E-learning Could Offer Regular Classes Some Tips

Recent researches show that e-learning is a much more student-oriented alternative than classic studies, where teachers simply dictate content to students, and the latter write it down. Interaction was proven to stimulate the learning process more than simply presenting the knowledge to a room full of children. Graduate School of Library and Information Science professor, Caroline Haythornthwaite, says that the traditional classrooms could be augmented with some tips extracted from on-line classes.

"Since there's an emphasis on more learner-centric activities than traditional lecture-based classroom learning, the teacher is more of a facilitator in an on-line classroom. Not only does that enhance the collaborative nature of on-line learning, it also motivates students to be much more engaged and to take more responsibility for what they're learning," Haythornthwaite argues.

"With the on-line classes I interact with my students more frequently, dropping into asynchronous discussion daily for a half-hour or an hour. With my traditional classes, I might see them once a week for three hours. If there's a news article I want my on-line students to read, I can post it and discussion can begin right away. With my classroom students, if I e-mail them an article on Tuesday and we meet for class on Friday, that's one of many things we might discuss. The impact isn't quite as immediate," she adds.

Learning on-line is an increasingly sought-for option on the Internet, as parents and even adults looking to learn a new trade are focusing more on customized learning methods, moving away from uniform curriculum. The portability of the new system is also very important to its users, as some people simply cannot get out of the house every day at the same time, for 12 years, for various reasons.

"Compared to the more traditional educational paradigm – the broadcast model, where knowledge is delivered from professor to student from on-high – e-learning turns teaching and learning into a shared endeavor," the professor notes.

Combining the two teaching methods may prove to be the best option for children these days, as evidenced by a 2001 MIT study, when all materials related to a regular class were posted on-line, and all children given access to it. "No one stopped going to class when all that material was posted. It simply changed the delivery method and broadened the scope of knowledge available," says Haythornthwaite.