E-LEARNING –

BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES

Student: HERCIU ANDREI

An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument — but
the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a
short story. Essays have traditionally been sub-classified as formal and informal. Formal
essays are characterized by "serious purpose, dignity, logical organization, length,"
whereas the informal essay is characterized by "the personal element, humor, graceful
style, rambling structure, unconventionality or novelty of theme”.

Since I am a student, I am certain to face the necessity of writing some essay quite
often. Hence, I am likely to feel a great desire to find out why essays are so important.
It is naturally, since the motivation to writing an essay is sure to help me prepare a good
essay.
 
Essays are important, that’s why I understand that my task is to work hard trying to
prepare a good one.
  Why essay is so important…First of all, essay writing helps students develop
their ability to express their thoughts and ideas, and prove their points of view. This
quality is really important. If a person does not develop such a quality, it will be quite
difficult for her or for him to communicate with other people. So, we should develop it by

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essay writing.
 
Why essay is so important…As there are various types of essays, and each type
presupposes a particular manner of presentation, you can develop another quality,
which is also very important. We have the chance to learn to be an interesting person.
We will become variable. We will learn to speak on different topics and in different
manners.
Why essays are so important…Finally, writing an essay, students acquire some new
knowledge and exceed their vocabulary. We cannot deny that it is also very important
for a person.  

Last but not least, the topic is also very important.

I have decided to write about “E-LEARNING – BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES”
WHY?
Because nowadays E- LEARNING has become a real must!

LEARNING Versus E-LEARNING

LEARNING is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by

being taught.

E-learning – according to the dictionary, it is learning conducted via electronic media,

typically on the Internet."successful e-learning depends on the self-motivation of

individuals to study effectively" · "e-learning software"

Online Learning - Advantages and Disadvantages

E – learning or online learning is the use of electronic technology in teaching or

learning. Most of the people who are working are also able to use the facilities of e-
learning to persuade their education.

E-Learning has completely transformed the way in which learning is imparted to

students. Unlike traditional chalk and board method of teaching, eLearning

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makes learning simpler, easier, and more effective. Here are some features of
eLearning that make it advantageous to students.

Today's learners want relevant, mobile, self-paced, and personalized content. This need
is fulfilled with the online mode of learning; here, students can learn at their own comfort
and requirement.

The Most Important Benefits Of eLearning For Students

1. Online Learning Accommodates Everyone’s Needs

The online method of learning is best suited for everyone. This digital revolution has led
to remarkable changes in how the content is accessed, consumed, discussed, and
shared. Online educational courses can be taken up by office goers and housewives
too, at the time that suits them. Depending on their availability and comfort, many
people choose to learn at weekends or evenings.

2. Lectures Can Be Taken Any Number Of Times

Unlike classroom teaching, with online learning you can access the content an unlimited
number of times. This is especially required at the time of revision when preparing for
an exam. In traditional form of learning, if you can not attend the lecture, then you have
to prepare for that topic on your own; in eLearning, you can attend the lectures
whenever you want with ease.

3. Offers Access To Updated Content

A prime benefit of learning online is that it makes sure that you are in synchronization
with modern learners. This enables the learner to access updated content whenever
they want it.

4. Quick Delivery Of Lessons

eLearning is a way to provide quick delivery of lessons. As compared to traditional

classroom teaching method, this mode has relatively quick delivery cycles. This
indicates that the time required to learn is reduced to 25%-60% of what is required in
traditional learning. There are some of the reasons why the learning time is reduced by
eLearning:

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  Lessons starts quickly and also wrapped up in a single learning session. This
enables training programs to easily roll out within a few weeks, or sometimes
even days.
 Learners can define their own speed of learning instead of following the
speed of the whole group.
 Saves time as a student does not need to travel to the training venue. You
can learn at the comfort of your own place.
 Students can choose to study specific and relevant areas of the learning
material without focusing on each and every area. For example, they can skip
certain areas they do not want to learn.

5. Scalability

eLearning helps in creating and communicating new training, policies, concepts, and
ideas. Whether it is for formal education or entertainment, eLearning is a very quick way
of learning!

6. Consistency

eLearning enables educators to get a higher degree of coverage to communicate the

message in a consistent way for their target audience. This ensures that all learners
receive the same type of training with this learning mode.

7. Reduced Costs

eLearning is cost effective as compared to traditional forms of learning.  The reason for
this price reduction is because learning through this mode happens quickly and easily.
A lot of training time is reduced with respect to trainers, travel, course materials, and
accommodation.

This cost effectiveness also helps in enhancing the profitability of an organization. Also,
when you are studying at your own place, you are relieved from paying for travel
expenses (e.g. accommodation) when training happens in another city/state and/or
external learning materials.

8. Effectiveness

eLearning has a positive influence on an organization’s profitability. It makes it easy to

grasp the content and digest it:

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  It results in improved scores on certifications, tests, or other types of
evaluation.
 Higher number of students who achieve ‘pass’ or mastery’ level.
 Enhanced ability to learn and implement the new processes or knowledge at
the workplace.
 Help in retaining information for a longer time.

9. Less Impact On Environment

As eLearning is a paperless way of learning, it protects the environment to a lot of

extent. As per a study done on eLearning courses, it has been found that distance-
based learning programs consumed around 90% less power and generated 85% less
amount of CO2 emissions as compared to traditional campus-based educational
courses. With eLearning, there is no need to cut trees for obtaining paper. Thus,
eLearning is a highly eco-friendly way of learning.

It is very useful to take a look at the benefits of e-learning for organisations and
the individual learner.

LOWER COST

There is little argument that e-learning can be more cost effective to deliver than
classroom based training especially for larger organisations. E-learning is more cost
effective because there becomes a reduction in training time (known as learning
compression). This is because the single largest cost of training in organisations is the
cost of staff attending the training course, rather than the direct delivery costs in terms
of trainers, course materials, travel and accommodation. E-learning can deliver benefits
by reducing the time it takes to train people because:

 Learners can study at their own pace and not that of the slowest member of the
group
 There is less social interaction time and unnecessary chat
 Very often in classroom training, time is spent on questions/topics which are
irrelevant to needs of the individual learner 
 It takes less time to start and wind up a learning session
 Learners learn what they need to learn, they can skip elements of the subject
matter that they don’t need to learn
 There is less travel time to and from an event

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Training time and costs can be greatly reduced with e-learning!

BENEFITS TO THE INDIVIDUAL LEARNER

 Learn from the comfort of your own home – One of the greatest advantages
of e-learning is that you can study anywhere – even in the comfort of your own
home. You can avoid the stress of travelling to a venue which may be miles away
from home or having to organise accommodation which entails extra cost and
inconvenience.
 Working in a remote location? – Training can become a logistical nightmare if
you are working away for long periods of time in remote locations such as oil rigs
etc. E-learning is the perfect solution for individuals and organisations in these
circumstances and can become a highly effective communication tool.
 Flexibility – Life is busy! E-learning is extremely flexible allowing you to study at
any time which suits you. This is great for those with full time jobs or those with
children. You can schedule to study when it best suits you so you don’t have to
compromise your other commitments or interests. You can also study at your
own pace in bite sized chunks.
 Focused Learning – E-learning allows you to focus more on subject matter
which you may not feel as confident on. A class environment can sometimes
make you feel uneasy if you are struggling to understand a certain topic.
Alternatively, you can skip over other areas which you are more comfortable with.
You can spend time going over self test questions and ensure that you are fully
prepared should you wish to take the APMP exam. Studying through the Internet
is actually a very rewarding experience.
 Self Disciplined – E-learning provides you with 20 hours of Project Management
training. The online student takes responsibility for their own course of studies.
You will learn to develop the techniques of self-discipline, self motivation and
time management. Every one of these disciplines is of immeasurable value.
 IS E-LEARNING EFFECTIVE?

Many studies and surveys undertaken around e-learning have concluded that
learners actually learn more using computer based instruction than they do
through traditional classroom methods. The learning most suited to e-learning
conversion includes information and knowledge, and processes and procedures.

As far as I am concerned, I think people learn and absorb

information in different ways and at different speeds: e-learning courses
provide a flexible and versatile learning system that enables individual
learners and organisations alike to tailor their training to fit with their
specific circumstances. Furthermore, when e-learning is coupled with
instructor-led training, it can bring additional dimensions and enhance the

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 learning process overall. More and more learners and organisations are
choosing to learn online e-learning technology.

Disadvantages Of eLearning

Well, there are not many disadvantages of eLearning, the main one being that
you get knowledge only on a theoretical basis and when it comes to putting to
use whatever you have learnt, it may be a little different. The face-to-face
learning experience is missing, which may matter to some of you.

1. Most of the online assessments are limited to questions that are only
objective in nature.
2. There is also the problem of the extent of security of online learning
programs.
3. The authenticity of a particular student's work is also a problem as
online just about anyone can do a project rather than the actual student
itself.
4. The assessments that are computer marked generally have a tendency
of being only knowledge-based and not necessarily practicality-base

I strongly believe that today we live in a world where technology is an active

player in our live, ensuring that we have within reach all the information we need to
perform our daily tasks, no matter where we are located (home, office, school,
train...etc.). In recent years, thanks to the development of new technologies and
innovative products (such as: smartphones, netbooks, PDAs, e-readers...etc.)
information has become more accessible than ever, and the stream of information
available has suffered a noticeable increase.

Even more, the recent advancements in technology, especially in the communication

area, have changed the way we work, the way we communicate with one another, and
also the way we learn. Regarding the latter domain "learning and teaching", a major
difference in the way we learn and teach today, was brought about by E-learning.

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E-learning is what we know today as "electronic learning and teaching": electronic
applications employed in the form of: "Web-based learning, computer-based training,
virtual classrooms or digital collaboration". By employing E-learning, the information
reaches the user much faster, via the internet / intranet, CD-ROM...etc., and it has the
advantage of being delivered in all sorts of formats: text, image, animation and also
video or audio formats.

The advancements in technology and the decreasing costs, have allowed an increase in
the number of users who attend on-line institutions. According to estimates, in 2006
more than 3.5 million students were attending on-line courses at institutions of higher
education in the U.S.A. This number is expected to increase in the following years to
such an extent, that by 2014, 81% of the students (from U.S.A.) enrolled in a post-
secondary institution will be taking most part of their courses on-line.

It is obvious that thanks to the numerous advantages offered by e-

learning, this kind of education is becoming more and more popular, prevailing over
traditional higher form of education. One such benefit is the (fast) accessibility to
information no matter where we are located in the world. Another is flexibility: with a
basic Internet connection and a PC, anyone can have access 24x7 to online courses.
Last but not least, it helps learners to develop a set of digital competences and skills
which will be useful in their day by day activities.

Other positive aspects of E-learning are: reduced learning times, smaller costs (even
transportation costs are reduced), the possibility to keep track of the progress and to
keep updated all the time no matter location, permanent access to the web content..etc.

In my opinion, E-learning is becoming an important part of the educational

process, and day by day it conquers more ground and more followers in the detriment of
traditional methodologies.

Today, e-learning is adopted not only by students, but also by organizations

that want to offer training for their employees. E-learning is a priority for businesses

that look forward to improve employee’s skills and the economic benefits they can

generate from that. That’s why online learning has become an important factor for both,

education and business.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

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Big6 in Secondary Schools, Linworth Pub.

Blair, N. (2012, February 1). Technology Integration for the New 21st Century Learner.
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Harvey, C. (2010). The 21st Century Elementary Library Media Program.

ABC-CLIO.

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