Monday, March 15, 2010

Session 6: Solution to an Education issue

Research topic:
How e-learning platform can facilitate teaching and learning.


Issue to be discussed in the research:
-Pros and Cons of using e-learning platform on teaching and learning.

Background
Pros:
-e-learning platform, providing online exercises and instant feedback, thus a good self-learning platform
-It reduces teachers' workload and enhance the learning of students.
-Another platform for self-learning especailly during long holidays or swine flu school suspension etc.
-Teacher can upload the information and resources to the students

Cons:
-Motivation of self-learning is low.
-How to prevent the problem of copying?
-Does drill and practice exercises a good means of learning?
-The effectiveness of e-learning platform is uncertain
-Most of the exersices only provide multiple choices or fill in the blank

Research on:
- how e-learning platform faciliate learning and teaching
- case study
- compare the learning result of different groups of students

Example:
www.econschool.com/econsch

Teachers and service provider can update the resources on the webpage in often.
Exercises in e-learning system has record keeping, it helps teacher for assessing the students' works more easily.
Also the assessment can be compared intra and inter schools.

1 comment:

  1. On your group’s “Cons” part, I do not agree with you on some points. But this is only my points of view!
    First cons: I agree e-learning should be the people have a high motivation on self-learning. However, if the people are low motivation on learning, they can absent of class in traditional learning! Whatever typical learning or e-learning, the interest on learning is most important thing to concern.
    Second cons: I think a good developed e-learning system, which should have this checking tool to prevent plagiarism. Moreover, a good e-learning system can embed or link to the outsider tool for checking like Turnitin (http://www.turnitin.com) as well.
    Third cons: I think not only drill and practice can perform on e-learning system. The marked assignment with comments or conversation between tutor and student can work on the e-learning platform. It is an interactive ICT between the teacher and the learner. Also, this system can be embedded with many enhanced function such as instant feedback or discussion board.
    Fourth cons: I think the effectiveness is a certain thing! One example is the Open University (www.open.ac.uk) (www.ouhk.edu.hk). It is a typical for the e-learning system.
    Fifth cons: I do not think only ‘multiple-choice’ or ‘fill in the blanks’ question can work on e-learning platform. I think other assignment or assessment such as writing an essay or answering a short/ long question can occur on it. I know Open University of Hong Kong that the tutor can marked the assignment online for the student. Then the student can get back the marked assignment from the system. The OU student calls it TMA (tutor-marked-assignment) system!

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