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Singapore, 21 June 2002
More Interaction Occurs with Online Learning |
The heart and soul of an online course will not be the lecture, the delivery, the audio or video. Rather, it will be the interaction between the participants and the teacher, as well as the interaction among the participants themselves. This daily interaction among participants, for example, will form what is known as a ‘Virtual Community.’
The next time you are in a class, count the number of questions asked of the teacher during a one-hour time period. Because of the instructor’s need to convey information, the time able to be devoted to questions is very short. In an online course, everyone can ask questions, as many questions as each learner wants or needs.
In an online course, there is more discussion. If there is a group discussion with thirty people and six to eight people make comments, that is a successful discussion that will take up almost a whole hour. And almost everyone in the group will agree it was lively. Now if you go into an asynchronous discussion forum on the Internet, and thirty people are there, and six to eight are making comments, you will conclude that the discussion is lagging.
The same number of comments on the Internet do not appear to be as lively a discussion as when delivered in person. Its simply due to the capability and capacity of the Internet is that every person can make comments—at the same time. A transcript of a typical online discussion would take hours to give verbally. Online, we can participate in discussions easily, absorbing more information in a much shorter time and engaging in more interaction, not less.
The Internet changes in-person learning as the technology allows more interaction as stated above. As a result, "The sage on the stage will become the guide on the side" has already been coined.
Though part of learning is centered around content, educators know that more of learning is dependent on the learner as an individual, a person. Learning is not just cognitive; it also involves the emotions and the spirit. It involves "unlearning." It involves what educator Jerold Apps calls "grieving the loss of old ideas."
The likely format for this kind of learning will be chairs in a circle, with a facilitator leading discussions, dialogues, role plays and more. And it is this kind of teaching and learning that we actually know very little about, because instructors have had so little time to engage in it. The Internet certainly did not create facilitative learning. This kind of learning has been around for a long time and its value well established. But it’s use will grow exponentially because the Internet allows the cognitive information to be delivered faster, cheaper, better, thus allowing more time and resources to be devoted to facilitative in-person learning.
For now, the elementary school teacher comes closest to being the model for this new kind of in-person teaching. Parents have experienced children’s teachers sitting down and talking with them for thirty minutes or more about their children as a learner. Not about the class, not about content, but about their children’s learning. This is where the focus of in-person learning will be. E-learning changes this focus to in-person learning which is highly efficient as many people will come to realise. As online courses grow and change how we learn, some courses will involve almost all in-person learning and teaching. Probably, the majority of courses will involve both online learning and in-person learning.
Online interaction plays an important role too with short courses that are administered through PurpleTrain.com. With more than 1100 courses available, those eager for self improvement can choose from business training courses such as MindLeaders and skill builder courses such as Change Management or Project Management to name a few.
Those looking to beef up their IT qualifications can take up NCC certified courses or IT Industry Professional certification such as CISCOTM or Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Many students who have signed up have benefited from this explosion in e-learning. Other online courses that are academic in nature range from diploma courses to doctorate level courses that lead to academic nirvana.
To find out more about the courses, visit PurpleTrain Course Catalogue or send your questions about courses to enquiry@purpletrain.com
About Informatics Group
The Informatics Group, established in 1983, is a multinational corporation providing training and educational services in information technology and business management. Through its international franchising program and strategic acquisitions, Informatics presently has a global network of more than 450 centres spanning 42 countries.
The company presently offers five franchise products: Informatics Computer School, Thames Business School, CAL Computer Training Centre, Cambridge Child Development Centre and RACC. For more information, please visit http://www.informaticsgroup.com.
About PurpleTrain.com
PurpleTrain.com is the e-learning service provider which offers a one-stop service for business and IT education programmes, corporate training courses and education-related services. By combining innovative technology with world-class training content, PurpleTrain.com offers companies and individuals a high value, quality and effective online training solution. Over 1000 online courses are available, offering PhDs, masters, degrees, diplomas and certificates in business and IT programmes. Its e-community now stands at over 55,000 users.
PurpleTrain.com is a 100%-owned venture of Informatics Holdings Limited, a leading training and education provider listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.
For more information, please contact :
Andrew Yap
Marketing & PR Manager
PurpleTrain.com
Email : pr@purpletrain.com
Website : www.purpletrain.com
www.informaticsgroup.com
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are forward-looking in nature and, accordingly, are subject to risks and
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Copyright © 2002. All Rights Reserved. PurpleTrain.com Pte Ltd.
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