Topic: A Term Paper on E-Learning

Submitted To:
Marzia Tamanna
Lecturer
Department of Business Administration
East Wes University

Submitted By:

Name ID
Syed Sayham Hassan 2019-1-10-317
Nazat Afrin 2019-1-10-154
Jannatul Maua Nisha 2019-1-10-042
Shadman Shakib Mahir 2019-1-10-235

Date of Submission: 10th May, 2020

10th May, 2020

MarziaTamanna
Lecturer
Department of Business Administration
East West University

Subject: Submission of term paper on “E-learning”

Dear Madam

As per the requirements of submitting a term paper for completion of the MIS-101 course, I
would like to present my report titled ‘E-learning’. I and my team are now currently completing
our Bachelor’s degree on Business Studies. The main purpose of the report is to explore what is
e-learning and how it is getting implemented and its impact on our society as a whole.

In this circumstance we hope our report will meet your expectations and will give a clear view of
our team’s efforts for presenting a successful marketing strategy.

Sincerely yours,

Syed Sayham Hassan (2019-1-10-317)

Nazat Afrin (2019-1-10-154)
Jannatul Maua Nisha (2019-1-10-042)
Shadman Shakib Mahir (2019-1-10-235)

Department of Business Administration

East West University
 Table of Content

No Name of Content Page

1 Abstract 1
1 Introduction 2
2 Effectiveness of E-learning 3
3 Drawbacks of E-learning 7
4 Types of E-learning platform 9
5 E-learning environment Vs Traditional Face to Face 12
6 E-learning in Bangladesh 14
7 Significant Impact of E-learning 16
8 Aspect of E-learning 17

9 Conclusion 21

10 Reference 22
 Abstract (Nazat Afrin)

This term paper presents an overview of the e-learning .E-learning is a boon for the modern
world. E-Learning will inevitably transform the education and learning system of 21 stcentury.
E-learning is playing a very important role in the present educational scenario and e-learning
tools which brings a huge impact to our education. It has the potential to change the whole
education system and due to this very reason it has become one of the most preferred subjects
but traditional educational institutions are not using e-learning sector. Enhancement of
current importance will do better understanding. E-learning is an open system, with the
power of the internet, the teaching and learning transition will be exposed to an immeasurable
amount of information. The goal of e-learning is to blend diversity and this will be much
useful for distance education. Communication goes on multiple formats such as text to voice,
audio, and video, virtual classroom and some e-learning mediums are more popular among
the worldwide like KHAN ACADEMY, UDEMY, ROBI 10MINUTE SCHOOL. This paper
focuses on many prominent sides of conducting education on e-learning. These are the
effectiveness, drawbacks, and user-friendly e-learning tools, various aspects of e-learning and
current scenario of using e-learning in teaching in tertiary institutions. Even we can see the
position of Bangladesh in terms of its e-learning and get an idea about the Bangladesh
government’s policy that enhance the ability of students and teachers to reach the benefits of
this aspect Now in the current situation of the world the term e-learning proves its actual
meaning and helping many learners to achieve more proficiency on their skills and learn
about new topics.
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1. Introduction (Nazat Afrin)

E-learning is the use of electronic media and information and communication technologies in
education. Bernard Luskin, a pioneer of e-learning, says that the “e” should be interpreted to
mean “exciting, energetic, enthusiastic, emotional, extended, excellent, and educational” in
addition to “electronic.” E-learning includes numerous types of media for delivering text,
audio, images, animation, and streaming video etc. E-learning can occur in or out of the
classroom. It is suited to distance learning and flexible learning. E-learning or electronic
learning is changing the educational scenario rapidly. Information and Communication
Technology has opened a new sky
and broader. E-learning is the combination of technology and specially designed learning
material. Learning material must be according to the medium so the special design is
required. On the basis of the involvement of e-learning content we can classify it into two
major types:
1) Complete Online Learning
2) Blended Learning

Complete Online Learning: This type of learning depends completely on eLearning

Tools. Delivery of course materials, discussions, assignment evaluation, examination and
other evaluations are performed only on e learning platforms. It provides maximum
flexibility to the learners regarding place and time of learning.

Blended Learning: In this category e-learning tools are used to increase the effectiveness of
conventional face-to-face methods as on add on tools .Sometimes these tools are used for
reducing face-to-face contact time. Some part of learning activities is occurred in classroom
and rest of the part at e- learning platform.

Fundamentally, there are two categories of eLearning:

 Synchronous: Synchronous eLearning is when the learners and the instructor

interact with each other in real-time, from a different location. Set time
(phone/Internet classroom sessions).
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 Asynchronous: Asynchronous eLearning is when learners complete the self-

paced online training. In this case, the learner and the instructor are not online at
the same time. Student-directed, self-paced learning

2. Effectiveness of e-learning (Nazat Afrin)

The adoption of E-learning in education, especially for higher educational institutions has
several benefits, and given its several advantages and benefits, e-learning is considered
among the best methods of education. Several studies and authors have provided benefits and
advantages derived from the adoption of e-learning technologies into schools (Klein and
Ware, 2003; Algahtani, 2011; Hameed et al, 2008; Marc, 2002; Wentling et al. 2000;
Nichols, 2003). Some of the advantages that the adoption of e-learning in education, obtained
from the review of literature includes the following:

1. Convenience
2. Consistency
3. Customization
4. Convergence of different mediums
5. Global connectivity.
6. Advantage for teachers and creator.
7. Quick access to supporting material.
8. Saves money and time.
9. Privacy.

1. Convenience:
There are two kinds of convenience that e-learning offers:
 Time flexibility: Education is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
 Place flexibility: Education is available any place that has a computer and Internet access,
i.e. learning is not a constraint to a particular geographic location.
This idea of anytime/anywhere education is of crucial importance to working individuals,
students with physical/mobility disabilities, and mothers on maternity leave. They do not
have to leave their house or take off from work, or spend time and money commuting in
order to receive an education.
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2. Consistency:
A great degree of coverage ensuring that the learners are effectively delivered the message in
a consistent manner is what eLearning courses are able to do. The end result comes out that
each person present in that eLearning course receives the same training, weather from Sri
Lanka or AustraliaThis has been an issue throughout the existence of organized education,
because different schools, depending either on economic or social status were receiving
different education. With e-learning, the idea of inequality or discrimination is brought to a
minimum. In addition, material is consistent over the length of the course, and not susceptible
to disruptions due to unexpected trainer turnover or illness.

3. Customization:
E-learning offers customization and interoperability that focus on individualized needs of
students .However, when it comes to eLearning systems, "personalization" takes on a whole
new meaning. Personalized eLearning is the act of customizing:

 The learning environment.

 The interaction between facilitator, student and the learning content (e.g. mouse,
stylus, tap/swipe, keyboard; e.g. using "Gaming", Quizzes, Online discussions,
Demonstrate-do-check-reinforce, Adaptive learning approaches, Tutorials)

 Self-Paced: Most of the courses offered by e-learning are self-paced, catering to

different learning speeds. This way, students who absorb material faster will not
be bored and de-motivated by listening to the concepts they already know and
understand. On the other hand, students who need more time to internalize these
same concepts will have an opportunity to take that time, without feeling rushed
or pressured.

 Immediate feedback: Any assignments, exercises, quizzes, or tests offered through

Blackboard provide immediate feedback to the student. Over time, this feedback
is customized through various techniques, pointing out the mistake pattern that a
particular student tends to make. In addition, it provides the list of suggestions on
how to overcome this weakness, whether it is regarding material content, or test
taking abilities. From this perspective, Blackboard offers pedagogical flexibility
that is not achieved in a traditional learning environment.
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4. Convergence of different mediums: E-learning platforms provide us a special

opportunity to have many types of mediums at one place, like text, graphics, audio and video.
It increases the quality of study material. If anything can be delivered properly to the learners
through text, we can use text and wherever graphics, photographs audio or video are required
we can add them. We can have live video and text chat too. Convergence of different
mediums provides an ideal opportunity to develop an excellent and easy to understand
learning materials. It can break the monotony of learning process and create interesting and
easy to understand course materials.

5. Global connectivity: E-learning provides fast and vast access to learning resources. There
is no meaning of campus boundary of institutions in e-learning. We can connect ourselves
around the globe. We can join different learners and teachers groups and social networking
websites. It is able to provide opportunities for relations between learners by the use of
discussion forums. Through this, e-learning helps eliminate barriers that have the potential of
hindering participation including the fear of talking to other learners. E-learning motivates
students to interact with other, as well as exchange and respect different point of views. E-
learning eases communication and also improves the relationships that sustain learning.

6. Advantages for Teachers and Creators: In the traditional way of education, teachers
have a hard time to communicate their message. Not every student can get the proper
attention they deserve. E-learning provides a platform where the teachers, and content
creators can get their message to their target audience. This guarantees that all the trainees
receive the same type of learning.

7. Quick access to supporting material through hyperlink: E-learning has changed the
learning process completely. Now learner is studying with many thousands of supporting
books and materials. Take an example: A student is a reading a book on a particular topic, he
is facing problem to understand few terms he want to know more detail about those terms but
he is helpless. He will have to go to library and searched books on those terms and topics,
only then he can clear his concept and understanding this process may take few days. Now
take this example in e-learning environment. He can get detailed information about those
terms by just one click on the available hyperlink with those terms. If hyperlink is not
available he can use various search engines. This process will take not few days but only few
minutes. It is the strength of e-learning.
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8. Saves money and time: Time is money and with an eLearning course you can save both
you could do an eLearning course without relocating, without quitting your job, or without
practically being there. The technology enables you to stay wherever you are and lets you do
whatever you are doing saving a lot of time and money.

9. Privacy: The anonymity of e-learningg and e-education in general, offers an element of

privacy that was previously unknown. Privacy is an interaction, in which the information
rights of different parties collide about access control, data integrity, identity management.
Privacy is needed to protects us from being misdefined and judged out of context. E-learning
provides privacy for learner rights establish an unbiased environment, learner and instructor
comfort. Since an online learning application aims at assisting users, they cannot act in full
anonymity .Two aspects of personal data that pertain to privacy protection of learners:
 Data parsimony: store as little personal data as possible.
 Data partitioning: partition data into context-specific partial identities.

3. Drawbacks of E-learning (Nazat Afrin)

The Internet is buzzing with positive information about e-learning, for good reason. E-
Learning is an incredibly powerful tool that many businesses have embraced over the last
decade. In spite of the advantages that it has when adopted in education, also has some
disadvantages. The disadvantages of e-learning that have been given by studies include the
following:

1. No real interactions: The most noticeable disadvantage of e-Learning is the complete

absence of vital personal interactions, not only between learners and instructors, but also
among colleague students.. While e-learning is quite interactive these days, through the use of
video conferences, webinars, and face-to-face video chat, but it still isn’t the same as sitting
across the room from a real person. Simply put, there is no substitute for interacting with, and
learning from, a fellow human.
Page |7

2. Lack of discipline: E-learning is a medium of study where you do not have to follow
strict time period as traditional mediums have to follow. When it is about class exam or any
kind of exam, tests for assessments in e-learning are possibly done with the use of proxy, it
will be difficult, if not impossible to control or regulate bad activities like cheating. So, the
true meaning of discipline is not forced by e-learning.

3.Good e-learning is difficult to do: E-learning courses typically require a greater amount of
reading and assignments than traditional classes. So, the instructor must have good
knowledge how to conduct the courses with right amount of materials. Though might have an
excellent knowledge in academics, they may not possess the needed skills to deliver their
acquired knowledge to others. It hampers the learners to acquire knowledge. Even,
sometimes the learning materials can quickly become outdated – and may contain errors even
from the beginning. So, it is difficult to provide a good form of learning instruction among
the learners.

4.Social isolation :The E-Learning methods currently practiced in education tend to make
participating students undergo contemplation, remoteness and a lack of interaction. As a
result, many of the students and teachers who inevitably spend much of their time online can
start experiencing signs of social isolation, due to the lack of human communication in their
lives. Social isolation coupled with a lack of communication often leads to several mental
health issue such as heightened stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts.

5.Short-Term Costs:
Because the market and technology for e-learning is relatively new and is presently in high
demand, the short-term costs prove to be a disadvantage for using Blackboard and similar
sites.
 Start-up costs for equipment are very high.
 Equipment and information systems take a longer amount of time to develop than a
traditional course.
 Instructors need to be trained for the initial use.
 System implemented cannot be modified easily and is therefore, more costly to change.

6.Lack of control: Through e-learning, learners are giving control to the learners to learn in
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their own time and in their own way. Since learners can use e-learning tools at their own
pace, there’s a risk some may fall behind or just go through the material without really paying
attention. This lack of control over the learning process can lead some to be weary of using e-
learning for training purposes. Attendance is not verifiable, thus it is easier for irresponsible
student to skip the class. No control over when resources such as textbooks are used, if
they’re being used when they are not supposed to be used, or whether resources are
appropriate and honest for the students use.

4. Type of e-Learning Platforms (Jannatul Maua Nisha)

The field of e-Learning’ has gained increasing popularity and for the right reasons. Due to
some recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of total users of different e-
Learning’ platforms has risen exponentially. Over the last few years, overall improvement of
the technology and software has enabled to offer a complete learning experience that is fun,
interactive, and ultimately engaging.
E-Learning Platform:
An online learning platform is an integrated set of interactive online services that provide
trainers, learners, and others involved in education with information, tools and resources to
support and enhance educational delivery and management. E-learning platforms are the
modern digital substitutes of the traditional classroom. We can say that an E-learning
platform is a place where the students and instructor interact online and knowledge is shared
without any physical contact. There are six broad types of e-Learning Platforms. They are

Learning Destination Sites

Traditional Learning Management System

Open Source Learning Management System

Modern Learning Management Solutions

Learning Management Ecosystems

Custom Built Learning Platform

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mentioned below:

1. Learning Destination Sites

A learning destination site is a shared website that offers courses from many different
providers. It is more like a storefront, much like how Amazon is the front end for many
retailers. Here online-based educators offer their courses for an open audience.

Typically, learning destination sites allow an educator to author his or her courses using an
authoring tool or a learning management system, and then either upload or link the courses to
the site. The sites usually handle learner registration and e-commerce for both the educator
and interested students. Students can preview the course outline and choose which course he
or she is interested to continue. Upon his confirmation, they are required to pay a certain
amount using e-commerce as per the site policy. Afterwards, students are granted access to
the course material.

Common sites include Udacity, Udemy, Coursera, and edX. Many industries have their niche
sites as well.

2. Traditional Learning Management System

A traditional commercial Learning Management System is a type of platform that provides

the basic functionality necessary for developing and hosting an online course. It gives course
designers the means to author courses, stores them, manage learning profiles, report grades
and progress, and provides other simple functionalities necessary for online courses.

Traditional Learning Management System is mostly used for the organizational purpose
where the target learner group is limited and less diverse. And usually, there is no monetary
transaction involved within the system.

There are numerous providers in the market, and most target corporate Learning &
Development — their products are developed for internal training. However, some do have
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“extended enterprise” features, which make it easier to repurpose content for external
audiences.

3. Open Source Learning Management System: An open-source Learning Management

System is a type of platform that provides the basic functionality necessary for developing
and hosting an online course — much like the commercial Learning Management System
solution. But the key difference is that they are typically free of charge for both the educator
and the student and contents can be customized by the course designer.

For each platform, there are usually communities of vendors who can configure, host, and
customize open-source learning management systems for a fee. Common open-source
learning platforms are Moodle, Sakai, and Open edX.

4. Modern Learning Management Solutions

Considering all the well-documented limitations that users often face while using traditional
learning management solutions, a new wave of modern solutions has emerged. These
companies focus on learner experience and sometimes on specific pedagogies that aren’t well
supported in traditional LMS solutions. Here the providers use AI and Machine learning to
find out if the courses offered to ensure satisfaction to both the educators and the students.

Vendors in this category include companies like Docebo, Totara, Litmos, Motivis, and
NovoEd.

5. Learning Management Ecosystems

Another type of online learning platform is the learning management ecosystem. With this
model, organizations look to use best-of-breed “point” solutions and knit them together into
one platform. Course authoring software, assessment tools, adaptive learning engines, e-
commerce sites, and learning content management solutions (to name a few features) are
integrated and presented to the learner as one solution. They are often built with a custom
P a g e | 11

front end, creating the illusion of a single system. It also acts as a complete solution for the
user. The platform integrates more than a dozen other software tools and has a custom front
end.

An example of a learning management ecosystem is the University of Notre Dame’s Nexus

platform, which has Open edX (an open-source LMS) at its core alongside with other
essential additional software.

6. Custom Built Learning Platform

Last of the online learning platforms is the full custom-built learning platform. With this
solution, one build all, or most, of the technology required from scratch by focusing on
serving the business, learner, and pedagogy. This solution takes the most time and in many
cases is the most expensive, but you get exactly what you need and have complete control
over the experience and direction.

A good example of a full custom learning platform is HBX, a custom platform built for
Harvard Business School to deliver very high-end business certificate courses.

5. E-Learning environment vs. traditional face to face learning (Jannatul Maua Nisha)

Comparison between e-learning environment & traditional face to face learning is very
prominent. Both have their pros and cons. One can’t say that e-Learning environment is
better than traditional face to face learning. It all depends on the users and the type to the
knowledge shared. Difference between e-Learning environment & traditional face to face
learning is mentioned below:
P a g e | 12

Learning Process: Learning process for the traditional classroom-oriented environment is

Instructor-led. Whereas for e-Learning environment it is student-oriented or can be said self-
study oriented. As the students have to complete their study at their own will.

Motivation: In the case of the traditional classroom-oriented environment is Instructor

motivates the student for continuing learning activities. Whereas for e-Learning environment
the students have to complete their study at their own will the motivation has to be
individually generated.

Feedback: In the case of the traditional classroom-oriented environment is Instructor and the
student meets face to face and their interaction in real-time. So feedback is personnel and
immediate. But in the case of e-Learning environment, the students have to complete their
study at their own using already prepared course work by the teacher. So the feedback is not
spontaneous and is preprogrammed in the system.

Role-play: In the traditional classroom-oriented environment is Instructor and students

interacts face to face. Whereas for e-Learning environment it is student and education
performs simulated role-play as students are required to learn using the prerecorded course
material.

System Training: In the case of the traditional classroom-oriented environment is Instructor

and the student meet face to face and the instructor guide the students wherever they face any
difficulty and the learning is instructor-led. But in the case of e-Learning environment, the
students have to complete their study at their own using already prepared course work by the
teacher. And at first, they are required to learn about using the Learning Management system
on their own.

Participants: For the traditional classroom-oriented environment an Instructor can teach a

limited number of students at the same time. Similarly for the student taking the desired
course depends on the availability of the instructor. But for the e-Learning environment, both
the instructor and the students have complete independence. Here an instructor can teach an
unlimited amount of students and students can take any course any time.
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Repetitive: For the traditional classroom-oriented environment it is impossible to repeat the

same class by the instructor as it is basic human nature. A class can be taken only one time
and every class is different. But for e-Learning environment when the instructor prepares the
course elements and uploads it in the learning management system. It will the same for every
online student and the classes can be repeated an unlimited amount of time.

Interactivity: In the case of the traditional classroom-oriented environment the interaction

between the Instructor and the student is limited to their available class time. But for the e-
learning environment, the interactivity is available only during the course material
development stage.

In summary, it can be said that e-learning environment provides greater flexibility for both
the instructor and the student. But the effectiveness of e-learning depends heavily on the
willingness of the student. And traditional face to face learning environment provides greater
attention to detail and more instructor oriented learning.

6. E-Learning in Bangladesh (Syed Sayham Hassan)

The concept of e-learning is quite clear to us by now and how it is implemented and the
benefits that we get from this. Bangladesh is a developing country with a thriving economy.
The education system of Bangladesh is not yet up to international standard but it has
improved in huge leaps in the past decade. We have seen great improvement in digitalizing
the education sector of Bangladesh. To achieve the goal of 2021 Digital Bangladesh it is very
much necessary for us to get engaged with e-learning. Knowledge has become the currency
for the future. The ‘Anytime, Anywhere and by Anyone‘ nature of E-Learning makes it an
attractive tool for dissemination of skills and knowledge of the developed countries to the
developing countries. It could also be useful for the portion of the population in a developing
country, which cannot enroll in the formal educational programs. In case of Bangladesh, the
teaching resources are also very limited. Compared to the number of students, the number of
teachers is really very small. In this situation, E-learning could be a very effective way to
deliver quality learning-materials to all the learners. When illiteracy is one of the major issues
in Bangladesh and the goal of 'Education for All' is being vigorously pursued employment of
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E-Learning could be a good solution for attracting the learners for ensuring attendance in the
primary schools. While attracting the learners is necessary mainly for the primary level; for
secondary and tertiary level, E-Learning is sometimes more than necessary to ensure the
quality of education. Following section identifies the barriers and challenges that are
hindering the growth of E-Learning in Bangladesh and also.

It may seems not so bright for opportunity of e-learning in Bangladesh for now but as we are
developing, more people are getting the opportunity of using e learning. We know that not all
parts of our country is covered by quality internet connection but the government and many
corporations are trying to reach every single part of our land with quality internet connection.
Also a big barrier is the people’s economic condition. Thought to obtain the facilities of e-
learning we do not much equipment but for some faculties it is still a far cry ot obtain those.
Our government has taken many initiatives to break this barriers but lowering or sometimes
completely eliminating taxes upon this devices. We can also be very proud of many NGOs
are coming forward with solutions to educate the rural people of our country by the means of
e-learning. We can also say many class rooms are not traditional classrooms anymore. We
can see projectors, whiteboards and cameras etc. Many students, especially in higher
education are willing to study using their phones and laptops. Teachers are also more open
minded to adopt the gifts of technology in their teaching curriculum and also more
technology are getting educated about this matter.

We also have some local e-Learning platform such as “10 minuite School”, “e-Shikhon”,
“BYLC” and “BBC Janala’. Among all of them “10 minuite School” is the most popular one
and they cater almost 70 million user of different age level. They provide courses for school
and college students based on the government provided text books. They also provide skill
development courses conducted by different industry leaders and skillful professionals.
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7. Significance of E-Learning in the Pandemic (Syed Sayham Hassan)

While countries are at different points in their COVID-19 infection rates, worldwide there are
currently more than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries affected by school closures due to
the pandemic. Schools, colleges, universities and educational institutions have come to a
standstill. They are not able to continue their regular class routine through conventional ways
of taking classes. They are moving towards online classes and e-learning methods in this
pandemic. With this sudden shift away from the classroom in many parts of the globe, some
are wondering whether the adoption of online learning will continue to persist post-pandemic,
and how such a shift would impact the worldwide education market. In response to
significant demand, many online learning platforms are offering free access to their services.
Many schools and universities are continuing their classes by the means of the internet. We
can also see nationwide measures taken as TV channels are broadcasting national curriculum
studies in their channels for almost every class. Students are using their computes and phones
to learn books and their essential paperwork which in normal circumstances will be at
libraries or at journals.

There are, however, challenges to overcome. Some students without reliable internet access
and/or technology struggle to participate in digital learning; this gap is seen across countries
and between income brackets within countries. The effectiveness of online learning varies
amongst age groups. The general consensus on children, especially younger ones, is that a
structured environment is required, because kids are more easily distracted. But we know
something is better than nothing and it is bring in much good than harm. We have yet to see
whether the impact of corona virus will bring a significant change in the post epidemic
timeframe.

8. Aspects of e-learning (Shadman Shakib Mahir)

In this modern world of technology, e-learning plays a vital role in education. E-learning does
not necessarily mean online learning. It means electronic learning. So learning through any
kind of electronic medium can be called e-learning. These mediums can be smartphones,
tablets, laptops, smart books etc. There are countless aspects of e-learning such as
connectivity, mobility, micro learning, gamification and virtual reality.
P a g e | 16

E-learning platforms such as Khan Academy, Robi Ten Minutes School , Blackboard, BYLC
etc have their services available for learners all the time. This means student can get access to
their service whenever they want and however they want via an internet connection.

Learners can also make their contents available offline by downloading them in various
format such as PDF, video, audio etc. As a result they can learn even when they are not
connected to the internet. For example, Google Classroom. It is a software in which teachers
can upload their lectures and student can download them.

Connectivity also refers to the interaction of students and teachers. Students should be able to
fully interact with their teachers in order to get quality education. We can use Google meet as
an example. Google meet is a software in which teacher and student can connect with each
other. It is similar to a video conference. They can also present their screen to others for a
better understanding. In Google Classroom students can ask questions via texts. In x.bylc.org,
each course has a comment section in the end for learners to ask questions. In Robi Ten
Minutes School, teachers take live classes using Facebook. As a result students can directly
ask questions using the comment box of Facebook and get answers immediately.

As we have discussed the connectivity aspect of e-learning, let us discuss the mobility aspect
of e-learning. Mobility is a vastly important role of e-learning. Learning is an activity that is
not connected to a fixed workplace. It can occur in any location under any condition. This is
why accessing learning materials from everyday devices such as smartphones and laptops is
necessary. The ability to download learning materials , contents and engage with them offline
is an equally consider element. In an era where a learner can glance down at his or her
smartphone or tablet and execute course activities right as they are on the job in the exact
environment they will be exercising their job functions and learn and absorb critical
information at the point of need, it seems archaic that we would need to turn to textbooks at
all.

Companies like Google, Microsoft are working on the development of software’s which will
make e-learning easier and more convenient. Other hardware companies are working on
developing devices and wearable’s to enhance this experience of e-learning. So, it may seem
like one day in the future we will abandon the traditional method of education ( pen, paper,
books) and switch to digital mediums.
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Another notable aspect of e-learning is micro learning. It is an extension of the mobile

learning aspect of e-learning. It is a technique that goes outside of the traditional learning
method. Instead of delivering course content through lengthy lessons of training, micro
learning delivers specific learner content in small, easy to digest and low-time-commitment
methods. We can use the video lessons in Khan Academy and Robi Ten Minutes School.
They have made relatively short video of each topics and organized them in their website for
the convenience of the learners. As a result, learners can get the critical insight and lessons
they need within a short amount of time. This is what micro learning is all about. Gaining
more knowledge using the less amount of time. As our attention spans grow shorter day by
day, micro learning may become the future of our education.

A fun, entertaining aspect of e-learning is gamification. Infact many of us have already

experienced gamification but didn't know that it was a part of e-learning. This approach is
being applied in corporate learning environments learners are offered points, badges, and
trophies for achieving and surpassing goals and doing better than their immediate
competitors. It is a game changer. People are competitive by nature and love to get rewarded
for what they did and how they performed. It introduces a sense of competition that leads to
more interaction and motivation while doing a training program. Earning badges and being
part of contests is just a starting point to increase a learner's continued attention as a result
they can focus more. For example, a gamification reward marketplace, where people taking
part of the learning activity can exchange their achieved badges and points for physical
rewards or even money.

Teachers, trainers and developers should keep three questions in their mind before designing
a gamification study program, course for their learners. These three questions must be
answered if they want to make this method effective. Those questions are:

● Which gasification elements should you use for your audience in order to spark their
motivation?
● How can you reinforce positive behaviors and get them to engage with the subject
matter in a more meaningful way?
● Which game mechanic is a perfect fit for your online training program and
organizational goals?
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Some developers are using this gasification approach to create games for children to help
them in their education. Word Link is a appropriate example of such games. Some websites
(example: x.bylc.org) are also using this method to motivate and encourage their learners.
One of the best aspects of e-learning is virtual reality. This technology has made a place in
the selection of tools employers are using to engage learners. Virtual reality has potential to
take learning beyond the traditional online learning experience. With benefits such as
enhanced engagement, improved retention and experiential learning, this simulation-based
technology has the potential to revolutionize how online training programs are performed.
This technology gives learners a first-hand experience. As a result users/learners of this
technology will gain expertise and skills through the practical application of concepts,
theories and problem solving techniques instead of just reading or hearing about them.

The Hermann Ebbinghaus forgetting curve roughly says that during a traditional lecture, if
your absorption rate is at 100 percent on day one, there is a 50-80 percent loss of learning
from the second day onward, which is reduced to a retention rate of just 2-3 percent at the
end of thirty days. Experiential learning increases this retention rate considerably. So, we can
undoubtedly say that virtual reality can improve the efficiency of learners and will also help
them to gain experience of what they are learning.

Now let us go through some benefits of virtual reality in e-learning:

● Accelerates learning - repetitive learning or learning by rote can be dramatically

improved by actually performing or visualizing the learning material. VR learning
uses problem solving, powerful visualization, decision making and other elements to
enhance the learning experience.
● Provides a safe learning environment - it is only natural that mistakes happen
during the course of learning, and using VR simulations lets people learn in a safe
controlled environment. Students can therefore try different approaches and
understand for themselves what works best.
● Bridges the gap between theory and practice - students often learn textbook theory
about a certain topic, experiencing this theory in an interactive 3D environment gives
students a more memorable learning experience.
● Increases engagement levels - the virtual world lets students collaborate and learn
from each other, increasing overall engagement with a tangible outcome result.
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● Assessing complex learning is easier - VR can simulate a range of complex topics,

from brain surgery to gravity, bringing the learning process to life.

VR educational apps have recently begun entering the main stream market, as several leaders
have been looking to use the tech for educational purposes - this, combined with marketing
methods of VR companies, such as Kick starter campaigns, have raised awareness for the
industry. As a result mass production and use of this technology in e-learning as well as our
daily life may occur in the future.

9.Conclusion (Shadman Shakib Mahir)

In this paper, we have described various sides of e-learning such as the effectiveness,
drawbacks of e-learning, e-learning platforms, aspects of e-learning etc. We have compared
e-learning environment with traditional face-to-face learning environment. There is also a
section in which we described how helpful e-learning can be in these struggling time of the
pandemic of COVID-19. We hope that students will get a good insight of e-learning from our
term paper.
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10. Reference

https://www.google.com/amp/s/elearningindustry.com/learner-experience-in-elearning-6-
aspects/amp

https://virtualspeech.com/blog/how-virtual-reality-can-improve-online-learning https://
www.midterm.us/blog/sample-term-papers/e-learning-term-paper.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
297837946_ELearning_a_Boon_for_the_21st_century_Learners

https://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/types-of-elearning

https://elearningindustry.com/6-convincing-reasons-take-elearning-course

https://elearningindustry.com/personalized-elearning-customized-approach-accelerated-
elearning

https://www.zandax.com/business-blog/8-disadvantages-of-e-learnin

https://www.eskill.com/blog/e-learning-pros-cons/

Whittemore, B., 2020. 6 Types Of Online Learning Platforms. [online]

Blog.extensionengine.com. Available at: <https://blog.extensionengine.com/six-types-of-
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Hijon, R., & Velázquez, Á. (2006, June). E-learning platforms analysis and development of students
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Andersson, A., & Grönlund, Å. (2009). A conceptual framework for e‐learning in developing
countries: A critical review of research challenges. The electronic Journal of information systems in
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