By Pranati Roy
The concept of e-learning is still vague to many of us in India. But it is catching up real fast in keeping with the West. E-learning is essentially electronic learning and is delivered through a computer. In different sectors and with different people the meaning of e-learning differs. For instance, in the field of business it refers to the strategies used by a company network to give training to its employees. In many Universities, the term is used to mean a specific method to convey contents of course or program to the students online. Many higher education systems now a days are offering e-learning to their students. Online education is fast developing in the education system and is widely used in many universities and many research areas.
E-learning is undoubtedly a more flexible way of learning. Sometimes it is also used in combination with face to face learning. As e-learning initiate Bernard Luskin states "E" has a broad meaning in order it to be effective that "e" should be inferred to mean exciting, expressive, educational, extended, and excellent in addition to "electronic" that is understood widely.
Many higher education institutes prefer education to be imparted online through a Learning Management System (LMS) in which all aspects of a subject are dealt with through a consistent standard process throughout the institution. Many Universities and Colleges are now offering academic degrees and certificate courses by way of internet of which many are delivered wholly online. In addition to this many educational institutions are also offering online support services to students, like online advising, e-counseling, online buying of valuable study material, etc. Thus e-learning with its more active and interesting opportunities is gradually replacing the traditional form of teaching.
With most teenagers now using the internet everyday for supporting their school studies with easy access to web pages, students now expect technology to play a strong role in their learning. This system is not only interesting for students but also enables students to work and learn at the same time, thereby making education more flexible. This makes communication with students easier. E-learning makes the students realize their responsibility in their own learning. It is an interactive mode of learning, where the instructor plays the role more of a guide and a facilitator than of a teacher. The students get promptly involved in the process for they get quick feedback. Learners can easily access the correct and updated information whenever they want. Moreover it enables the learners to advance at a speed that suits them. The students continue getting their learning no matter where they are. Moreover there is also a discussion forum where learners can participate and discuss topics of their course with one another.
Apart from educational institutions there are many educational websites that offer such valuable services on a particular course. Such educational sites use LMS or Learning Management System to cater education to the learners. A learning management system (LMS) is a software application or Web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process. The Advanced Distance Learning group, sponsored by the United States Department of Defense, has created a set of specifications called Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) to encourage the standardization of learning management systems.
LMS allows instructors to create a course, convey course content, examine students' participation and evaluate student performance. The system also enables the learners use threaded discussion forums and also video conferencing.
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