E-education is the process of applying information technology; i.e. Internet, to convey learning (e-learning) and teaching (e-teaching) knowledge in a more advanced Internet environment. It could be considered as an out-of-classroom rather than an in-classroom form of education via advanced technology, due to the fact that there will still be an interaction between the students and teachers over the Internet both regionally and locally, and nationally as well as internationally.
By the process of E-education, courses are delivered either through the Internet, intranet or an extranet using various techno-media tools like video teleconferencing, audio, virtual classrooms or online courses, webcasts, e-mails, online documentations, live discussions, etc. For instance, an instructor can record and/or upload documents, live discussions, course materials, samples, etc. for students so that they can retrieve them either through e-mail, online portals, school websites or university/college website for printing, reviewing, downloading, and even reading them anywhere and anytime depending on their convenience.
In this way, students from all over the world could communicate with each other as well as with their instructors easier and faster, and also set their own study time. Therefore, students can improve their computer skills, earn their degrees, manage their work, involve in distance learning, and also they can get a quicker response from their instructors through the email or so at anywhere and anytime.
Now a day, the terms E-education and distance learning are being used equivalently. Online education has played an important role in the life of many students who are not capable of going to campus due to various life aspects like work or campus being way too far from their home town or aboard.
The use of online education or e-education goes back to the 1960’s were students used computer terminals to access lessons and other school related information from distant teachers by using a computer-based learning system called PLATO. This computer-based learning system was the first move towards the evolution of the Internet being used now, as stated in an online database:
“In 1960, technicians and scientists at the University of Illinois created PLATO. PLATO, short for Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations, was the first computer-based learning system that allowed students at terminals to access lessons, tests and other schooling information from remotely located professors. Later, in 1969, the United States Department of Defense created ARPANET (the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network). According to AllOnlineSchools.com, ARPANET would eventually evolve into the Internet.” (Koble, 2011, para. 2).
There was nothing that really helped in boosting the evolution of online education in the 1970’s unlike the 1980’s in which people were capable of having real-time conversations (like chatting) through the Internet using a scheme called Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Moving on with this evolution, University of Phoenix was the first of its kind to offer online degrees focusing mainly on distance learning. From an online database, Koble (2011, para. 3) states that:
“The 1970s were quiet and fairly uneventful in regards to the evolution of online education, but in 1988 IRC (Internet Relay Chat) was invented. IRC allowed people to have real-time conversations either one-on-one or in a chat room setting. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee conceived and created the World Wide Web; now known as the Internet, this series of connected servers store documents that would later become known as webpages. Later that year, the University of Phoenix -- which was established in 1976 by Dr. John Sperling, and already focusing on distance learning for working adults -- opened its e-doors, becoming the first university to offer online degrees.”
At this stage, Internet and its usage became well-known among everyone as well as E-education or online education and teaching. Therefore, the application of an online user-friendly Internet browser was inevitable due to the fact that Internet and E-education is being widely used and preferred. As a result, Koble (2011, para. 4) confirms that:
“In 1993, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications released the web browser known as Mosaic. According to AllOnlineSchools.com, Mosaic offered a user-friendly interface that made it the first browser to receive wide praise. At this point, online education was gaining viability.”
“According to OnlineColleges.net, 3.94 million students took at least one online course in the 2007 fall semester. That is 20 percent of all higher education students in the United States. Now, OnlineColleges.net states that roughly half of the 4,500 physical colleges in the U.S. offer online education to some degree.”
By time, population started increasing and technology advanced, leading to an increase in workplace competition. As a result, the demand for higher education in marketplaces and workforces keeps on increasing with each new generation. Moreover, an employee’s busy schedule, lack of time, high cost, family obligation, as well as far distances make it impossible on some to reach their goal of earning a higher education or a degree. For example, a full-time worker and a mother of 4-year old child who wants to pursue a higher degree like Master’s at a University and is not able to do so because of her work responsibilities as well as taking care of her child. So, she needs a way in which she could pursue her Master’s degree as well as take care of her child and work at the same time. Therefore, the best way to achieve that is by taking classes online or from home in which a student doesn’t necessary need to be sitting in the class or infront of the computer because all the class lectures and materials could be accessed online if they signed into the website where the materials are available.
In addition, the traditional in-class lectures which involves sitting for long hours in the class, listening to the teacher, missing out notes and important points said during the lecture, being late to class, etc. are seen as inconvenient to many students which on the other hand reduces their interest in attending lectures every day. As a result, the development of online universities or E-education serves such individuals or workers as the most convenient method to reach their goal of earning a degree and getting a better life option.
At the present, students as well as individuals, ranging from high school students or university/college student, or graduates, person looking to expand his/her skills, or even a retiree can benefit from the fact that they can expand their knowledge through the internet. E-education has enhanced the collaboration and communication among the teachers and students.
From a student’s perspective, they can now earn their degrees online starting from Associates, Bachelor, Master, and all the way to PhD in various majors and fields. They can even interact and discuss matters with their colleagues and instructors easier through the email and get faster replies without the need to meet. Moreover, students can also submit their assignments online. There could also be a direct contact between the teacher and the students in a chat forum for discussion or by being involved in an online lecture on the university/college portal and the students view it on the webcam. Plus, students can also log into the university/college website and read, download, watch previous lectures or presentations, review, and print a given lecture at anytime of the year.
As seen, online education is very flexible and can meet everyone’s educational needs especially those who want to continue their studies but are not capable to do so because of their inability to leave their work location. Moreover, even students who want to earn a degree from a well-known university but cannot leave their country due to distance or high cost can be involved in distance learning due to the fact that there are many universities that provide such capabilities online.
The future will see the evolution of many new technologies since everything is being advanced and replaced by technological devices or assistance, and so is the case with E-education. New infrastructures as well as educational methods will be developed to make E-education more effective based on these new future technologies. Plus, E-education are also being induced in primary, elementary, and high schools in order to give students a slight idea about the future use of the upcoming advanced technology and their important role in our lives, especially education.
As mentioned earlier, there’s evidence to the increase in the number of students applying for Universities that provide online education and degrees. Therefore, the future of E-education appears to be bright due to its flexibility, as students from all over the world are showing interest in such form of education and their enrollment keeps on increasing. An online report highlights this increase by stating that “Whether the changes are working or not, enrollment at for-profits currently tops three million students nationwide, an increase of 60% from 2004-2005.” (Industry Report - Future of Online Education (Part 5) section, para. 2).
This increase in online Universities enrollment could increase the number of college graduates and post-graduates around the world, hence decreasing illiteracy.
On the other hand, now the students don’t need to wait for months till the semester ends as in the traditional University system because with online Universities classes are available every 5 weeks during the whole year, and so a student will have to wait few weeks for the next session to being. This is another bonus for online classes as a student will not have to stress out him/herself for the classes being unavailable due to full capacity unlike the traditional in-class courses.
E-education or online education gave education a whole new meaning both to the teachers as well as students due to the fact that it helped in increasing the collaboration and interaction among students and teachers by making them faster and easier than it used to be before. These aspects would have not come into existence if not technology and its advancement, and today’s workforce and market place’s interest in higher educated candidates and employees.
Online education has many advantages to those who are pursuing higher degrees to develop their career options and marketability like being flexible, which allows a person to balance life and work responsibilities. E-learning also provides the ability to learn, access, download, or print school/lecture materials anywhere and anytime, and cuts cost to long distance or aboard campuses. Plus, students can now send their assignments from anywhere and at any place through the Internet rather than handing it in to the instructor in person; instructors can response to student’s questions faster.
As technology advancement and tools are increasing by time, E-education has proven to be a great success and would probably increase in the coming years mainly due to its flexibility and the studies that have shown that people being interested in pursuing their degrees through E-learning are increasing by time.
Koble (28 May, 2011). History of Internet Education | eHow.com. Retrieved October 21, 2011 from http://www.ehow.com/about_6695764_history-internet-education.html
