A discussion on E-learning offered in Malaysian universities: Pros and Cons from the students perspective

Sunday, July 5, 2009

E-learning involves the use of a computer or electronic device in some way to transfer of skills and knowledge such as deliver training, educational or learning resources through Internet or an Intranet. In nowadays, E-leaning has implemented in most universities to convenience their student to get information. Students have free access to these materials as when needed anytime and anywhere by just using the internet.

Pros of e-leaning

A main benefit of e-learning is save the cost of travelling such as petrol cost and public transport cost. Students can easily get their learning resources from internet by just login into website without physically present in a university. This system not only help student reduce a lot of cost travelling but is also help to save a time of traveling such as avoid traffic jam because student can easily get their leaning resources with the use of internet by just staying at their own house.

Second benefit of e-learning is time flexibility to communicate with their lecture or tutor or even classmates. Students can post or sharing their query and writing in learning website at anytime and anywhere with the use of the Internet. For example, e leaning website has consist a part which call forum ,it is a place of discussion between student and lecture to ask or answer the query It is much easier for them to interact between each other rather than face-to-face communications.

Another benefit of e-leaning is provides a wider leaning option which is not restricted to the geographic location. For example, student who studies in Malaysia can access to the resources upload by other foreign university such as get teaching materials through e-libraries. These help students easier to get additional information from foreign knowledge to make their process of studies easier .Thus, more information or opinion can be exchanges between local knowledge and foreign knowledge.

Cons of e-learning

Although e-learning have benefits students in their process of studies, but there are also some disadvantage that may occur a side effect to student. One of the disadvantages of using e-learning is that it might be charge a bit costly to subscribe high-speed internet to enhancing the speed of downloading. If the speed of internet was poor, it will make them difficult to download leaning resources from internet. Therefore, students must have budget before stating to implement e-learning system.

Since text format is only the tool of communication has implemented in e-learning, the conflict between student and lecture will arise due to lack of face-to-face communication. Without physically face to face communication, they may lose the directions and get confused on the course of activities.

Reference link

http://www.newman.ac.uk/Students_Websites/~m.m.friel/index.htm