From black and whiteboards to colorful screens, from big heavy books to digital learning materials, learning has changed a lot.
Very few people must have imagined that e-learning would be the new way of learning among so many students.
How and when did this happen?
Here we will be looking at the history of e-learning, its pros and cons, some of the popular e-learning platforms in the world, and overall the change and impact e-learning have created.
E-learning is the way of learning virtually with your devices through internet services without having to physically interact with anyone. E-learning platforms provide easier access to learning than traditional learning as it offers many benefits.
E-learning platform history
The history of e-learning starts in 1924 when the world’s first-ever electronic learning was created by Sidney Pressey which was built out of typewriter parts.
This automatic teacher by Sidney Pressey could not be successful because of high production costs, and alignment. Due to this it failed to get investments and had to halt production.
Then in 1960, one of the first most notable computer learning systems Plato was created.
Plato was revolutionary at their time, most of the greatest instructional software for educational disciplines was created by Plato. Plato was one of the first and most successful e-learning machines but on the other hand, Plato was very expensive.
How e-learning is changing education
Today there are many e-learning platforms across the world that are way easier to access, use, and less costly than before.
Recently the e-learning platform is booming due to the covid-19 pandemic. Many e-learning platforms have emerged and grown during the pandemic.
The education sector was heavily affected during the pandemic and it changed the way of functionality between the teachers, the students, and the institutions. A lot of schools and colleges had to adopt online learning methods.
Traditional learning vs e-learning
In both ways, the contents and reading materials remain almost the same but the way of learning differs.
In traditional learning, we are required to travel to the physical classroom where we are surrounded by classmates and having face to face interaction with the teacher. We have less freedom in traditional learning since we have to go along with the teachers according to their deadlines.
In e-learning, we just need to be virtually present, we do not need to travel anywhere or spend our money on transportation. We have more freedom in e-learning platforms as we can read the contents according to our needs and desire.
Here are some good and bad aspects of e-learning.
The good part of e-learning
E-learning brings out many benefits for students, and here are some of the good parts of it.
- Reduction of cost and expenses of traveling and eating out.
For example, if you have to attend your lecture physically, you need to spend money on traveling from your home to the institution and on your snacks or drinks while you are out for your classes.
- E-learning provides the comfort to learn from your own home.
You can easily learn from your phone or laptop and can learn at your speed. E-learning platforms have content available for you all the time, you can revisit the courses multiple times.
- Easily find your teacher by just opening your phone.
With the help of e-learning platforms, you can learn a new skill or take a new course every day even if you have very little knowledge about a particular subject.
- Readable and rewatchable content
Now the problem of a teacher having to repeat the same thing until the students understand is changing and the students also do not have to match with the speed of their teachers and classmates as it happens in the traditional way of learning.
This change has been implemented due to e-learning, you can learn at your phase as it provides rewatchable and re-readable content.
All these pros of e-learning platforms, it has benefited students in many ways. It has created a change in so many students’ and teachers’ life. Their day-to-day life of traveling somewhere to attend a class or teaching in a class with many students is now changing to students and teachers just waking up and not having to travel anywhere for a class.
Now it’s way easier to just open your device and connect to all the students and teachers virtually through an e-learning platform.
The bad part of e-learning
The drastic change in way of learning due to e-learning platforms has somehow benefited the students but also has brought some drawbacks too.
- E-learning can be exhausting
Sitting in front of your laptop and talking with some boxes might be exhausting and boring. Some people might lack the skill of social interactions due to being isolated from their friends and teacher they tend to socialize less on e-learning platforms.
- Lack of motivation in e-learning
It takes much more motivation to learn in e-learning platforms, as you can take a break any time between classes and there is no deadline for the assignments. Eventually, there is much more probably of procrastinating in e-learning platforms.
There are re-readable materials that students might take as granted to read or go through it later.
- Self Discipline Needed
While in e-learning platforms, students need to manage their time properly and effectively to join the classes.
Student needs to become more self-disciplined, to get the best out of e-learning platforms.
- Dependent on some factors
E-learning platforms are dependent on some factors like the internet and your learning devices which might not be reliable and consistent for all.
For example, if your learning device is not working or if your internet connection is not available, you cannot join the platform without it.
E-learning makes you more independent in learning in your way with fewer instructions and guidance, which is both good and bad in a way.
Leading e-Learning Platforms
Now, Let’s take examples of some of the leading e-learning platforms that are changing the way of learning and making it more beneficial for learners around the world.
- Masterclass
Masterclass offers classes from celebrities and very renowned faces who are best at their work like Gordon Ramsey and Stephen curry.
If someone wanted to learn from them or listen to their experience without the platform, it would have been costly and difficult to have such classes since celebrities do not have time to give such classes in different locations.
But now anyone from anywhere can learn from them because of the e-learning platform like Masterclass which provides easy access to the classes by celebrities.
- Unacademy
Unacademy provides exam preparation classes for students in India. It offers competitive exam preparative classes, school, and high school-level preparation classes.
Unacademy has changed the way of practicing and preparing for exams for Indian students, now the students have many teachers virtually whom they can learn and get tutored from.
- Udemy
Udemy is one of the largest e-learning platforms where anyone with the right skills and knowledge about any subject can teach and upload their courses. Udemy recognizes itself as the marketplace for learning and instruction.
E-learning platforms like Udemy are changing the way of learning by making teaching and learning easily accessible to anyone around the world.
- Skillshare
Skillshare is another e-learning platform that provides very attractive and engaging courses in their platform. Skillshare mainly focuses on creative courses and is relatively cost-effective.
With skillshare, anyone can learn a new skill every day according to their needs and desire in a fun and understandable way.
- Digital Gurkha
Digital Gurkha is an e-learning platform in Nepal that provides technical, soft skills, and creative courses like digital marketing, content writing, video editing, and many more.
Digital Gurkha provides paid as well as free courses.
Gurkha’s targeted customers are the youths aged between 18-25 in the country. In Nepal, most of the e-learning platforms provide academic courses and target school-level, students.
But Digital Gurkha is providing courses for youth learners who want to learn new skills and have additional knowledge of a particular course.
Conclusion
Technology has changed with time, and it has made our life easier and faster with the new inventions happening every day.
In the same way, technology has also brought changes in the traditional way of learning with e-learning methods. There are many e-learning platforms out there in the world, which are successful, easy to use, and cheaper than before.
These e-learning platforms have been changing the way we perceive learning through so many benefits to it. For example, e-learning reduces the time and money we spend on traditional learning.
With all the pros and cons that we discussed of the e-learning platforms, it has created a big impact on the way of learning and has been very different than our traditional learning.
