much they will retain and how beneficial the overall experience was to their future career.
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