| Elearning is growing in popularity everyday. | | | | lower performance in either work or learning. |
| Companies are able to utilize it for corporate | | | | Pros |
| training solutions among many other uses. It has | | | | The stress element is a given to most any kind |
| also been a great boon for the academic industry. | | | | of learning environment. The good thing about |
| One can find all the benefits of elearning online | | | | online learning is that it is a lot less stressful |
| everywhere. However, there are not many who | | | | compared to the traditional classroom education |
| would admit to the disadvantages of electronic | | | | or training for students who are familiar with the |
| learning. Here is a list of both the advantages and | | | | technology and who are independent learners. |
| disadvantages just to show a more balanced | | | | Keeping Up With Technology |
| perspective. | | | | Cons |
| Time Element | | | | There are still some people who are not familiar |
| Cons | | | | with computer technology. Online learning has |
| Students as well as trainees will be subjected to | | | | most often been hailed as the best solution for |
| time pressure when going through most courses. | | | | providing education to far flung regions where |
| However with elearning, an entire syllabus is | | | | people are poor and cannot afford to go to |
| further shortened. Therefore, one of two things | | | | expensive schools far from their homes. The |
| can happen. Either the syllabus is crammed into a | | | | question here is if they are familiar with the |
| whole online course or lessons are shortened and | | | | technology or not. |
| some are cut out. The latter is most often what | | | | Pros |
| happens. This of course can affect the quality of | | | | The challenge here is to train them and to help |
| a course. | | | | them master the technology before they can |
| Pros | | | | start learning. The good thing here is that the |
| The advantage here is that online learning will be a | | | | "technologically challenged" will be able to learn and |
| lot more practical. A lot of electronic courses can | | | | familiarize themselves with the technology at the |
| be finished at one's own pace. Although it may | | | | same time. |
| take longer for some, the fact still remains that in | | | | The Impersonal Medium |
| this fast moving business environment, practicality | | | | Cons |
| takes precedence over everything. | | | | This issue is perhaps where most of the debate |
| The Stress Element | | | | against electronic learning takes place. A lot of |
| Cons | | | | people believe that there is no substitute to face |
| There are many conveniences to electronic | | | | to face teaching. A lot of things will always be lost |
| learning (which will also be discussed later). | | | | in translation if the medium of communication is as |
| However, despite all of these, there is also a | | | | cold and impersonal. |
| stress element. Students and trainees often turn | | | | Pros |
| to elearning online because they already have a | | | | There are some elearning online courses that |
| full plate and they do not have enough time to go | | | | feature face to face correspondence between |
| to traditional classroom type of education or | | | | teacher and student or trainee. Of course, that is |
| training. This means that most electronic learning | | | | they are not really face to face but only virtually |
| trainees and students are exposed to a significant | | | | so through the use of cam and voice chat. |
| amount of pressure and stress which can lead to | | | | |