The Role of E-Learning in ELT

Written by

RATIH WIJAYANTI

1507042024

In our daily life, the use of internet is very crucial. We always find some important material by accessing internet. Richard and Haya (2009) stated that the Internet has become one of the vital ways to make available resources for research and learning for both teachers and students to share and acquire information. Fry (2001) said that technology-based e-learning encompasses the use of the internet and other important technologies to produce materials for learning, teach learners, and also regulate courses in an organization.

DEFINITION OF E-LEARNING

There has been extensive debate about a common definition of the term e-learning. Existing definitions according to Dublin (2003) tends to reveal the specialization and interest of the researchers. Rossi (2009) said that E-learning as a concept covers a range of applications, learning methods and processes. It is therefore difficult to find a commonly accepted definition for the term e-learning, and according to Oblinger and Hawkins (2005) and Dublin (2003), there is even no common definition for the term.

E-learning refers to the use of information and communication technologies to enable the access to online learning/teaching resources. In its broadest sense, Abbad et al (2009), defined E-learning to mean any learning that is enabled electronically. They however narrowed this definition down to mean learning that is empowered by the use of digital technologies. This definition is further narrowed by some researchers as any learning that is internet-enabled or web-based (LaRose et al, 1998; Keller and Cernerud, 2002).

ADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING

Some studies give advantage of e-learning as its ability to focus on the needs of individual learners. For example, Marc (2002) in his book review on e-learning strategies for delivering knowledge in digital age noted that one of the advantages of e-learning in education is its focus on the needs of individual learners as an important factor in the process of education rather than on the instructors’, or educational institutions’ needs. Some of the advantages that the adoption of elearning in education, obtained from review of literature includes the following:

• It is flexible when issues of time and place are taken into consideration. 
• E-learning enhances the efficacy of knowledge and qualifications via ease of access to a huge amount of information. 
• It is able to provide opportunities for relations between learners by the use of discussion forums. 
• E-learning is cost effective in the sense that there is no need for the students or learners to travel. 
• E-learning always takes into consideration the individual learners differences. 
• E-learning helps compensate for scarcities of academic staff, including instructors or teachers as well as facilitators, lab technicians etc. 
• The use of e-Learning allows self-pacing. For instance the asynchronous way permits each student to study at his or her own pace and speed whether slow or quick.

DISADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING

The most noticeable condemnation of e-Learning is the complete absence of vital personal interactions, not only between learners and instructors, but also among colleague learners (Young, 1997; Burdman, 1998). According to Almosa (2002), regardless of all the disadvantages of e-learning, there are a lot of benefits which inspire its use and also encourage the search for ways to reduce disadvantages. The disadvantages of e-learning that have been given by studies include the following:

• E-learning as a method of education makes the learners undergo contemplation, remoteness, as well as lack of interaction or relation 
• With respect to clarifications, offer of explanations, as well as interpretations, the e-learning method might be less effective that the traditional method of learning 
• When it comes to improvement in communication skills of learners, e-learning as a method might have a negative effect. 
• Since 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. 
• E-learning may also probably be misled to piracy and plagiarism, predisposed by inadequate selection skills, as well as the ease of copy and paste. 
• E-learning may also deteriorate institutions’ role socialization role and also the role of instructors as the directors of the process of education. 
• Also not all fields or discipline can employ the e-learning technique in education. For instance the purely scientific fields that include practical cannot be properly studies through e-learning. 
• E-learning may also lead to congestion or heavy use of some websites.

References

Almosa, A. 2002. Use of Computer in Education, (2nd ed). Riyadh: Future Education Library.

Burdman, P. 1998. Cyber U. Anaheim (California) Orange County Register, September 13, sec. 1, p. 9.

Dublin, L. 2003. If you only look under the street lamps……Or nine e-Learning Myths.The Learning developers journal.http://www.eLearningguild.com.

Fry, K. 2001. E-learning markets and providers: some issues and prospects. Education Training, 233-239.

Marc, J. R. 2002. Book review: e-learning strategies for delivering knowledge in the digital age. Internet and Higher Education, 5, 185-188.

Oblinger, D. G., & Hawkins, B. L. 2005. The myth about E-learning. Educause review.

Richard, H., & Haya, A. 2009. Examining student decision to adopt web 2.0 technologies: theory and empirical tests. Journal of computing in higher education, 21(3), 183-198.

Rossi.P.G. 2009. Learning environment with artificial intelligence elements. Journal of e-learning and knowledge society, 5(1), 67-75.