The requirement of assignment 3 was to undertake an online learning course for the duration of four hours. I am glad to say that last night I completed those four hours. However, in order to meet the requirements of the online course, the duration must be extended as I am only halfway through the content of the actual course. I have quite enjoyed the process of completing the online learning course, and have come to a conclusion that there are more advantages to disadvantages in regard to online learning, or e-learning. 

When I first began the subject “E-learning Experiences”, I was unsure of what e-learning actually was, and my only knowledge of e-learning was my simple definition of e-learning as learning that was completed using a computer and the Internet. This was a very ignorant and limited understanding of the topic. Through the various activities undertaken over the course of the semester, including the class debate, the group Wiki assignment and the identification and completion of an online course, I have gained an understanding of the nature and components of e-learning, as well as the pros and cons involved in the process.  

While initially searching for a course to complete for the third assignment, I assumed that Internet pages that contained information were “online courses”. I was told that this wasn’t so; they were just pages of information, and just because I could apply this knowledge into practice, it didn’t make it an “online course”, such as the online tutorial/web page on Microsoft Excel. I learnt that online courses are interactive and display many of the features of traditional classroom-based teaching and learning methods, such as teachers/educators [in the form of a voice-over], feedback, summaries, and exams or quizzes. I feel I can now distinguish between an actual online learning course and a simple Internet page containing information.  

The literature on e-learning states that an assumption underlying many commercial multimedia packages, used for online courses, seems to be that students will be intrinsically motivated to explore these systems in search of new knowledge, but very little research exists that examines this assumption. Harmon (1992) found that students using these programs were more likely to seek out confirmation of things they already knew than to seek new knowledge. In agreement with Harmon, when choosing a topic for my online course, I went in search of a course in which I had a basic understanding of and interest in the content of the course, rather than a completely new topic. In regard to the online course on Microsoft Excel that I undertook for the assignment, I feel I learnt the basics of Microsoft Excel, such as creating and editing a spreadsheet, and realised I actually knew more than I assumed I knew; I just needed a touch up and some practice. I found that the use of the online course as a refresher course was useful in highlighting the different features of the program in a simple format, as was seeing the theory being put into action through the use of diagrams and activities embedded within the course. However, at times it felt as though I was reading a textbook due to the design of the online course, which though at times it contained interactive activities, overall it had a simple structure and design, making it feel monotonous, and to a certain degree boring!  

Through the experience of undertaking the online course on Microsoft Excel, I was able to identify what I considered the pros and cons of the online learning experience. The features that I considered to be pros of the course were the ability to complete the course in the comfort of my own bedroom. In life, there are times when you lack the energy, motivation and concentration to undertake educational activities, and with the online learning course, I found that when this occurred, I had the choice of having a break and returning when I had the energy and motivation to complete the course. With classroom based learning, the opportunities to do so are extremely limited, therefore reducing the chance to undertake effective learning at all times.  Over my lifetime, I have discovered that there are certain educational activities I prefer to undertake alone and at my own pace, and these needs were met through the online course. Another aspect of the course that I found to be a successful factor was the structure of the course content, which went from simple to complex content and assessments. This allowed for the “transfer of learning” to occur, which “refers to the fact that previous learning of knowledge, perceptual motor skills and attitudes or values has an influence on subsequent learning” (Pithers 1998)  

However, I found that there are also many cons in regard to e-learning. As a person who is highly distracted, especially by the Internet, delivering learning online meant I was exposed to a greater number of opportunities to be distracted and ‘surf’ the Internet. There were many health risks involved as well, especially in regard to ergonomics. I found sitting on my chair for a long period of time painful and my eyes began to hurt from staring at the screen. I also felt a little lonely at times. However, these problems can be overcome by implementing strategies such as having breaks and/or doing some simple desk exercises. I found that sitting on an exercise or Swiss ball was a relaxing alternative to the regular computer chair, and this helped me in maintaining my learning endurance.  However, the main con of e-learning was the annoyance of having Internet explorer not work, or the long process of retrieving your work when you accidently close the program, which happened to me. In one incident, I accidently closed the screen containing the online program, and I had to go through each individual page to get to where I initially was-right near the end. It would have been less frustrating and time consuming if I had been able to choose the page I needed, as I would have by flipping directly to the page of the textbook I required.  

I recently completed a questionnaire called the VARK Learning Style Preferences. The results of my first attempt showed I had preference towards the reading and writing style of learning. A second attempt at the same questionnaire showed I had a nearly equal preference for all styles of learning. I know from experience that in general I have a preference for traditional classroom-based learning situations, where I can interact with other students and the teacher, and am able to write notes and receive handouts. This could be due to my personality of being a perfectionist, where everything needs to be systematically organised and I need proof of completing a task, such as in the form of notes in a learning situation. However, within the classroom-based learning environments, I sometimes feel that other students can distract me, and that the pace the teacher is moving is either too fast or too slow. With the online learning course, these negative aspects were eliminated. As I hate noise and distractions, I could create an environment free from these aspects in my own bedroom. And since I had control over the pace of the learning, I could focus on the topics that I felt needed attention and skips items I already knew.              

As I have previously said, the results of the VARK learning styles questionnaire indicated my preferred learning style is one which involved high levels of reading and writing, rather than visual or audio modes of learning. Through the completion of the online learning course, I found that this wasn’t entirely true, and I actually enjoyed the visual and audio aspect of the course. I found that the use of the voice-over and interactive activities in the online Microsoft Excel program was one of the main factors in the successful completion of the program, especially in demonstrating the different aspects and processes of Microsoft Excel. I guess my preferred learning style depends on the content of the learning session. For topics such as history and English, I prefer the reading and writing style of learning to an interactive style. But for subjects that are, for example, technology based, mathematical or creative, I prefer the use of a combination of reading, writing, visual and audio.  

Overall, I have enjoyed the process of undertaking an online learning course. I feel that as a result I have a greater understanding and appreciation of e-learning as an educational medium as well as for recreational uses. While there are a number of cons involved in the process of e-learning, I believe that overall the pros outdo the cons in regard to using e-learning as a teaching tool. Now that I have a greater understanding of e-learning, or online courses, I feel that the opportunities to increase my knowledge and skills base has greatly expanded, and I look forward to undertaking more online learning course, especially the language courses on the BBC website. Thank you for providing me with these opportunities.  

References  

Harmon, S.W. 1992, ‘On the nature of exploratory behaviour in hypermedia environments: considerations of learner use patterns of hypermedia environments for the design of hypermedia instructional systems’, Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, The University of Georgia.  

Pithers, R.T. 1998, Improving learning through effective training, Social Science Press, Katoomba.