Singapore, 10 July 2002

How does e-learning come out tops
over traditional learning?

As the Internet can deliver information more quickly, at a lower cost, whenever a learner wants, as often as a learner wants, and with more interaction and dialogue, the Internet will replace the traditional in-person classroom delivery system as the dominant mode of delivery for education and delivery. But the Internet will not replace in-person learning. While we will spend 50% of our time learning online, we will spend the other 50% of our time learning in person. But in-person learning will also be radically different from what is most common today. There will be almost no need for the traditional lecture. However, there will be a tremendous need for teachers to become facilitators of learning, understanding how we learn, and able to work with learners as individuals.

There are several ways that online learning can be better than classroom learning, such as:

  • A learner can learn during her or his peak learning time. Some are at their peak learning time from 10 am to noon. Some learn better between midnight and 3 am. With traditional in-person classes, only some learners will be involved during their peak learning time. The rest will not fully benefit.

  • A learner can learn at her or his own speed. With traditional classes, a learner has one chance to hear a concept, technique or piece of knowledge. With online learning, a learner can revisit a lesson module, web page, and retest him or herself.

  • A learner can focus on specific content areas. With traditional classes, each content area is covered and given the relative amount of emphasis and time that the teacher deems appropriate. Take for example a ten-unit course, a given learner will not need to focus on each unit equally. For each of us, there will be some units we know already and some where we have little knowledge. With online learning, we as learners can focus more time, attention and energy on those units, modules or sections of the course where we need the most help and learning.

  • A learner can test himself daily. With online learning, a learner can take quizzes and tests easily, instantly receiving the results and finding out how well she or he is doing in a course.

  • A learner can interact more with the teacher. Contrary to common opinion today, online learning is more personal and more interactive than traditional classroom courses. In an online course, the instructor only has to create the information transfer part of the course-- lectures, graphics, text, video-- once. Once the course units or modules have been developed, there is need only for revisions later on. The instructor is then free to interact with participants in the course.

Learners will acquire the data and facts faster using the Internet. Experts say that a typical 16-week college course, for example, can be cut to 8 weeks because students learn more quickly online. Finally, technology has consistently proven to drive down costs. Recent US reports indicate that education costs are growing at over 5% for 1998, well above the 3% average for all other sectors of the economy. With education costs in the traditional system soaring, technological innovations promise the ability to deliver an education more cheaply. Downward pressure is already being exerted on prices by online courses.

With e-learning becoming more commonplace among organisations and individuals, the economies of scale are bound to creep in and offer better returns for both the learner and the organisation. This should eventually overtake the traditional classroom teaching as the mainstream medium in the near future.

Many PurpleTrain students study on the go and live busy fulfilling lives. The basis of e-learning suits them to a tee as it allows flexibility in scheduling their study time while pursuing that degree. An excellent example is a student like Erik Atchison, a professional offshore oilfield structure inspection diver cum coordinator who studies while on the job. He is currently pursuing the Advanced Diploma in Computing after which he intends to pursue a degree in IT. As his job requirements take him to faraway places such as remote oilrigs where communication is near impossible, he communicates via private email, discussion rooms and chat rooms with his facilitators. In the previous eblast, he remarks that he enjoys his e-learning experience with PurpleTrain.com.

Another student Dirk Weinert, a Visual Basic and ASP Programmer who jets about between countries, took up a University of Portsmouth Bachelor in Computing (Hons) degree through PurpleTrain so that he could upgrade himself. He too found that the flexible learning path allowed him to travel extensively while getting a quality education. He has been living in one to two countries per year on average.

For more information on the BSc (Hons) in Computing degree programme awarded by the University of Portsmouth through e-learning via PurpleTrain.com, please click HERE or email 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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