Chapter 1

E-Learning: Promise and Pitfalls

E-Learning: Promise and Pitfalls
1. Definition of E-Learning
2. E-Learning Development Process
3. Two Types of E-Learning Goals: Inform
and Perform
4. Is E-Learning Better?
E-Learning: Promise and Pitfalls
(cont.)
5. What Makes e-Learning Unique
6. e-Learning: The Pitfalls
7. What is Good e-Courseware?
8. Three types of e-Learning
9. e-Learning to Support Human Learning
Processes
 1- Definition of E-Learning
What Is e-Learning?
– We define e-learning as instruction/training
delivered on a computer by way of CD-ROM,
Internet, or intranet with the following
features:
1. Includes content relevant to the learning objective
2. Uses instructional methods such as examples and
practice to help learning
3. Uses media elements such as words and pictures to
deliver the content and methods
What Is e-Learning? (cont.)
4. May be instructor-led (synchronous e-
learning) or designed for selfpaced
individual study (asynchronous e-learning)
5. Builds new knowledge and skills linked to
individual learning goals or to improved
organizational performance
6. As you can see, this definition has several
elements concerning the what
 1- Definition of E-Learning (cont.)
How. e-Learning courses are delivered via
computer using words in the form of spoken or
printed text and pictures, such as illustrations,
photos, animation, or video. Some forms of E-
learning (asynchronous) are designed for
individual self-study. New E-learning formats
called virtual classrooms or synchronous E-
learning are designed for real-time instructor-led
training. Both formats may support asynchronous
collaboration with others through tools such as
wikis, discussion boards, and email.
 1- Definition of E-Learning (cont.)
Why. e-Learning courses are intended to help
learners reach personal learning objectives or
perform their jobs in ways that improve the
bottom-line goals of the organization.

As far as we concern, the goal of e-learning is

to build job transferable knowledge and skills
linked to organizational performance or to help
individuals achieve personal learning goals.
Self-Study Vs. Virtual
Classroom E-Learning
 Self-Study Vs. Virtual
Classroom E-Learning (cont.)
 Self-Study Vs. Virtual Classroom
E-Learning (cont.)
⚫ Asynchronous e-Learning: Digitized instructional
resources intended for self-study. Learners can access
training resources at any place at their own time and
pace.
⚫ Synchronous e-Learning: Electronic delivery of
instructor-led training available to geographically
dispersed learners at the same time.

Please note that Synchronous sessions can be recorded and

accessed for asynchronous review after the event. Also
called virtual classrooms.
2- E-Learning Development Process
 performance analysis
⚫ All e-learning projects should begin with
a performance analysis to determine that
– training will help realize important
organizational goals by filling a gap in
worker knowledge and skills related to
operational outcomes and
– e-learning is the best delivery solution.
 E-Learning Content
⚫ Following the performance analysis, a team
begins by defining the content needed to
perform the job or achieve the educational
objective.
⚫ The e-learning development team observes
and interviews people who are expert at a job
to define the job skills and knowledge.
⚫ Based on either the job or content analysis,
the team categorizes the content of an e-
lesson into facts, concepts, processes,
procedures, and strategic guidelines.
E-Learning Content (cont.)
 E-Learning Content (cont.)
⚫ For example, the screen above about
asynchronous e-learning is designed to teach
use of formulas with Excel. The content being
illustrated is a procedure: how to enter a
formula into the spreadsheet.
⚫ At the completion of the job or content
analysis, the design team will create a course
blueprint that includes lesson outlines and
learning objectives. The blueprint will serve as
a model for the course development effort to
follow.
 Defining the Instructional
Methods and Media Elements
⚫ Instructional methods support the learning of
the content. Instructional methods include
techniques such as examples, practice
exercises, and feedback.
⚫ In our example screen shown in Figure 1.3, the
main instructional method is a demonstration.
Defining the Instructional Methods
and Media Elements (cont.)
⚫ We define media elements as the audio and
visual techniques used to present words and
illustrations. Media elements include text,
narration, music, still graphics, photographs,
and animation.
⚫ To be effective, instructional methods and the
media elements that deliver them must guide
learners to effectively process and assimilate
new knowledge and skills.
Defining the Instructional Methods
and Media Elements (cont.)
Your choice of delivery platform and
software can influence which instructional
methods and media elements can be included in
the courseware. For example, limitations in
bandwidth, no sound cards, or lack of headsets
may limit the use of some media elements such
as audio and video.
3-Two Types of e-Learning
Goals: Inform and Perform
 3-Two Types of e-Learning Goals:
Inform and Perform (cont.)
⚫ Inform programs: Lessons designed primarily
to communicate information rather than build
skills.
⚫ E.g. A new employee orientation that reviews
the company history and describes the company
organization. The information presented is job
relevant, but there are no specific expectations
of new skills to be obtained.
 3-Two Types of e-Learning Goals:
Inform and Perform (cont.)
⚫ In contrast, we classify programs designed to
build specific skills as perform programs. E.g.
lessons on software use, designing a database,
or evaluating a bank loan applicant.
⚫ Many e-courses contain both inform and
perform learning objectives, while some are
designed for inform only or perform only.
3-Two Types of e-Learning Goals:
Inform and Perform (cont.)
We distinguish between two types of perform
goals: (1) procedural, also known as near transfer,
and (2) principle-based or strategic, also known as
far transfer. Procedural lessons such as the Excel
examples in Figures above are designed to teach
step-by-step tasks, which are performed more or
less the same way each time.
3-Two Types of e-Learning Goals:
Inform and Perform (cont.)
Principle-based lessons, also called far transfer,
are designed to teach task strategies that do not
have one correct approach or outcome. Thus the
situations presented in the training may not be
exactly the same as the situations that occur on the
job.
 4-Is e-Learning Better?
Research results indicated that learning in an
online environment can be as effective as that in
traditional classrooms. Second, students’ learning in
the online environment is affected by the quality of
online instruction. Not surprisingly, students in well
designed and well- implemented online courses
learned significantly more, and more effectively,
than those in online courses where teaching and
learning activities were not carefully planned and
where the delivery and accessibility were impeded
by technology problems.
5-What Makes e-Learning Unique?
Four potentially valuable instructional methods
unique to e-learning are:
1. Practice with Feedback
2. Social Software and Collaboration
3. Tailored Instruction
4. Simulations and Games
 Practice with Feedback
In the Excel courses illustrated the learner has
opportunities to practice the steps to input a formula
into the spreadsheet. The asynchronous course
includes a simulation that directs learners to
construct and enter the correct formula to achieve an
assigned calculation. If an incorrect formula is used,
the program gives automated feedback telling the
learner his or her answer is wrong, providing a hint
and asking the learner to try again. Prior to this
hands-on practice, the learners have seen an
animated, narrated demonstration of the steps
required to input a formula.
Social Software and Collaboration

In both virtual classrooms and asynchronous e-

learning, learners can collaborate at independent
times by email and discussion boards. With the
emergence of synchronous e-learning as well as
social software such as facebook, we anticipate a
growing trend in leveraging collaborative tools for
learning.
 Tailored Instruction
⚫ e-Learning is the only technology-based delivery
vehicle that can make ongoing dynamic
adjustments to the instructional path based on
learners’ responses. For example, if the learner
makes errors on a practice problem of
intermediate complexity, the program can offer
either an easier problem or a similar problem
accompanied by increased instructional help.
 Tailored Instruction (cont.)
⚫ This tailoring of instruction based on
learning progress is called adaptive
instruction. Adaptive instruction can be
implemented in asynchronous e-learning
and is most beneficial when training time
and costs can be saved by tailoring lessons
to individual requirements.
 Simulations and Games
⚫ Present virtual models of an environment and
let students take part in virtual experiences.
Provide safe way to experience reality
⚫ Examples include flying an airplane or
conducting a chemical experiment
⚫ Simulations offer the student opportunities to
interact with the content and to participate in
discovery learning.
 Educational games
⚫ Present or review educational content in
a game format which can adds an
element of interest and entertainment
⚫ Some controversy exists; some educators
see value in the excitement and active
learning a gaming environment present
and others believe that the games detract
from the joy of learning.
 6- E-Learning: The Pitfalls
Despite these impressive capabilities of
computer-delivered instruction, we see two
common barriers to the realization of the potential
of online learning.
1. losing sight of the job, leading to transfer
failure, and
2. media abuse, leading to over or under use of
technology in ways that defeat learning.
Pitfall One: Losing Sight of the Job
There is no one set of skills that support
expertise across the diverse contemporary
workforce. Whether planning for near- or far-
transfer learning, a detailed job and task analysis
is a prerequisite and a labor-intensive process. e-
Lessons that bypass the job analysis process run
the risk of presenting knowledge and techniques
out of context.
 Pitfall Two: Media Abuse
Sometimes “technophiles” use all of the
technology features available to them and in so
doing overload learners’ processing capabilities.
For example, they may decide to include audio in
the form of music and narration, on-screen text,
and animated visuals in an online simulation. As
you will read in Chapter 2 , humans have limited
capacity to absorb information and over-
enthusiastic use of software features can depress
learning. In contrast, “technostics” tend to ignore
media capabilities.
Pitfall Two: Media Abuse (cont.)
For example, books may be transferred to screens,
resulting in page turner e-learning. Alternatively,
face-to-face classrooms may be converted to virtual
classrooms with no modifications to take advantages
of the features of the technology. Unlike face-to-face
events, however, in e-learning classes, the learner can
easily minimize the application or exit the session to
engage in more productive or motivating activities. In
this book we advocate a balance between the
technophile and technostic approaches in which you
apply research evidence on how to use technology
features in ways that promote learning.
 7- What does good courseware
look like?
We will answer this question when we provide
recommendations based on the goal of your
training, (i.e. inform or perform goals as above)
the prior knowledge of your learners, (i.e.
haracteristics of the learners and their styles) the
environment in which you will deploy your
training, such as platform, s/w, h/w, N/T and the
instructional architectures you use in your e-
learning lessons.
What does good courseware
look like? (cont.)
 What does good courseware
look like? (cont.)
⚫ The interactivity of the lessons makes the
distinguishing among the architectures
⚫ For learning to occur in the Receptive type, the
learner has to initiate mental processing of the
information themselves since no external
processing opportunities included.
 What does good courseware
look like? (cont.)
⚫ However, the Directive type incorporate highly
structured practice opportunities such as, a
step by step sequence of explanation-example-
question-feedback are followed. The Excel
lessons shown in figures above apply the this
type.
 What does good courseware
look like? (cont.)
⚫ Guided Discovery type of e-learning,
includes simulation and games in which
the learner is constantly engaged by
clicking on various on-screen objects that
provide data or activities related to the
lesson to be learned.
 Learning in e-Learning
⚫ The challenge in e-learning, is to build lessons
and choose instructional methods in ways that
are compatible with human learning processes.
⚫ The computer technology side of e-learning is
upgraded weekly, the human side of the
equation—the neurological infrastructure
underlying the learning process— is very old
and designed for change only over
evolutionary time spans.
Learning in e-Learning (cont.)
⚫ We will take a look at the human
learning system and the process involved
in building new knowledge and skills.
Then we will try to fill the gap by
summarizing research-based answers to
questions that multimedia producers and
consumers ask about what to look for in
effective e-learning.
 8- Three types of e-Learning
1. Receptive: Information Acquisition (Inform Goals)
– Lots of information, limited practice opportunities
– “Show and Tell” software
2. Directive: Response Strengthening (Perform-
Procedure Goals)
– Asks frequent responses from learners with immediate
feedback
– “Show and Do” software
3. Guided Discovery: Knowledge Construction
(Perform-Principle Goals)
– Provide job-realistic problems and supporting resources
– Effective for FAR transfer performance goals
 9- E-Learning to Support Human
Learning Processes
1. Build lessons compatible with human learning
processes
2. The neurological infrastructure underlying the
learning process is old and designed for change
only over evolutionary time spans
3. Technology can easily deliver more sensory data
than the human nervous system can process
4. When audio and visual elements interfere with
cognition, learning will be depressed.