E-learning Applications

In this 21^st century, the world of higher education (HE) has evolved to an unimaginable extent. The traditional ways of teaching and learning have now changed to suit this era. A lot of technological advances have made this possible and to date, this has transformed how the students used to get access to their learning.

A lot of e-learning technologies have emerged in this current decade that has made our lives easier from a technical point of view. While use of mobile-phones and computer/laptops have been in the picture for several decades and they are usually provided by the universities for student use, the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Makerspaces and introducing Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are somewhat popular.

 

As an engineer, I happen to find the concept of Makerspaces quite intriguing. This is because it enhances the level of student engagement and gives exposure to the students to the real world in a supervised fashion. Engineering students love to design and build stuffs, by doing research and applying it through the guidance from an instructor would definitely upgrade their understanding of the topic in question. In a way the makerspaces prepares the students for the industry and also encourages innovation and problem-solving skills that can help the students be successful in their careers (TKI, 2022).

From my perspective, in Pacific Island Countries (PICs), integration of the aforesaid eLearning applications would influence the future of HE. In fact, this is happening right now; young kids, teenagers and university students are already aware and continually use the latest eLearning tools not only for studying, but also for networking (social media) and playing online games (to name a few). I must say that with the emergence of the internet and other technological advancements, the learning environment has been significantly impacted the way HE is conducted in PICs. The problem of accessibility of lectures or tutorials have been alleviated by means of technology and regional students are now able to access their course materials at their own comfort from home.

Moreover, the level of tech-savviness has levelled up in our current generation (as well as older generation) especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns have taught us the way forward when it comes to accessibility, be it an item from an online store or accessing the course materials through internet.

Nonetheless, while majority of the e-learning technologies have been adopted in the HE in PICs, I must say that the HE world in PICs has yet to experience the complete capability of ARs and VRs. I believe there are 3 major factors that must be addressed for these kind of technologies:

1.   Financial implications are going to be high (cost, training & maintenance)

2. Implementation time (logistics & updating existing technology to make the new technology compatible)

3.  Adaptability to teach (for instructors) and adaptability to integrate new eLearning tools for learning (for students)

 

References

Coman, C., Țîru, L. G., Meseșan-Schmitz, L., Stanciu, C., & Bularca, M. C. (2020). Online teaching and learning in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic: Students’ perspective. Sustainability, 12(24), 10367.

Gokce, K. G., & Dogerlioglu, O. (2019). " Bring your own device" policies: Perspectives of both employees and organizations. Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 11(2), 233-246.

Soucy, L. (2022). 10 BYOD Pros and Cons You Should Know About (2022 Guide). Retrieved 30 April 2022, from https://biz30.timedoctor.com/byod-pros-and-cons/

TKI. (2022). Makerspaces | / Future-focused learning | / Teaching / enabling e-Learning - enabling eLearning. Retrieved 30 April 2022, from https://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Future-focused-learning/Makerspaces