Research Article

Effect of e-learning on academic performance of

undergraduate students
Manya Suresh1, V. Vishnu Priya2*, R. Gayathri2

ABSTRACT

Introduction: E-learning has changed the college experience for many students. Rather than sitting through college courses
and taking notes, tech-savvy Net generation students are taking advantage of online classes and other forms of online learning.
Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was prepared and distributed among various undergraduate students, and the
results were assessed.Results: Based on the results obtained, e-learning has a positive influence on the academic performance
of undergraduate students.Conclusion: Overall, traditional learning is expensive and takes a long time, and the results can
vary. E-learning offers an alternative that is faster, cheaper, and potentially better. E-learning has to be implemented and made
available to everyone easily.

KEY WORDS: E-learning, Students, Performance, Understanding, Subject

INTRODUCTION the various benefits of this method compared to

Recent calls for instructional innovation in
undergraduate courses and programs highlight the
need for a solid foundation of education research
at the undergraduate level on which to base policy
and practice.[1-4] Teaching means a purposeful
and preplanned activity whose aim is to provide
opportunities to facilitate and speed up the learning
within learning and developing systems. Learning is
a process to achieve knowledge, skill, and ability to
make decisions and performance that ultimately leads
to a change in their behavior.
In the present era, education has been identified as
a basic human right with the rapid changes and the
advent of new techniques and skills in information
technology has its impact on the ways and means of
living and also on education process, too.[5-7]
With communication between communities and
emergence of different needs and innovation, human
entered a period which it called information era.
Increasing a strong tendency toward e-learning shows
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traditional methods of instruction. In addition, many
educational psychologists believe that learning should
be organized in a way that each learner based on their
ability is engaged in learning activities.[8-10]
Learning delivery is the most often cited advantage
of e-learning and includes increased accessibility to
information, ease in updating content, personalized
instruction, ease of distribution, standardization
of content, and accountability.[11-13] Accessibility
refers to the user’s ability to find what is needed and
when it is needed. Improved access to educational
materials is crucial, as learning is often an unplanned
experience.[18,20]
Updating electronic content is easier than updating
printed material: E-learning technologies allow
educators to revise their content simply and quickly.
Learners have control over the content, learning
sequence, pace of learning, time, and often, media,
which allow them to tailor their experience to meet
personal learning objectives. Internet technologies
permit the widespread distribution of digital content
to many users simultaneously anytime and anywhere.

Website: jprsolutions.info ISSN: 0975-7619

Many studies strongly suggest that timing of sleep
as well as its quality and quantity is linked with

Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha
1

University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, 2Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of
Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

*Corresponding author: V. Vishnu Priya, Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of
Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. E-mail:drvishnupriyav@gmail.com

Received on: 21-02-2018; Revised on: 24-03-2018; Accepted on: 26-04-2018

Drug Invention Today | Vol 10 • Issue 9 • 2018 1797

 Manya Suresh, et al.

students’ learning abilities and academic achievement
and that students are often chronically sleep
deprived.[23] The implementation of e-learning could
help the students in doing their assessment more
efficient and effective. The use of the technology
will ensure that the implementation of e-learning
would be a success. Moreover, the technology tools
being used to implement e-learning should be able to
deliver the knowledge as required. Technology has
been developing day to day which is highly useful
in educational aspects for students like introducing
the iPad system without carrying heavy textbooks or
notebooks.[21] Students having access to an e-learning
system can now interact with instructional materials
in various formats (text, pictures, sound, video on
demand, and so on) anywhere and at any time, as long
as they can log on to the internet.
Furthermore, given the functionality of message boards,
instant message exchanges, and video conferencing,
they can even interact with teachers and classmates
both individually and on a simultaneous basis. They can
also engage in self-paced learning, taking control over
both the process and the content of their learning.[18-20]
of e-learning method, 67% of participants claimed
to prefer interactive e-learning, 16% preferred text
driven e-learning, and 16% preferred stimulation
[Figure 2]. The findings suggest that it may be
important to integrate interactive instructional video
into e-learning systems. Only 53% of them had taken
e-learning courses previously. Of which, 41% of
the people understood the course that was taught to
them, 39% of them claimed to understand most of
the topic, and 20% did not understand the topic. 75%
of the students find that e-learning courses create a
platform to learn faster, as it creates a deep memory,
while 25% of them complain that it was more time
consuming and a laborious method. 38% of them
stated that e-learning had helped improve their
academic performance [Figure 3]. 70% of students
believe that e-learning courses will be a better choice
for the future generation, at the same time, they feel
that it may not be affordable for everyone [Figure 4].
87% of the students think that e-learning helps them
to prepare well for all the competitive examinations
and also guides them in choosing their career
[Figure 5].

Web-based learning and its newer and more general

synonymous term e-learning are two of today’s
buzz-words in the academic world. Decision-makers
associate with their new ways of learning techniques
that is more cost efficient than traditional learning
strategies. This allow students to control the process
of learning, because they can decide when, where and
how fast to learn. The emergence of e-leaning has
tremendously transformed information - handling and
Figure 1: Do you prefer e-learning over conventional
management in academic environments. teaching methods?

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a questionnaire-based study on the effect of
e-learning on academic performance of undergraduate
students. A total number of 61 participants undertook
the survey. A questionnaire consisting of 14 questions
were asked to the students through a survey link called
survey planet, an online forum. Individuality was
assured when the subjects filled the survey. After the
data collection, the results were statistically analyzed.
The questions were based on learning aids used, Figure 2: What types of e-learning methods do you prefer?
understanding capacity, and feasibility.

RESULTS
Among the people who participated in the survey,
83% were females and 17% were males. They were
all between the age groups of 18–21. About 86%
of them are aware of e-learning which proves that
e-learning has been growing and has become more
popular in recent times. More than 52% of the
people preferred the conventional teaching methods Figure 3: Do you think your academic performance has
to e-learning [Figure 1]. When asked about the type improved?

1798 Drug Invention Today | Vol 10 • Issue 9 • 2018

 Manya Suresh, et al.
Figure 4: Do you think e-learning course is a better path for
the future of Indian education?
Figure 5: Does e-learning prepare you well for competitive
exams
DISCUSSION
From the results obtained, we are able to assess that
e-learning helps to improve the academic performance
of undergraduate students, but still, e-learning is not
available to everybody, and people in the rural areas
have no access to e-learning.
The advantage of e-learning is that it has quicker
delivery cycle times than traditional classroom-
based instruction. In fact, research[21,22] indicates that
e-learning reduces learning time by at least 25–60%
when compared to traditional learning.
Commitment is a huge quality that the students must
possess to study online, and this is the problem for
most people. Many schools do not take transfer
credits from the different e-learning programs that are
available because they do not believe that the quality
of education is the same through the online schools as
it is from a traditional university.[23]
Online courses and degree programs are more
convenient and cheaper than their counterparts
in traditional education. Those are the two main
advantages of online learning that lead many students
to opt for online platforms when they want to earn a
degree or certificate.
The best thing about online learning is that students
can learn in a relaxed manner even if they do not
want to get certified. Students only need passion for
learning and a quick online search that will take them
to the right course. From that point on, they will be the
master of their own education.[10]
Drug Invention Today | Vol 10 • Issue 9 • 2018
The result of the study done by Yacob et al. shows
that the strategy of implementing e-learning will
be the best way for students to be aware of new
technology and willing to study in various concepts.
The application of new technology will create interest
in students to search and upgrade their knowledge.
The management should maintain the technical
support in campus to ensure that e-learning could
be useful to the students. Moreover, the interactive
concept that can be used in e-learning will make the
study more interesting. Nowadays, the concepts of
e-learning should be more wider since the technology
today provides many opportunities to the academician
and students in improving their knowledge. Using
e-learning, students also confess that this concept is
very useful for them in their academics. This survey
clearly suggests that learning with new technologies
certainly inculcates interest toward academics among
youngsters.
CONCLUSION
Developments in e-learning and technologies are
creating the groundwork for a revolution in education,
allowing learning to be individualized, enhancing
learners’ interactions with each other, and transforming
the role of the teacher.[6] Although e-learning has
rapidly grown in the field of education, more efforts
are needed to make it available to everyone. E-learning
changes the way students’ think and study and can
help students to grow with a better aptitude.
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Source of support: Nil; Conflict of interest: None Declared
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