Pros & Cons from the Students Perspective toward E-Learning in Malaysian Universities

E-learning can be simply described as a learning process in which students can communicate with their lecturers and peers, and access learning materials, over Internet or other computer network. This indirectly become a strategy movement and a key challenges for universities. As for UTAR, we have our very own Web Based Learning Environment (WBLE)

Those universities whose imply e-learning strategies, oftenly try to accommodate growing student enrollment, sustain academic diversity and gain a competitive advantage. However, now we going to look from the student perspective toward pros and cons of E-Learning in our local universities.

Pros:-

1. Learning is a process of self-paced and self-directed. This give a chance for students either to speed up or slow down during studying. This enable a student to keep in path in between learning and understanding the material in the same time. E-learning also allows students to choose content and tools appropriate to their differing interests, needs, and skill levels. It;s student centered, we even can skip the subject we already know and focus the topic which we are interested.
   
   
2. Eliminates the geographical, opens a broader education options. With E-Learning, every morning they just need to activate their computers and Internet and carry on their studies as like we going to class. It also reduced or eliminated travel time and associated costs (parking, fuel, vehicle maintenance). This definely a good news for students who have financial problems or poor family background.
   
   
3. 24/7 accessibility makes scheduling easy and this become one of the most favourable for students choosing E-Learning. Students are unbound by time, which mean they can choose whatever their free time to learn the course. They can adjust their schedule which fix them. For those part time labor/students, this will bring a lot of convenience to them to balance their work-life.
   

Cons:-

1. Uncomfortable for those who lack confidence in their technology skills and believe that e-learning will lead to more work. Students from poor family background may have not chances yet to own a personal computer and learn those technology skills.
   
   
2. Face-to-face communication/meeting is threatened. Can you imagine a bunch of students keep nudging the lecturers /tutors to solve their questions and doubts? The lecturers/tutors might just forget or skipped over you during the Q&A session.
   
   Nevertheless, the main problem for E-Learning in Malaysian universities:-

1. Lack of technology support. The challenges associated with providing e-learning support more oftenly are associated with lack of knowledge than with testing the limits of availability. Lack of knowledge about course design and technology in general are cited , especially one where the system crashes can still be a problem. A low(or lousy) broadband speed also might affect the quality of E-learning. No one like to see their lecturer lagging in front of LCD screen right? (Even Millionnaire Donald Trumph said so :P)
   
   
2. Plays an increasing role in higher education as the line between face-to-face learning and e-learning continues to blur. However, i hope that our country's leaders will try to improve our facilities, technologies standard, educational level so that E-Learning only can be a truely have a big influence in education terrority.
   

Useful Links:-

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERB0316.pdf

http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=cshe