Session 5 (eFacilitation): Opportunities and Challenges in e-Learning in Developing Countries Context

The first of three e-facilitation was carried out by team Downes in Week 10. E-learning has further strengthened the notation of student centered learning approach as has been the journey so far in the PGCTT programme. Not only related to formal education, e-learning also takes place when people have access to information related to their work or out of interest such as watching programming videos to create an own Android app. As with any learning and teaching (L&T) tool, it has its own set of opportunities and challenges, some of which are discussed below with respect to e-learning. 

Opportunities

1. All material is available online. Students can read, revise and revisit lectures and notes at their own pace. They can also post comments seeking clarification which can be addressed by teachers and peers. In other words, students are not confined to a particular style of teaching which is often the case in face to face courses. 
2. Related to the first point, student have control over their own learning. This would build self confidence in their abilities to solve problems and be take responsibility of their learning. 
3. Learning activities and assessment receive constant feedback from teachers and facilitators. This allows students to constantly revise and reassess their work and continuously improve throughout the course. This also encourages active student participation
4.  Students and teachers alike build on their technological skills. Students on their own may explore other online technological tools to assist in their learning as well as several mobile apps. 
5. Students would interact each other alot more online without having to meet a designated venue to complete assignments and projects. 

Challenges 

1. In Pacific Island Countries, connectivity continues to be a major hindrance to online learning. Least developed states have limited ICT infrastructure and bandwidth capacity to support regular and stable internet connectivity. This could result in students missing out on online resources that support their learning activity
2. Time management and self motivation can be major distractions. Online L&T may require certain hours per day to be dedicated which if not managed well may be stressful for students. It is very easy to get distracted online while binge watching videos, social networking and can become addictive if not managed well. 
3. In the Pacific context, not all secondary level education include ICT system curriculum which could be a major challenge at tertiary level.  

Session 4 (week 7 & 8) eLearning Practices in Higher Education

Session 3 introduced and examined e-learning trends in H.E., the focus now is on e-learning practices. The traditional learning environment consisted of classroom teaching with focus on the subject matter and subsequent assessment. However, the changing landscape of H.E. as well as the shift towards student centered learning has brought about the need for virtual learning environment. Few pointers to consider when working on Learning Environment Design (LED) include: 

• Who is the intended learner?
• What is the learning goal?
• What technology or other resources will be implemented into the environment, and how do we use them effectively to achieve the learning goal?
• What should the role of the teacher be in this environment? (Teacher as expert? Facilitator? Moderator?)
• What is the role of the learner? (Solo? Collaborator? Peer teacher?)
• How do we keep the learner motivated and engaged in this environment?
• How can we tell that learning occurred?

Keeping the above in perspective I was able to design my microLED given below that can also be found on Youtube. 

For the e-learning case study, Team Jonassen has chosen the topic ' Evaluation of learning and teaching technologies at U.S.P. Each member is focusing on a specific technology used in L&T and my research would be be on Mahara e-portfolio. Most importantly, the individual paper would focus on the history, and the impact of the technology on teaching and research at U.S.P. The paper is currently a work in progress, do make sure to visit my blog for further updates.