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Can E-learning replace the traditional classroom? A case study at a Private

Article · October 2010

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Sanjay Agal Pooja Devija

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Authors

ER. SANJAY AGAL

MR. K. K. DAVE
Director, Pacific Institute of Management and Technology

MS.POOJA DEVIJA
Assistant Professor, Pacific Institute of Management and Technology

1. INTRODUCTION
E-learning is a form of training or teaching over the internet or intranet. It is adapted from the
computer based training used in the early eighties which utilized CD-ROMs to distribute
information to the users of the program. Now E-learning is widely implemented by academic
teachers and corporate trainers alike for instruction purposes for its convenience and cost
effectiveness. Companies, for example, can save significantly on expenses including
transportation, room and board, and meals that are incurred from sending employees to training
programs. In academia, E-learning may enable students to complete their education through
flexible course schedules.
There are two categories of E-learning: synchronous and asynchronous.
Synchronous E-learning is similar to traditional classroom learning in that instructors and
students meet at a particular time via audio, video streaming or a chat room. While Synchronous
E-learning is effective for distance learning, it takes away the flexibility of time, which is a major
advantage of e-learning. Asynchronous E learning allows parties to work on their own time and
pace with periodic and sporadic communication with the instructor. This type of E-learning is
more frequently used in corporate and college e-learning environments.
Although E-learning provides a number of advantages for users, significant disadvantages also
exist for students. E-learning requires patience, motivation, self- confidence, dedication, and a
general knowledge of using a computer – characteristics that students may not wholly possess.
Additionally, the effectiveness of E-learning also fluctuates based on an individual‟s learning
style and behavior type (Meyer 2003). In corporate E-leaning, a company requires and supports
employee learning; there is an understated premise that employees who fail to learn will be
penalized. However, employees involved in these programs may not be accustomed to using a
computer, or may not be willing to adapt to change. Some individuals become frustrated with
using E-learning and may even reject it. Additionally, studies have indicated that several factors
alter the success each individual has with E-learning, such as age and gender (Huang 2002).

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Instructors of E-learning programs also face a number of new challenges. The teacher in an
online course plays an integral role in the success or failure of a course. She/he must know and
understand his/her role and limitations as a remote instructor, and must be able to communicate
with the students on a regular basis at sporadic times to help them to move forward at a steady
pace (Easton 2003). Teachers must take the initiative and occasionally initiate a discussion with
the students. In online instruction in particular, instructors must make extra efforts to
communicate with students. However, several factors may impede a teacher‟s ability to
communicate with students through E-learning. These factors include the instructor‟s lack of
computer literacy, resistance to online education, different philosophical beliefs about the nature
of communication online and heavy workloads (Easton 2003).
In this research, the effects of e-learning were analyzed. Although this was a limited study, it
suggests that e- learning cannot be used to completely eliminate classroom-basedlearning. E-
learning does not always provide students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of
a subject matter, and is unable to adapt to the individual needs of each student. This limited study
suggests that e-learning may be especially challenging when dealing with college students. If
classroom learning is completely eliminated, an extremely large student segment will be left at a
significant disadvantage (Easton 2003).

2. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

E-learning does not have a way of ensuring that the students are really learning the material. In
this study, tests and quizzes conducted in online classes were not monitored and, as a result, it is
unknown whether or not students use notes or other resources to complete tests. Therefore, it is
unclear if students completed exams based on knowledge they accumulated from E-learning, or
if the illicitly used outside sources to “cheat” on exams. This problem is due to the lack of a
human, in person monitor that can prevent such problems.
E-learning also does not accommodate the different learning styles of the students. Not all
students are self- motivated and self-determined to handle online courses(Meyer 2003). Students
learn independently and from others who share in thediscussions. If students are not focused and
willing to push themselves to do the work,they will not be able to succeed in an online
course.Some students need a teacher in front of them, explaining the course subject matter and
materials, answering spontaneous questions, and monitoring theirwork. In order to learn, these
types of students need the learning environment of a traditional classroom that E-learningis not
able to provide.
Further, many instructors are not properly trained tofacilitate online learning. They lack many of
the necessary skills such as technical knowledge and the ability to move traditional content and
time (Laird2003). E-learning is extremely time-consuming for both the teacher and the student,
and instructors must invest ample time to communicate with students online individually.
This study shows that students taking online courses are given more work than those in a
traditional classroom,perhaps resulting from the instructor‟s lack of insight into exactly how
occupied the student is with work. The instructors do not realize, however, that they will have
more work to check in the end. As noted, there are many problems with online learning and
many reasons for not being able to completely eliminate the traditional classroom.

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3. STATEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES

This study analyzes the effects e-learning had on various students. It gives statistical information
on students who had experienced one class from the traditional classroom and one from E-
learning. The success of the class using e-learning has various factors which is discussed in
detail. The many advantages and disadvantages are discussed, including the factors that help
determine each. In addition, a detailed comparison between e- learning and the traditional
classroom is also discussed,showing how the traditional classroom is more preferable than e-
learning by these students. Even though e-learning has several advantages over the traditional
classroom, This paper suggests that e-learning may not completely replaced the traditional
classroom on college level.

4. METHODOLOGY

The targeted population of this study is MCA students. The research was conducted at Pacific
Institute of Computer Applications, an outer city college in Udaipur, Rajasthan that is a private
college. Students who attend MCA come from various social classes and backgrounds. All
currently enrolled in masters of computer application course were surveyed.The population of
this survey focused on female students. Such a group was chosen due to the results of a study by
Mae Mc Sporran and Stuart Young(McSporran, Young. 2003) showing that woman are more
successful than men in online environments, and that more women prefer an online environment
overmen. In the study, approximately 39% of women preferred online courses whereas only 10 -
28% of men preferred the online courses. Therefore, since women seem to be more acceptable to
online learning, they were chosen to be the subject of this study.The students were placed in an
online environment for three weeks learning Microsoft One Note. They received a book to
supplement their learning. They also used online resources to gather more information to help
gain a better understanding of the product. In addition, CTM (Certified Test Manager) testing
was used to allow students to test their knowledge. They were given assignments to complete out
of the book. At the end of the third week, they were given a test using CTM. Then, they were
switched to the traditional classroom setting. Once again, they were given assignments to
complete and a test at the end of the three weeks.During these weeks, the teacher explained
several concepts to them and walked them through two exercises. At the end of the experiment,
the students were given a survey to gather their thoughts and opinions about the course. The
students were not aware that this was an experiment to prevent bias in their responses.

5. FINDINGS

A survey was given to female students of the first year MCA, who took the course. The female
students totaled one hundred and thirty five students, of which one hundred and seven students
completed the survey. The results will reflect the 79 % of students who responded to the survey.
In addition to the survey, comments reported by individual students on a daily basis are also
reflected in the findings.

As shown in the data above, 62.6% of the students surveyed did not feel comfortable with the
online course. They did not like the class and did not wish to take it. However, 56.1% would
recommend the course to other students. In essence, just because they did not like the course,

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 does not mean that other students would
feel the same way. In addition, 60.7%
would take another online course,
showing that they feel that there is a
possibility that they may have a better
experience with another course. 84.1%
of the females surveyed believed the
course to be harder than it was in the
traditional setting. Only 37.4% were
able to keep up with the assignments
and tests and manage their time well.
Also, 79.4% believed they would
receive a better grade if the course was
taught in a traditional classroom
environment. Test results show that 75%
of the students failed the test given at
the end of the first three weeks,10%
received a low D, 10% received a C, 4%
received a B, and only 1% received an
A.
The majority of the students preferred
the traditional environment that they
were used to learning in. 88.8% said
their experience in the traditional setting
was better than that in the online setting.
79.4 % felt they learned more from a
teacher explaining the concepts they
needed to know. 65.4% felt the
assignments were easier to complete and
keep up with. 72.9% felt they were
better prepared for their test. The test
results show that77% of the students
passed the test with a B or better,
15% made a C, 6% made a D, and only
2% failed the test at the end of the
second three weeks. 74.8% of the students said they would recommend this course in the
traditional classroom setting to other students. The comments received by the students were
overall consistent. Each comment was a complaint. They could not understand why the teacher
was not teaching them and leaving them to learn on their own. They did not like the online
environment and felt it was not helping them learn what was needed for the test. They were not
able to grasp a clear understanding of the topics and they did not do very well on the assignments
or the tests.
Approximately 28% students initiated, on an individual basis, complaints about the course. After
the three weeks, students were switched back to the traditional classroom setting. They expressed
their gratitude for the change. Some students felt that they were learning and understanding more
after the change. These results suggest, as stated in the hypothesis, that e-learning has not been

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 able to completely replace the traditional classroom setting. Too many students still rely on the
guidance of teachers and are not able to learn independently and manage their time.

6. LIMITATIONS

The results were limited to only female college students in a private college. Some students may
not have liked the instructor or the way she/he taught during the experiment. The students‟
personal attitude towards the teacher may have influenced their comments and opinions. Their
negative attitude did not allow them to have an open mind regarding the two styles of learning..
Such factors must be considered in evaluating the results.

7. CONCLUSION

In this limited study, students did not seem to gain the same amount of knowledge using an
online course as they would if they used the traditional classroom method. The majority of
students in this study were uncomfortable with the setting of online learning and preferred a live,
in-person teacher in the classroom teaching. This was either due to their understanding or their
changed study habits. It may be that after failing the first test, they chose to study harder for the
next. All of these reasons support the existence of different learning styles, behavior types, age,
and gender in the study group. These students learn differently and do not feel comfortable with
learning online. Thus, our limited study suggests that the online courses are not for all the
students and till now on line learning has not been able to replace the traditional classrooms
completely in the present scenario.

8. REFERENCES

Carnevale, Dan, 2003, “Learning online to teach online.” The Chronicle of HigherEducation, v50 i10, October 31,
pp. A31 - A32.
Charp, Sylvia, 2003, “Technology for allstudents. “ T H E Journal, v30 i9, April2003, pp8.
Donlevy, Jim, 2003, “Online learning inVirtual High School.” International Journalof Instructional Media, v30 i2
Easton, Susan S, 2003, „Clarifying the instructor‟s role in online distancelearning.‟ Communication Education,
v52i2, April 2003, pp.87.
Hassett, James, 2002, “The e-learningsurvival guide: team e-learning managersat financial service firms
collectivelyrepresenting more than $300 billion inrevenue share words of wisdom onsurviving the e-learning
jungle.“ Training,v39 i9, September 2003, pp.120.Howard, Jay R., 2002, “Do college studentsparticipate more in
discussion in traditionaldelivery courses or in interactivetelecourses?” Journal of Higher Education,v73 i6,
November – December 2002, pp.
Huang, Hsiu-Mei, 2002, “Studentperceptions in an online mediatedenvironment.“ International Journal
ofInstructional Media, v29 i4 pp. 405.
Laird, Ellen, 2003, “I‟m your teacher, notyour internet service provider.” TheChronicle of Higher Education, v49
i17January 3, 2003, pp. B5.
McSporran, Mae and Stuart Young. “Doesgender matter in online learning?”
Meyer, Katrina A., 2003, “The Web‟s impacton student learning: a review of recentresearch reveals three areas that
canenlighten current online learningpractices.” T H E Journal, v30 i10, May2003, pp. 14.
Shea, Rachel Hartigan, 2002, “E-learningToday.” U.S. News & World Report,October 28, 2002, pp. 54.
Tenopir, Carol, 2002, “The age of onlineinstruction.” Library Journal, v127 i14,September 1, 2002, pp.36.
Woods, Robert H Jr. 2002, “How much communication is enough in onlinecourses.” International Journal
ofInstructional Media, v29 i4, 2002, pp. 377.
“Can distance learning improve teachingeffectiveness? “ Techniques, v77 i8,November – December, 2002, pp. 59.
“Internet resource keeps classesconnected.” Teacher Librarian, v30 i5,June 2003, pp.49.

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