The Benefits of Online Training in Schooling

E-learning encompasses the various forms, methodologies, techniques and procedures pertaining to delivery of educational content electronically. E-learning is a sharp contrast from the traditional classroom-based learning model [2]. Contrary to the blackboard-based content delivery, instructors that engage in E-learning make use of computers, tablets and the internet to impart lessons to their students. Use of audio-video tools to deliver a lecture over the internet is also not uncommon and educators are constantly known to use webcams, audio-recording and editing tools to enhance their lectures, communicate with their students, hold office hours and sometimes even to add a more personal touch to the online class. From a student’s perspective an E-learning educational experience could be self-paced or controlled by the educator. A typical self-paced E-learning session consists of a pre-recorded video or presentation that is uploaded by the course instructor to the web-server. Students can play, pause, rewind, stop and thereby view the video or the presentation several times till they feel that they are comfortable with the subject matter. A self-paced course allows learners to study a topic per their convenience. Students can thereby set their own schedule as to when they want to review the course content or take a test, etc.

A self-paced E-learning model is apt for working professionals that are attending classes part-time whilst trying to reach a balance between their professional and academic responsibilities. An educator-controlled E-learning model is a deadline-based model wherein the course administrator sets deadlines for all tasks that students need to complete to pass the course. These tasks typically include homework assignments, quizzes, mid-term exams, posting on discussion forums, etc. In the past few years with the rapid progress made in the field of audio-video technology, E-learning has been able to venture outside the walls of a classroom and into the field [1]. Now, educators can record or even live-stream a video of a field-trip directly to their students. This is especially helpful for explaining the concepts that require a visual look and feel type of explanation. Thus, a class instructor may be able to live stream a class from a geological site to show the students the soil and rock formation. Students learn more by observing than by reading and such a video will greatly help them understand the concepts that they read in their textbooks. Videos of field-trips are not just educational, but they are also interesting and therefore can play a vital role in keeping students engrossed and attentive.

Thus E-learning can take place in-class or in-field. E-learning offers flexibility in terms of time and geographic location of the educator and the learner. Being web-based a course instructor doesn’t have to be necessarily present in a classroom to deliver the course. Matter of fact, a course instructor can simply use any leading learning management system and deliver a course from any place that has internet connectivity. All that an instructor needs are a webcam and a laptop. Similarly, students can register and attend a course from anywhere in the world. Unlike the conventional classrooms, they don’t have to be physically present in a class at a specified time. This flexibility allows the learners to take up a job while attending an online class or fulfill their family or other personal commitments. From an instructor’s perspective, an instructor can reach wider audience, e.g. administer the same class over multiple campuses at any given time without being physically present on all the campuses.