CMP 100: Intro to E-Learning

• Course name: Computer Skills
• Course code: CMP 100
• Program: Events Management and Organizing
• Academic year: 1446

E-Learning Definition

• E-learning uses modern electronic media and information & communication technologies to facilitate education.
• This approach aims for the shortest time, least effort, and greatest benefit in education.
• Electronic media technologies include computers, networked digital devices, digital media, audios, search mechanisms, e-libraries, and internet gateways or portals.
• E-learning delivers learning or training via educational technologies, broadcasting from an educational institution to distant locations.
• It aims to appeal to students who are unable to join traditional education programs.

E-Learning Objectives

• Reduce educational costs, address institutional weaknesses, and overcome resource limitations, thus expanding admission opportunities and increasing learners.
• Alleviate the administrative burden of academic courses.
• Tackle the shortage of qualified faculty, teachers, and trainers.
• Offer flexibility and freedom, conducting studies to suit learners without requiring travel to university centers or physical attendance.
• Ensure equal learning opportunities for all who seek them.
• Encourage independence in learning and research, fostering a culture of self-learning.
• Reduce individual differences among learners by offering various educational resources.
• Enhance educational quality through charts and animated clips, combining attractiveness and summarized information.
• Develop learners' and teachers' technical skills.

Types of E-Learning

• Synchronous Education: Enables direct real-time communication between teachers and learners via modern devices like the Internet.
• Methods of Synchronous Communication:
  • Written communication via instant text messaging.
  • Voice communication over the Internet.
  • Audio and video communication through video conferencing.
• Asynchronous Education: Does not require simultaneous presence of individuals.
• Communication methods include email or voicemail.
• Educational resources are placed online for learners to access without simultaneous communication with the teacher.
• Disadvantage: Learners may miss immediate feedback and interaction.

E-Learning Technologies

• Educational Television: effective medium with features like being familiar, allowing presentation of concepts, and linking theory to application through practical demonstrations and field trips, capturing events, and summarizing concepts.
• Educational television uses audio and video to effectively present complex concepts.
• Students can explore unfamiliar environments like the moon or foreign countries through television.
• Video Conferences: considered a modern and efficient educational tool, allow:
  • Real-time communication between teachers and learners.
  • Support for tools like whiteboards, documents, and videos.
  • Communication between geographically distant parties.
  • Instant feedback to learners.
• Drawbacks: Video conferencing requires expensive equipment and teacher effort to maintain student connection.
• Printed Materials: Remain essential in e-learning, with students receiving materials or soft copies for printing due to ease of use. Examples are Textbooks or curriculums.
• Databases: Organized records covering specific subjects or time ranges, exemplified by library databases of abstracts.
• Internet: Supports e-learning through e-mail for communication and feedback.
• It provides a whiteboard for interaction, virtual classes, and information about classes, courses and instructors.

Virtual Classes Terminology

• Internet use has advanced education reinforcing teachers & learner performance, leading to terms like Paperless world, Universities without walls & Virtual educational environments.
• Virtual Classrooms: Online learning environments resembling traditional classrooms with instructors and learners.
• Breaks time and space barriers, enabling collaborative learning experiences.

E-Learning Tools

• Social Networks: cutting-edge tools which enable users to create and share content/ virtual communities through smart devices.
• Social media platforms include virtual games, blogs, content communities like YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Their success and empowerment in education stem from interaction, participation, and synchronous/asynchronous options.

Learning Management Systems

• These are integrated software packages to manage, follow up on, and evaluate educational activities. Essential for communication between parties achieves educational tasks:
  • Managing admission and registration.
  • Creating educational content and virtual classrooms.
  • Managing assignments and tests.
  • Following up on the teacher.
• Open Source E-Learning
  • Moodle: An LMS created in 2001.
    • Characterized by flexibility, it allows learners to create web pages which supports 45 languages, including Arabic.
    • Used by thousands of institutions globally.
  • Dokeos: Learning management system (LMS) which supports 34 languages, that promotes cooperation.
    • Enables educational content creation and interactive exercises
    • Used by thousands of global educational institutions.
  • ATutor: can update and changes interfaces and supports 30 languages
• Commercial E-Learning Systems:
  • For-profit systems require a license.
    • WebCT: Provides an easy-to-use LMS environment with tools for e-course preparation to learning moments.
    • Blackboard: LMS that simulates traditional learning for quality education.
    • Flexibility allows to expand, used by thousands of international universities.
    • Tadarus: Developed by Har Information Technology in Arabic for Saudi universities.
    • Majd: Built in Arabic which enables managing work in the virtual classroom.
    • Jsoor: Provides educational content management.

Instructional Platforms

• Are dedicated programs for e-learning on smart devices and are characterized by discovery and playing techniques in education.
• Examples of Instructional Platforms include: MIT Platform, Edx Platform, Edraak Platform & Rwaq Platform.

Quality Standards of E-Learning

• Depend on conformance with international quality standards, requiring:
  • Direct and indirect communication media.
  • Cooperation in learning process and Provision of exams/tests for evaluation.
  • Adaptation based on the learners needs.
  • Good digital content-content and design.
  • Employing discovery and playing techniques.
  • Learning sites that enable search.
  • Integration of platforms so videos can be shared on Google Drive for learners through electronic cloud services.

Google Drive

• A free file storage by Google Inc. offers upgraded storage for paying monthly fees.
• Used to store and share files in the cloud, one of the safest cloud storage services.
• Sync files between user devices.
• Files are protected from loss or damage with back up in secure storage.
• Allows access via desktop, laptop, or mobile device and account holders can share files and collaborate.