{"id":102493,"date":"2020-05-18T16:29:45","date_gmt":"2020-05-18T23:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=102493"},"modified":"2020-05-18T16:29:45","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T23:29:45","slug":"e-learning-for-greater-access-to-higher-education-and-better-social-equality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/05\/18\/e-learning-for-greater-access-to-higher-education-and-better-social-equality\/","title":{"rendered":"e-Learning: For Greater Access to Higher Education and Better Social Equality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a Chartered Professional Engineer<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

e-Learning has become a buzz\nword nowadays. e-Learning essentially uses information and communication and\ntechnology (ICT) for teaching and learning. The importance and relevance of\ne-Learning can be well recognized in view of the current pandemic situation and\ngeneral global trends in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Excellency the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his\nmanifesto has given the highest priority to providing higher education\nopportunities to all those who pass the A\/L exam. This indeed is a noble task\nand implementation of such a task can be greatly facilitated by e-Learning,\nwhich does not require heavy investments on expensive physical infrastructure\nto accommodate large numbers of students and facilities. An e-Learning approach\nwith proper ICT networks, sound learning management systems (LMS) and appropriately\ndeveloped e-Learning content can make a significant contribution towards\nenhancing the access to a larger portion of the deserving youth. The present\nsituation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has added another dimension to\nthe importance and relevance of e-Learning. e-Learning came to the rescue of\nmany pupils and students during the lock-down period as an alternative to  missed face-to-face classes and lectures. It\nis evident that the use of e-Learning can help us in meeting many of the challenges\nthat are created by the emerging trends in education as well as emergency\nsituations such as the current pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global trends are: The demand for education is rising<\/em>. The\neducation which was previously accessible only to a limited few representing the\nelitist groups has become more widely accessible to members of the larger\ncommunity. This has created enormous pressure on existing traditional\neducational institutions, which usually have limited resources and until\nrecently operated only on the face-to-face mode of teaching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demand for distance learning is rising.<\/em> Today the jobs are very demanding\ndue to the rapidly advancing technology. Therefore, everyone has to\ncontinuously update or upgrade their training and education to stay\ncompetitive. Accordingly, many would resort to distance learning for keeping\nthemselves up-to-date and stay competitive in their jobs. Also, many would like\nto acquire their initial qualifications or new skills to change their career\npaths, through distance learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life-long learning is gaining increasing relevance<\/em>. In view of the necessity to\nkeep up with the changes in technology and to stay competitive in their jobs,\nmany would embrace life-long learning as an appropriate approach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shift from teacher-centred learning to learner-centred learning<\/em>. Another important change that\nis taking place is that the focus of teaching and learning has shifted from the\nteacher to the learner. The teacher\u2019s role has changed from teaching or\nlecturing to coaching or facilitating. The future vision for education is\nidentified as one that provides access\nfor anyone, for any type (subject) of learning, at any place and at any time<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These emerging trends in the\nfield of education amply highlight the importance and relevance of e-Learning\nas a useful means for meeting the challenges emanating from the new trends in\neducation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one of the biggest\nconcerns among the educators involved in e-Learning is the lack of sufficient\npedagogical input in the design of related instructions. It is obvious that\ne-Learning is a very worthwhile endeavour in present context. However, what is\nnot so obvious is what it takes to implement e-Learning successfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successful implementation of e-Learning\nhas three main fronts to tackle. They are: the technological front<\/em>, the front concerning the learner preparedness<\/em>, and the front involving the effective design of instructions<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technological front<\/em> involves the provision of ICT networks with\nappropriate capacity, economy and reliability to meet the demands of\ne-Learning. This means having a reliable communication network, accessible to\nusers throughout the country and capable of transferring large amounts of data\nincluding audio and video files at a reasonable speed and at affordable price.\nPresently, this does not pose a major concern to e-Learners, even if there are\nconcerns in some areas, the necessary actions are underway to rectify them. The\ninitiatives taken by Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and\nnetwork expansions undertaken by telecom companies would alleviate this concern\nto a large extent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second important front in\nimplementing e-Learning is the learner\npreparedness<\/em>. It is necessary for the learners to be computer-literate to\nparticipate in e-Learning. Despite the high rankings in traditional literacy\nratings, Sri Lankans lag behind its neighbours in terms of computer literacy.\nThe current computer literacy rate of Sri Lanka is 30.1%, where this percentage\nfor urban sector is around 41.5%, and rural and estate sectors represent, 28.6%\nand 13.7%, respectively, as per the statistics available.   This is\nanother major concern that needs to be addressed promptly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another essential factor under\nlearner preparedness is the competency in English language. Our English Proficiency\nIndices are also lower than that of most neighbouring countries. It is obvious\nthat without a competency in English the learners are unlikely to reap the full\nbenefits of e-Learning. It is therefore necessary to initiate programmes to\nuplift the competencies in English and computer literacy throughout the country,\nparticularly in the rural communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solutions to this issue can\nalso be found through Computer-Aided Learning (CAL) materials. Particularly,\nthe improvements to the competency levels in English can be achieved through\nproperly designed interactive multimedia learning materials to be made available\nthrough CDs. Provision of learning materials through such a medium will provide\nwider access and consistency in training, minimise the problems associated with\nthe lack of human tutor support and also train the users towards e-Learning.\nThese CDs can be run on individual computers without networks or Internet. A\nhigh degree of computer literacy is not required to use the CDs for learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third front, which is not\nobvious to many, is the instructional\ndesign<\/em>. It is important that e-Learning materials are properly designed\nwith appropriate pedagogical inputs, if successful learning outcomes are to be\nachieved. It is quite possible that both the first two fronts are already\nsatisfied (technology and user preparedness) but no successful implementation\nof e-Learning is possible since the e-Learning content is either not developed\nor poorly designed. It is therefore important to pay high attention to the\ndesign of e-Learning content with appropriate pedagogical inputs and sound\ninstructional design techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the objective of using\nthe appropriate instructional design techniques is to achieve effective\nlearning outcomes. The instructional designers design instructions, learning\nactivities, discussion forums, practice sessions, assessments, feedback\nmechanisms, etc. These design activities are based on the context within which\nthe learning takes place (learning context), the type of learner, and the type\nof learning task. The use of technology and media such as discussion forums,\nchat rooms, audio, video, etc. is dependent on the instructional design. The\ntechnologies should not be used indiscriminately just because they are available.\nOn the other hand, appropriate use of technologies such as audio, video,\nanimations, etc. in instructions may make them appealing to a diverse cross\nsection of learners, thus making them more useful and effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating necessary facilities\nfor e-Learning for both urban (20%) and rural (80%) sectors in the country may\nhelp reduce the existing inequalities between the two sectors in access to\nquality education thereby the overall economic and social gaps. Therefore, this\nis an excellent opportunity to be snatched by the authorities responsible for\nalleviating the social inequalities present in our society. However, if such\nfacilities are not adequately provided to the rural communities in a timely\nmanner, they will be further alienated by what is known as \u2018the digital\ndivide\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is advisable that policy makers have a\nthorough review of the total requirements for implementing e-Learning\nsuccessfully and provide necessary direction to the appropriate institutions.\ne-Learning shall be used as a standalone approach as well as a complementary\napproach to traditional teaching and learning (Blended Learning), using\nexisting educational institutions as well as new ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a\nChartered Professional Engineer and a former Senior Lecturer at OUSL, holds a\nPhD from the University of Canterbury, NZ. His PhD thesis was on Instructional\nDesign for Computer-Based Learning. email: gamini_pad@hotmail.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma, a Chartered Professional Engineer e-Learning has become a buzz word nowadays. e-Learning essentially uses information and communication and technology (ICT) for teaching and learning. The importance and relevance of e-Learning can be well recognized in view of the current pandemic situation and general global trends in education. His Excellency the President Gotabaya […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102493\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}