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Effectiveness of E-Learning in the Educational Process The Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Learning An Applied Examination Kieran Linehan University College Cork Ireland Introduction
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Effectiveness of E-Learning in the Educational Process The Advantages and Disadvantages of E-Learning An Applied Examination Kieran Linehan University College Cork Ireland
Introduction • Primarily, the aim of my paper is to identify and assess the advantages and disadvantages of using information technology and the internet for the purpose of education. • Can this have a positive or negative effect on education?
Blackboard • I apply my examination to the Blackboard website, which is the main medium for e-learning available to students at University College Cork. • Blackboard adds a new dimension to the learning process because a new online component exists as well as the typical classroom setting.
Blackboard’s Services • What is Blackboard? • View specific details of the course such as the times and location of the lectures. • Contact the lecturer • Access the notes the lecturer used in-class by downloading Word documents and PowerPoint slides
Blackboard’s Services • Virtual classroom which is an online chat room where students and their lecturers login and interact with each other instantly and discuss course content. • Students can access their grades. • Students can take online exams if they are in the format of multiple-choice questions.
Advantages • From the image below you can see the design and style of Blackboard as the user views it.
Advantages • Benefits absentee students and it serves as a great advantage to them. • If a student is missing he/she can log on to Blackboard and keep in touch with what is happening in the course from outside of the university. • The student can contact the lecturer, access course notes, contact other students and receive any class announcements.
Disadvantages • A disadvantage of Blackboard is that it may be difficult for some people to use. • Younger students who have been born into the information technology revolution will find it easier to use Blackboard than mature students or lecturers. • Also the usage of computers at place of education was most frequent amongst those aged 16 and 24.
Disadvantages • Blackboard may also be inaccessible at certain times. • Blackboard can also be occasionally shut down if it is being upgraded or updated.
Disadvantages • Some lecturers in university rely solely on PowerPoint slides or Word documents shown in class, to conduct their lectures. These slides are posted up on Blackboard after the lecture, for the student to review. • Why would a student turn up to these lectures when the notes are easily available online?
Disadvantages • If all courses were to use Blackboard and every home in Ireland had a personal computer (as the trend suggests) it could be suggested that over the coming years lectures could be eradicated! • I would also argue that it could transform the University College into an Online University or Open University and there would be no need for a campus at all!
Effect on Student’s Grade • Ann Kirby and Brendan McElroy (2003) found that “An Arts student who attends no lectures or tutorials gets a mark 13 percentage points less than if they attended the sample average number of classes (p.318).” • They also note that if a “Student’s objective was to maximise grade…then we would expect higher attendance (p318.)” • This empirical evidence proves that lecture attendance has a positive effect on a student’s grade.
Usefulness of E-Education • The next question I wish to ask is whether the classic classroom setting for education can be completely replaced by online learning.
Classroom interaction • Teachers in the typical classroom setting helps develop personal communication skills. • With E-learning this type of interaction cannot be experienced and lessons are not as exciting or beneficial for students. • The university expects that personal communication skills would be developed and this is a requirement for every degree course.
Mathematics • In my own opinion, I think the classic classroom setting is better for explaining mathematical equations and graphs. • A much better process is when the lecturer starts from scratch with an equation or graph and showing the student where he/she derives the final graph or equation.
Conclusion • In conclusion, I have analysed how e-Learning through Blackboard is useful and also discovered some negative aspects. • I have argued that with increasing computer and internet usage in the home and at university, attending lectures could become a thing of the past. • Attending lecturers are vital to getting a good grade and Kirby and McElroy’s study has shown that attending lectures has a positive effect on grade.
Conclusion • The classic teacher-student classroom setting can never be eradicated. • Most students participate in clubs and societies in university and as a result, the university becomes a part of their identity. • If the campus was eradicated and all learning was done online then the collective campus experience would be missed out on.
The End • Thank You
