The Concept of Electronic Learning, Its Advantages and Disadvantages

Therefore, information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about a civilizational transformation in our present world, and it has become distant soon, no matter how great the distances between them because it has made the world like a small village. There are no time barriers or spatial barriers in it, and this development has extended to the education system to provide advanced educational techniques and methods, overcoming the obstacles and challenges that stand in the way of human learning, and we have e-learning.

The concept of electronic learning:

It is one of the methods of education in which information is provided through electronic means, such as the Internet, modern means of communication and multimedia, and it is often dependent on the presence of computers or mobile phones. Information can reach anytime and anywhere, and the individual feels the existence of an educational environment through the display of texts, videos, animations, and audio clips, so the educational environment is very rich and attractive at the same time.

E-learning is one of the methods of self-learning because the learner is able to receive and follow up information according to their ability and energy as well as their previous information and experience. Also,  the e-learning method supports the traditional educational process.

Justification for using E-learning:

There are several points that have made it normal to use e-learning nowadays in order to continue the education process, including the following:

1. The existence of a huge amount of information, knowledge, advanced theories, and modern scientific experiences, which may not be available in the traditional curricula.
2. The development of information and communication technologies and their access to all aspects of life.
3. The presence of large numbers of students and their lack of absorptive capacity as a result of the huge increase in the population; therefore, e-learning is a solution to this problem.

Types of e-learning:

There are three types of e-learning:

1. Simultaneous E-Learning:

In this type of e-learning, the teacher and students are together online at the same time through a visual communication between them or a voice communication, called a voice conference, or through instant messaging between them. This provides the opportunity for communication and cooperation between students, and it also enables the teacher to monitor their students and know their abilities to some extent. One student may need more information than others. The teacher can allocate to each student what they want to teach.

In this method, the teacher can record the lectures and play them later, and review the information and know the required activities, but this type of e-learning has the negative aspect of adhering to the lectures time. If the learner is committed to a work, they cannot follow this method of education.

2. Asynchronous E-Learning:

This type of e-learning does not require the learner to be with the teacher at the same time, and does not require adhering to a specific date for lessons. Rather, the lesson can be obtained at a time that suits the learner and according to the effort they wish to provide, and can at any time return to the lesson and re-study as needed because the lectures are on CDs or on dedicated websites that are accessed through the Internet. It is also possible to interact between the teacher and the learners through message boards, bulletin boards, or through chat forums.

3. Integrated education:

This type of e-learning combines the two previous synchronous and asynchronous types. The teacher can interact with the learners via the Internet at the same time that lessons or training courses are given, as it happens with synchronous e-learning. After the end of the lesson time, it is transferred to CDs that enable the learner to use them later and separately from the teacher to resemble asynchronous e-learning.

Features of E-Learning:

One of the most important features that made many follow this method of education is the following:

1. Save time:

Through e-learning, learners can learn from anywhere. They do not have to leave their homes and go to a specific place to receive lessons, or they can also continue from their workplace. This saves a lot of time, and this also applies to the teacher. Through e-learning, the individual does not have to worry about the availability of transportation and the traffic crisis that sometimes prevents students from reaching the lectures on time.

2. Save money:

E-learning is characterized by being financially inexpensive; the student does not need expenses related to transportation or traveling to the university's location and providing a place to live in, and also reduces the costs of buying textbooks and papers necessary for study. This type of education saves specialized universities the costs of establishing a university; it is nowadays possible to establish a virtual university without establishing a building dedicated to it.

3. Flexibility in education:

This method allows the individual to choose the right time for them to get lessons and the means they prefer to learn, such as choosing audio conferencing or visual communication. This point is not available in the traditional method of teaching.

4. E-learning content designed with great effectiveness:

The methods used make it easier for students to take lessons. Teaching methods such as videos are more attractive than the traditional teaching process, and remembering information is easier for them, which makes the benefit of education greater.

5. Stay away from mistakes that may exist in traditional education:

The result of each teacher following a method that specializes in education, which may not be free from mistakes, but e-learning provides continuity and stability in the education process, as this system is consistent in teaching, and the student can follow it all the time.

6. The possibility of repeating lessons:

The learner can repeat the lesson over and over again if they have difficulty understanding the first time they explain, and then are able tointernalize the information in their mind.

7. Speed in obtaining the certificate:

E-learning is at least 50% faster than traditional education because the learner does not have to study all the subjects in the curriculum. They can skip the materials they know and focus on the ones where they need more training.

8. Solving the problem of the shortage of teachers:

The problem of lack of teachers usually faces the traditional educational process, but in an e-learning way, one teacher can give lessons to hundreds of students.

9. Strengthening the idea of self-education:

Because it helps the learner gain experience and information on their own, it strengthens the idea of self-reliance in learning.

10. The employee is able to advance in their job:

Some individuals stop completing their education as a result of certain personal circumstances, but the education train is not missed. One can complete their education while continuing to work even after the passage of years, and then they can rise to the job they dream of or get the job they want.

Disadvantages of E-Learning:

Despite the many positives of e-learning, it has negative aspects that reduce its effectiveness to some extent, and we mention the following:

1. The absence of direct interaction between the teacher and the learners. This leads to the absence of dialogue because e-learning focuses on the cognitive aspect only; therefore, the recipient cannot learn the methods of asking questions and etiquette of discussion, such as listening, respecting the other party, and ensuring that appropriate terminology is selected. All these points can be learned as a result of the dialogue with the teacher; that is, it can be said that e-learning affects the student's logical intelligence, unlike the traditional educational method in which dialogue and discussion can take place and ask about everything that comes into the recipient's mind.
2. E-learning needs the ability to express opinions and ideas exclusively in writing, but many students have difficulty explaining their ideas in writing and prefer to express them orally. This method of expression may be possible in traditional learning, but not in e-learning.
3. The decline of communication between the learner and others, as the individual becomes isolated and prefers to sit alone, and then their social life declines. E-learning is similar to television at this point; This is because scientific studies say that the prolonged use of television or games using electronic devices leads to isolation from others, and then must be used cautiously.
4. E-learning needs a computer and the Internet, and they may have to use the camera also to make visual communication and communicate with the teacher, and then there is a defect in one of these things that leads to the disruption of the continuation of the education process, and many Internet problems in our time So, if there is no fixed connection to the Internet, the method of simultaneous e-learning cannot be followed.
5. Lack of sense of seriousness and commitment that the student usually feels when learning in the traditional way; there is more follow-up by teachers, and keen on the student's commitment to doing homework and applying practical experiences.
6. Difficulty in evaluation and in developing its criteria. In e-learning, the student cannot explain the answer in the way they want. Rather, the question asked in the evaluation must be answered in the program only, and the validity of the answer cannot be discussed. Thus, e-learning reduces the level of innovation and creativity of the student.
7. Weak motivation toward learning as a result of boredom from sitting in front of the computer screen, especially if the person is socially educated, and is not accustomed to sitting long or using the computer frequently. Also, the studied material may be boring as a result of not using an attractive method of explanation, such as audio or video clips that usually attract the student, as all these reasons lead to the failure to complete learning in the e-learning method.
8. E-learning may not be able to teach all scientific subjects or communicate accurate ideas effectively because some scientific ideas need to be applied by the student with their hands to be able to understand them well, such as experiments in the sciences of physics or chemistry.

In conclusion:

The great virtue of e-learning cannot be denied in receiving the huge and increasing daily numbers of undergraduate and postgraduate students, freeing them from the restrictions of time and space, and providing the required information and renewed scientific theories in an attractive and distinctive manner and in an effective way away from the complexities in the traditional educational process.