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INTRODUCTION:

Online learning has experienced an early adoption across all sectors of education within Australia. It has not been unusual for the younger generation to embrace the use of technologies for the seeking of information, engaging in interactive and networked learning, and enhancing communication. When you learn you are in the process of acquiring skill or knowledge. Online learning simply describes the way you access this, where learning content is delivered via the internet and other new media technologies such as MP3s, PDAs and iPods. E-learning involves the use of a computer or electronic device (e.g. mobile phone) in some way to provide training, educational or learning materials. This growing technology in teaching and learning is now used by educational institutions in many countries to enable millions of people of all ages and backgrounds to have easy access to knowledge and to teachers E-learning, online training and online learning have been used interchangeably in discussion, definition and presentation.. The delivery of a learning, training or education

program by electronic means learning is the core activity and there is a paradigm shift from the traditional ways of teaching and learning to incorporate interaction. For example students view lectures, partake in discussions, have one-on-one tutorials with their teacher, perform group work, submit assignments, and take exams, all online. Among the many advantages of open distance learning include having the liberty of taking the classroom with you and access it when you want, so it fits around your schedule, should you be in the train on the way to work, having a break in the office or maybe waiting for friends, you are capable of reading up with any gadget that you may have with you. Some people say that they get more out of online learning because they find that there is richer class discussion. In a lecture theatre the shy, less confident students tend not to contribute to class discussion but this doesnt have to be the case when you are online, you have time to think about a meaningful contribution and therefore you are more confident about sharing your views. You also end up talking with more people because it is easier to approach people online. Some classes allocate marks according to your individual contributions because this is seen as important for your overall understanding of the subject. Another reason people prefer online learning is that you can absorb information at your own pace and be more thorough about engaging in the learning content. For example when youre in a lecture hall, if you miss what the lecturer said, its gone forever. However, online students can rewind over lectures, or research points that the lecturer has made before moving

on to their next point. Learning materials can be developed for different learning styles. E.g. a lecturer can provide both visual representation of an idea he is trying to convey along with actually describing it, to satisfy both visual and auditory learners. Because its easier to interact with people online you end up speaking with more students and making more friendships at a deeper level. Also, there is a good chance of meeting with them down the line at a class reunion, or you might be able to organise an informal meet-up with your local classmates. Distance learning also proves to be an advantage because students can be located anywhere, you will most probably be studying with people from different states or countries. This means that you will encounter a rich diversity of views held by people from completely different walks of life.

Dissemination of knowledge and education through the Web has democratized opportunities for learning. Online classes provide students with opportunities to take classes while working around their schedules. Classes are usually done on the students own time through message boards and online classrooms. They allow each student to answer class questions and do assignments on their own time. The student is given deadlines to get assignments done but they can be done within a certain time frame. Although the online learning can sounds easy as it is, there are certain problems continue to affect the dissemination of online courses and their fast-paced adoption. The convenience of online learning can be restrictive for learners who have trouble adapting to the style of distance education. Learners in an online class setting may encounter problems comprehending material in a written format, struggle with the lack of face-to-face interaction with peers, and experience technical problems accessing the Internet or utilizing the software necessary to complete the course.

CHALLENGES IN DISTANCE LEARNING: Learners struggle with self-discipline, interpersonal skills or technical proficiencies as well as feel overwhelmed when studying alone instead of in a classroom with peers and tutor. Many faculties experience problems such as lack of staff training in course development and technology, lack of support for distance learning in general and inadequate faculty selection for distance learning courses. Sometimes the coursework for traditional and distance students is the same but often it is not. There can also be a lot of up front effort in designing distance learning material, as well as the attitude of the student in whole.

a) TEACHER/LECTURERS COMPETENCY IN TECHNOLOGY: There is a lot of up front effort in designing distance learning material. This can impose a burden on teachers who already have material for traditional classrooms as well as teachers who were trained old school. Teachers may lack the basic skills or hardware to fully participate in distance education. They are not confident themselves to handle electrical items, much less teach with them. Teachers must know how to the use these technologies if they are to teach distance courses. They must meet the needs of distance students without face-to-face contact. Since the majority of distance learners are adults, teachers may need to change their teaching style. This may be challenging for teachers who are used to teaching with 18 to 22-year-olds.

b) A LANGUAGE BARRIER: Most of the online learning contents are being developed for a US or UK audience, hence the language and the accent is in American or British English. Mostly, the language proficiency is one of the common barriers faced by the learners in this online learning environment. It is the most restricting condition for the learners where it affects their participation and communication in course discussions. Usually, the non-native speakers of English are not very confident about their English proficiency and tend to spend considerably more time than their English-speaking peers reading and composing messages in the course forums. They prefer to read other learners postings first rather than initiate a message about the assigned readings. Some learners chose to have language checkers to check their drafts before they post their messages on the online forum. On the other hand, the slow reader, prefer to save time by reading short postings posted in the discussion forum first and to read

longer ones when they have time later. This language barrier has a major impact on the educational performance of the online learners.

c) COMPUTER LITERACY AND UNRELIABLE TECHNOLOGY:

The competency of a student is another significant barrier to the online learning. Nowadays, learners who enrol for distance learning programmes are in the age range from 18 years old right up to late 60s and 70s. It is a good thing that senior citizens do participate in acquiring their diploma, degree, MBA or PHD via distance learning programmes where during the 19th and 20th centuries, the distance learning was not exist yet to provide them opportunities to further their studies in between of their tight schedule of the working life. However, the problem now is the online learners in these range are not computer-friendly and this will affect their online participation in the environment of online learning have restrictions due to the lack of computer knowledge and competency. Lacking of these most important skills will also have a major impact on the educational performance of the online learners.

Online learning like any other technology can be both a friend and an enemy, with both good and bad effects. This has been supported well by Winner, 1977 statement; Technology is a tool that is autonomous, neutral (neither good nor evil), and a means to an end. Basically, online learning is a technological tool for teaching and learning that enables the transfer of knowledge take place between learners and tutor who are different locations.Another biggest challenge faced by the distance learners in online learning are ad-hoc occurrence of technical glitches and other problems that crop up with access to the unreliable technologies. The most welldeveloped, robust and fool-proof technologies and tools are also susceptible to vulnerabilities such as power failure and sudden malfunctioning. Streaming and buffering of online learning sessions and even downloading of learning modules and tutorials can get be hindered by slow Internet download speeds. In distance learning, possible technology failures present a whole new list of problems beyond attending class. For example, a learner's Internet connection may fail at a critical moment, resulting in failure in meeting dateline for assignment submission. The server that hosts the online course information may crash unexpectedly, making all the required information unavailable at a time that it's sorely needed. These can be a very

frustrating and also contributes to the impact on the educational performance of the online learners.

d) STUDENT BEHAVIOR

Because the interaction between students and professors in online classes are done entirely via computer or phone, when the tutors are Webcast or streamed without the presence of live tutors or instructors, queries and doubts cannot be addressed in real time. Mentoring by professors and tutors tend to be restricted to online sessions, emails and limited phone calls. The engagement and collaboration for projects with fellow classmates in the real world are limited, if at all. An online learning environment also confines learners to their computers and they work in isolation. While there are virtual locations for students to communicate, such as classroom forums, the interaction is not face to face, which eliminates learners-tutors interactions. Since the instructions are all given through a virtual medium, learners may struggle to get a feel for the tutor's style and personality. Furthermore, decreased interaction with tutors and classmates in online learning environment is one of the most difficult obstacles for social and extroverted learners which have a major impact on the educational performance of the online learners. Online students may also suffer distractions in the learning environment related to a lack of support or understanding from family and friends, environmental factors such as noise, and a fear that coursework will disrupt family life. Students taking an online course may find it easy to be distracted by Web sites, computer games, cell phones and other types of technology within close reach of the computer.

Students often see an online learning environment as having the freedom to place other class' responsibilities ahead of the work they should be doing online. Students that study via distance learning must be more active and self-directed in this learning environment, says the Queensborough Community College. Additionally, activities in their personal life often take precedence over online work due to the lack of regular face-to-face contact with their instructor. Those seeking to enhance their skill sets and capabilities through online learning grapple with issues such as selfdirection, time-management and self-motivation, work life, family commitments and

other professional activities. Balancing these issues with regular online classes, assignments, tests and exams can be quite challenging. In a traditional classroom setting, students draw inspiration and motivation from their tutor, who nudges his or her students to keep up with assignments. Some students find it difficult to maintain focus and motivation when they do not see their tutors every week for reminders and support. Lacking of these most important skills will also impact on the educational performance of the online learners.

HOW DO WE OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES?

A) TEACHER/LECTURERS COMPETENCY IN TECHNOLOGY:

Obtaining proper equipment and training is critical in teacher acceptance of distance learning. Teachers with enthusiasm for this non-traditional coursework are best suited to teach them. One way to mitigate these potentially serious problems is by selecting teachers who are relatively senior people, good teachers, like the idea of distance learning and want to participate in it. Interest and motivation are not success factors reserved only for the student. Faculties who want to teach distance courses are certainly more likely to be successful than faculty that are forced to teach these courses

A) LANGUAGE BARRIER:

Overcoming language barriers and accessing learning translation services is now also possible thanks to the internet. There are many website available where the learners can go about finding for teaching services specifically for their precise needs. Online learning content has to be localized to account for local languages.The online learners should understand the importance and the power of the language and how they are used in effective writing. Overcoming this language barrier might require extra effort from the learners where they need to attend some training related to

improving their abilities to understand and write English language appropriately. It also will be very helpful for the learners to keep multi-lingual with them wherever they go. Students should take initiative to cultivate reading habits and practice in conversing in the international language, English.

B) COMPUTER LITERACY AND UNRELIABLE TECHNOLOGY:

Computer trainings have been emerged as a significant tool to overcome the knowledge gap in this modern technology world. Enhancing the computer knowledge and Internet competency is a must for online learners in order to overcome this challenging characteristic of online learning. Trainings should be gasped wherever knowledge gaps are found and the upgrading of computer skills and hands-on practices should be a continuous process to maintain the stability. Learners must also make a smart choice in choosing the internet service providers which support the operating systems in their computer or laptop. By making a vice choice by online learners, the impact of this challenging characteristic can be reduced even though this problem cannot be fully eliminated.

C) STUDENT BEHAVIOR: Online learners should develop a relationship with their tutors from the beginning. Although they probably will never meet face to face, it's important to create a rapport with the tutors. The learners also must take initiative to participate in online discussions, forums and group discussions regularly with their tutors and classmates in order to ensure they are on the same page as the rest of their classmates. Learning problems frequently go hand in hand with diminished social skills. Even though it is hard for the learners to develop social skills, it's important that they learn them if they are to function successfully in society.

Students must also learn to set goals or objectives before the learners begin any task and this can help them stay focused. Goals might include things like wanting to study for the same number of hours as the lessons. For instance, a three credit-hour course each week should require about three hours of outside-of-class work, reading, writing or studying. The learners should also avoid the tendency of procrastinating by

setting an objective to always complete their assignments 24 hours before they are due. It has also been proven by the analysis of the Journal of Agricultural Education that learners who diligently take notes and review these notes are more likely to remember the material than those learners who expect to simply retain the information given during lectures or discussions by memory alone.

When a student is capable of creating a quiet environment as well as time to complete their assignments and revision based on the preference. It will be helpful for the learners to accomplish their objectives by designating a certain room in your home with limited noise where they can set up their computer, at which most of their learning sessions will take place. Learners also could use a public library. It is also fruitful to plan and create a manageable study schedule, according to the students personal time. They can delegate for studies and set deadlines to achieve them. It is very crucial for the learners to write down the due dates for their assignments submission and give themselves ample time to study for exams as well. An effective planning will allow the learners to avoid cramming during the exams, which is an ineffective method of retaining information.

CONCLUSION: Learning technologies has never been more transparent, having both its pros and cons. Online learners must recognize that technology is only a tool for teaching and learning that they are empowered to improve or customize to meet their needs. Basically, the online learning barriers are similar to diseases, which can only be cured by finding their root cause and prescribing appropriate medication. The key facets to reduce the challenging characteristics of online learning includes acquiring computer trainings to increase their skills, enhancing their self-efficacy, time-management, self-direction and self-motivation skills.Distance learning education is an innovative way to acquire a college or university education via online learning and it is quite different from a traditional college experience Distance learning programmes will be fruitful and rewarding for distance learners if they know how to enhance and overcome the challenging characteristics effectively and efficiently.

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