Utilizing e-learning experiences

Mobile and online learning is on the up. Josh Baron outlines the key benefits and explains the importance of high quality learning.

The business climate has obviously been extremely hostile over the past few years. Can utilizing online learning play a role in keeping training costs down without negatively impacting the development of an organization’s people?

Online learning has some obvious cost savings, such as reduced travel costs, that can be significant in today’s business climate. The danger that businesses need to be aware of is the assumption that all online learning is the same and will result in the same outcomes. For example, there is growing evidence that web-based or computer-based training, which typically involves an individual working in a self-paced mode without an instructor/facilitator, often does not result in the same level of knowledge attainment as online training that involves interactions with an instructor and among students themselves. Although self-paced training may initially appear to result in the most cost savings, you end up paying more in the long run because of the need to re-train employees who did not gain the necessary knowledge the first time around.

There are more and more ways for people to connect and communicate becoming available all the time. Is the development of mobile technology having an impact on the way training and education is being delivered?

Mobile learning is certainly a hot topic in the distance education sector right now, driven in part by new mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad. These devices are not only expanding our definition of learning “anytime, anywhere” but are also facilitating new forms of learning, such as through “augment reality” (i.e., the ability to superimpose information from the web, such as Google Maps, onto the real world). As exciting as these developments are, they are primarily still in an early experimental phase and thus their impact on training and education in general remains fairly limited. It is an area to be watching over the next few years as its potential is huge.

What key benefits does an online learning program offer over traditional class-based solutions?

The benefits are many but do depend in part on the format of the online course and the delivery model. This said, some of the more commonly noted benefits are: (1) ability for the student to engage in the learning process, whether that is 8AM or 8PM, when it works best for them; (2) ability for the student to think through and respond to discussion questions online rather than having to give a quick response when called on in a class environment; (3) breaking down of stereotypes as you often do not know the race, age or even gender of the other students with whom you are working; (4) peer-to-peer learning which is often an integral part of the online learning experience because of the ability for students to interact outside of a defined class period. It is important though to evaluate each online program on its own merits. For example, at Marist College peer-to-peer learning is a cornerstone of many of our online courses but that may not be the case at all institutions.

A major concern with regards to e-learning is the lack of human interactivity. How do modern online courses get around this problem?

First, I would say that this is more of a myth than reality, at least when it comes to high quality online learning experiences. As the last decade of research has shown, quality online courses require a great deal of instructor-to-student and student-to-student interactions each week. These interactions generally take place in online “asynchronous” discussion forums and can range from formal graded discussions to group projects to informal exchanges. In some cases, as we do at Marist College, discussion may also take place with outside experts who are invited in as “guest speakers” in our online course. In fact, there are many cases in which students will report more interactivity in their online courses than those they’ve taken face-to-face.

Biography

As Director of Academic Technology and eLearning at Marist College, Josh Baron is responsible for supporting instructional technology initiatives, including distance learning, faculty training and student support. He plays a leadership role on-campus in the area of strategic planning and is currently serving as Chair of the Sakai Foundation Board of Directors.