Quality Perspective in e-Learning
A modern educational organization has to face many kinds of challenges these days. Even institutes, which are fully focusing on degree-oriented education, have to be more aware of the needs of the industry and cooperate with them in several fields. Companies expect colleges to 'produce' engineers, which have 'customized' skills and practical experience. On the other hand, colleges are also expected to offer short courses and expertise to solve practical problems and to help companies to develop new products. Recently, a technical university of Madhya Pradesh, India, named as Rajiv Gandhi Technical University and ISRO, jointly starting the concept of virtual classes. Virtual classes will be an e-Learning environment mainly based on simulation and modeling. It will work in two environments: the full simulation models are used in virtual classes and the distance learning part, which is a slightly simplified, web browser based user interface using the simulation models in classrooms server, can be accessed via the Internet.
Virtual classes offers tools for practicing the use of real equipment in virtual environment. e-Learning most often means an approach to facilitate and enhance learning through the use of devices based on computer and communications technology. Such devices would include personal computers, CDROMs, digital television, satellites, P.D.As and mobile phones. Communications technology enables the use of the Internet, email, discussion forums, and collaborative software. e-Learning is a modern method with vibrant approaches to teach, and with increased reach and individualized learning. While the success of conventional teaching depends on the faculty handling the sessions, the success of e-learning depends on the total model and make-up of the e-learning methodologies for a given topic/learner. Nowadays, people want to learn from their own experiences and to be able to enhance that experience with best principles and lessons learnt from other people. Public emphasize the importance of knowledge management, particularly the relationship between knowledge and learning within an organization.
We feel that an e-learning environment may contribute to knowledge management on the one hand and to the learning need of a person on the other hand.
It concludes with discussion of emerging issues with respect to the parameters of quality in e-learning while identifying the need for standardized approaches for streamlining the entire learning model in Asian domain. In this paper, we also report on the challenges in designing and implementing an e-learning environment. We identify the properties from an educational view that should be supported by an e-learning environment. Then we discuss the challenges in developing a system that includes these properties.