Advantages and Disadvantages of eLearning

There are many advantages to online and computer-based learning when compared to
traditional face-to-face courses and lectures. There are a few disadvantages as well.

Advantages of online or computer-based learning

 Class work can be scheduled around work and family

 Reduces travel time and travel costs for off-campus students
 Students may have the option to select learning materials that meets their level
of knowledge and interest
 Students can study anywhere they have access to a computer and Internet
connection
 Self-paced learning modules allow students to work at their own pace
 Flexibility to join discussions in the bulletin board threaded discussion areas at
any hour, or visit with classmates and instructors remotely in chat rooms
 Instructors and students both report eLearning fosters more interaction among
students and instructors than in large lecture courses
 eLearning can accommodate different learning styles and facilitate learning
through a variety of activities
 Develops knowledge of the Internet and computers skills that will help learners
throughout their lives and careers
 Successfully completing online or computer-based courses builds self-
knowledge and self-confidence and encourages students to take responsibility
for their learning
 Learners can test out of or skim over materials already mastered and
concentrate efforts in mastering areas containing new information and/or skills

Disadvantages of online or computer-based learning

 Learners with low motivation or bad study habits may fall behind
 Without the routine structures of a traditional class, students may get lost or
confused about course activities and deadlines
 Students may feel isolated from the instructor and classmates
 Instructor may not always be available when students are studying or need help
 Slow Internet connections or older computers may make accessing course
materials frustrating
 Managing computer files and online learning software can sometimes seem
complex for students with beginner-level computer skills
 Hands-on or lab work is difficult to simulate in a virtual classroom
www.dso.iastate.edu/asc/academic/elearner/advantage.html - 11k - S

Disadvantages of eLearning
Potential drawbacks are that elearning can be:

 Technology dependent: learners will need access to a machine of minimum specification as

dictated by the elearning supplier or access to a service with a high bandwidth to transfer the
course materials in a timely way.
 Material Incompatibility: some materials designed for one particular system will not function
properly on another (for example, the Apple Macintosh and the Windows PC). Standards will help in
the area.
 Unsuitable for Certain Types of Training: any skill that relies heavily on inter-personal contact
although these courses could be supplemented by elearning.
 Unsuitable for Certain Types of Learners: elearning requires a high-level of self-discipline and
personal time management. eLearners need to be highly self-motivated to take full advantage of
the medium as often the online learning experience can be impersonal. Working through 'packaged'
programmes can be irritating.
 Reliant of the Quality of the Content: it is too easy for some institutions to defer the
photocopying costs onto the learner by placing all lecture notes and course handouts online. Such
practices often mean that the course materials are in an inappropriate format for online learning.
Course providers need to develop new technical skills and course design skills to suit the new
medium.
 Expensive: start-up cost of an elearning service is expensive and the cost of production of online
training materials is very high. Teachers must be confident that the extra costs are balance with the
benefits of delivering a course online. Significant time needs to be invested in course set-up and in
ongoing maintenance (checking links, updating course content etc.).
 Reliant on Human Support: elearning is still dependent on help on either the course materials or
the software.
 Social/economic disadvantage: can limit or prevent access by some student groups (for
example, cost of equipment, online access and printing).
 No Match for Face-to-Face Teaching: Electronic communication does not necessarily provide a
good match for face-to-face communication and is more linear than face-to-face discussion.
 Too Reliant on IT Skills: learners may have limited IT skills, or be uncomfortable with electronic
communication and need to learn how to use the medium effectively.
 Disabilities: Students with visual or physical impairments may be disadvantaged.
 Inflexible: Flexibility may be lost as adjustments to the course in response to student reaction are
not easy to make once the course is underway.
 Pedagogically Unsound: The electronic environment does not per se offer a pedagogically
enhancing learning environment.

http://www.le.ac.uk/users/rjm1/etutor/elearning/disadvofelearning.html

5 Disadvantages of E-Learning
by DO N GE OR GEV IC H on 3:30 PM 2012
Another disadvantage with the ELearning process is that although you can get a degree from them you can’t get them from
anyone else with their credits. Many schools don’t take transfer credits from the different ELearning programs that are available,
because they don’t believe that the quality of education is the same through the online schools as it is from a traditional university.

You also don’t learn as much with E-Learning programs.

 Studies have shown that students that actually go to class, and are able to participate with other students and with hands on
projects learn a lot more. It is important to be able to work with other people and to get involved with lectures, so that you are able to
understand everything and take it in.

The time you are missing with your professors and students is disadvantages of E-Learning, and employers are going to take that
into consideration when they go to hire you. Employers are going to look at the disadvantages with ELearning, and it may prevent
you from getting the job that you want.

Another of the disadvantages of ELearning is that you don’t have any fun campus activities that you can participate in, like with a
traditional college experience, and there are no sports teams or clubs to join. Instead you just long onto your computer every day
and interact with others online if you have to.

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Being able to join other students who have similar interests as you do is a great way to enjoy life and learn, and you can do that with
ELearning. The benefits of a traditional college are many compared to an online school, and students are really missing out.

Companies want students that are coming out of college and have experience working with others around them, and hands on
experience with projects. They don’t want someone who sat in front of a computer screen for a year or so and got a degree.

They have no work history to bring with them to the interview, and this is another disadvantage of E- Learning. When you are
looking to develop a stable career and you want your time spent learning and continuing your education to mean something, take
the time to enroll at a traditional accredited university, they even have online classes that are available.

http://www.jobinterviewtools.com/blog/5-disadvantages-of-e-learning/

1. Cost
o Depending upon which school you attend, the cost of online education can be more than that of a traditional, in-person
program. This is often the result of a technology fee assessed to students enrolled in at least one online class.

Motivation and Discipline

o To be successful in online classes you must be able to motivate and discipline yourself to complete the work. Although your
instructor provides guidance and lessons in the topic of the course you are studying, you are responsible for taking the time
to access the resources they have made available and learning the material.
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Social Interaction
o Another disadvantage of online education is the lack of social interaction that occurs between students taking a course
together. While you may be discussing the class or various topics online through the discussion board or online chat room,
you don't have the opportunity to really speak to your classmates and get to know them.

Limited Campus Resources

o When attending a college in person to obtain a degree, you have access to many different campus departments and offices
where services and resources are available to you as a student. Although these same services are available to you as an online
student, you may find it harder to access them.

Communication
o Discussing topics you don't understand with your teacher is important to ensure that you don't get behind in the class.
Communication with an instructor in an online course can be more challenging than a traditional classroom. Rather than
simply catching the teacher after class to ask questions, you may need to contact the teacher through a series of emails or
 discuss your questions via the phone. Of course the latter requires you to be able to connect to the instructor at a specific
time.
Allison Dodge,

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/about_5443912_disadvantages-online-education.html#ixzz2Z8ESPYaT

Disadvantges of E-Learning

Next we look at the disadvantages of e-learning.

 One disadvantage of e-learning is that learners need to have access to a computer as well as the Internet. They also need to have computer
skills with programs such as word processing, Internet browsers, and e-mail. Without these skills and software it is not possible for the
student to succeed in e-learning. E-learners need to be very comfortable using a computer. Slow Internet connections or older computers
may make accessing course materials difficult. This may cause the learners to get frustrated and give u

Another disadvantage of e-learning is managing computer files and online learning software. For learners with beginner-level computer skills
it can sometimes seem complex to keep their computer files organized. Without good computer organizational skills learners may lose or
misplace reports causing them to be late in submitting assignments. Some of the students also may have trouble installing software that is
required for the class.

 E-learning also requires just as much time for attending class and completing assignments as any traditional classroom course. This means
that students have to be highly motivated and responsible because all the work they do is on their own. Learners with low motivation or bad
study habits may fall behind.

 Another disadvantage of e-learning is that without the routine structures of a traditional class, students may get lost or confused about course
activities and deadlines causing the student to fail or do poorly.

 Another disadvantage of e-learning is that students may feel isolated from the instructor. Instructions are not always available to help the
learner so learners need to have discipline to work independently without the instructor's assistance. E-learners also need to have good
writing and communication skills. When instructors and other learners aren't meeting face-to-face it is possible to misinterpret what was
meant.

http://peoplelearn.homestead.com/ELearning/Introduction/Disadvantages.html

1. INTRODUCTION

The education system provided via the Internet is being improved year after

year and has been enhancing along with the development and advance of Internet

technologies. The advance of e-learning has, to a great extent, been affected by the

development and application of wireless Internet.

* Full professor, Ph.D., Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia, mradovic@gmail.com

Conclusion Keegan, D. (2000) Distance training: taking stock at a time of change, Routledge Falmer,
London

The development of modern technologies, the Internet in particular, on the one

hand, and the changes in ways of managing, communication and work organization in

enterprises ,on the other hand, have in the recent years resulted in changes in the kinds
of knowledge and ways for its acquisition.

Having in mind that the Internet has found its way into daily life and use, both

in various domains of entertainment and business transactions, the use of the Internet in

the education sphere is naturally expected. Namely, in the sphere of education, the

Internet offers a global platform for information storage and its presentation in textual,

visual, graphical or any other form. It also serves as a means of synchronous and

asynchronous communication (Keegan, 2000).

Taking into consideration the above mentioned statements, it is logically

expected that online studies will grow in popularity, and that the network of virtual

faculties will keep spreading in the future. Further to this, Internet education will soon

become the dominant form of education worldwide, which is to reach its peak in a few

years.

At the same time, it is to be expected that the methods of work and

communication among students and professors will continue to improve and that

efforts will be made in increasing the quality of this kind of studying. The extent to

which a country will become part of the global educational Internet network, will, to a Advantages and
Disadvantages of e-Learning in Comparison to … 297

great degree, depend on the degree of utilization of new Internet technologies and the

level of popularization of this form of education. Namely, many world prestigious

faculties offering distance learning studies, engage famous people studying there as the

best promoters of this way of studying.

This form of studying still does not have a large number of advocates in

Serbia, since, in fact, there are no real Internet studies. In other words, Internet

education is even now considered as some form of correspondence studies. In addition,

many faculties yet lack the relevant software and accompanying equipment, as well as

adequately trained staff, which would use them in their work with students.
Furthermore, the development of Internet studies is still lagging behind in this

country, as it is still at the bottom of the ladder among countries in terms of Internet

users (about 20%). A factor further aggravating Internet studies development here is

the fact that people’s beliefs here change very slowly regarding any kind of novelty,

especially in education.

In compliance with this, most people cannot imagine a “classroom without

walls”, nor a completely different way of studying. For a large group of people, it is

unimaginable not to go to the faculty and not to attend lectures, as this would make it

impossible for them to feel as academic citizens.

The number of those among them, who are skeptical towards the quality of

thus acquired education, must also be high. As a result of this, although the Ministry of

Education has made provisions for Internet education in the Law of Education, it is still

in its infancy and has not received full media promotion.

This is why little is known about this area, which is approached with a certain

grain of salt and suspicion. In order to change the existing prejudice, it is necessary to

point out to the general public all the advantages of online education, so that both

future students and their prospective employers could get the real picture. In this way,

in times to come, this country as well could enlist among those who have developed a

new and very profitable branch of economy, by using a modern and flexible form of

education.

This does not mean that faculties with “classrooms without walls” will fully

replace traditional faculties. They will continue to exist and to attract those students

who prefer classical learning models, yet they will also have to change in accordance

with the needs and requirements of contemporary education. In keeping with this, it

may be concluded that virtual faculties and their expansion will have positive
consequences and impact on innovating traditional faculties work as well.

It may reasonably be expected that in addition to high profits earned by

faculties, students will be the ones to enjoy highest gain as they will get the education

to their order and needs, as well as suited to the requirements of their future job

positions. This is further corroborated with the fact that more and more employers do

not distinguish between those students who have graduated from Internet schools and

those who have graduated from other schools in their recruitment decisions.

Annals of the University of Petroşani, Economics, 10(2), 2010, 289-298 289

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF E-LEARNING

IN COMPARISON TO TRADITIONAL FORMS OF

LEARNING

MIRJANA RADOVIĆ-MARKOVIĆ