The Design and Development of a Scaleable E-learning Authoring System - Research Paper Example

With the availability of resources that can be retrieved electronically at the disposal of learners and educators, it has become an immediate predisposition that e-learning is now an accepted mode of teaching in relation to other traditional approaches. Real time interactions are made possible with the convenience of internet technology. Online academies and other educational institutions that can be availed of online are now viable options in the furtherance of knowledge and of the proliferation of education. The vast knowledge literally at our fingertips creates a whole new dimension in how we interact and simultaneously, how we acquire information. This presents new innovations in learning that presents itself to be less exorbitant, with reduced regulation and with a number of benefits that exceeds conventional approach. At the same time, there are concerns regarding the motivation and acceptance of learners toward e-learning. These apprehensions include their apparent manageability of programs, their intended use, including their ability and willingness to use them (Imamoglu). The Department of Education of the United States has under its wing the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) which conducts studies on the different areas pertaining to e-learning and other parallel concerns. They are not limited to specific aspects of education but also to other empowering and informative programs that are for different age groups and status. This includes Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and State Educational Agencies (SEAs). These agencies help to promote the development of staff in their respective fields through the use of e-learning (Meyen and Yang, Online Staff Development for Teachers: Multi-State Planning for Implementation). Edward L. Meyen, a Special Education professor at the University of Kansas has released a number of research papers primarily concerned in the study of e-learning. He is also the Co-director of the University of Kansas E-Learning Design Lab which focuses on the different areas of study regarding electronic education. They conduct studies regarding needs assessment, wherein the team identifies topics concerning educational development, some of these studies are deemed of import and are funded by the national government. From there they are able to develop modules that can be used by different entities all in the context of e-learning (Aust, Meyen and Yang, E-Learning Design Lab). The study by Dr. Salih Imamoglu titled “An Empirical Analysis Concerning the User Acceptance of E-Learning is anchored upon four main concerns, namely; 1. Perceived ease of use, 2. Intention to use, 3. Ability to use and 4, Commitment to e-learning. Each has its own subsequent hypotheses. These are; 1. Perceived ease of use will have a positive effect on perceived usefulness of e-learning, 2. Intention to use will have a positive effect on perceived usefulness of e-learning, 3. Ability to use will have a positive effect on perceived usefulness of e-learning, 4. Commitment to e-learning will have a positive effect on perceived usefulness of e-learning (Imamoglu). The study is highly applicable to Edward Meyen’s model as it discusses how the learner is able to gain access to certain information available. It is within the same category as what Meyen proposes regarding the accessibility of e-learning processes. The structure provided by previous e-learning studies was a great vantage point for the research (Aust and Meyen, The Design and Development of a Scaleable E-learning Authoring System). Imamoglu’s paper ingeniously gives attention to one of the major questions that automatically comes to mind when talking about e-learning which is the acceptance of the user and the acceptability of the mode of learning it represents. The methodology presented by Imamoglu optimizes the three element model provided by Meyen. The rendered evaluation of the systems in e-learning with the four categorizations provided by the author is perceivably parallel in this manner. The analysis factored in by the researcher categorizes the pattern set in by previous studies. As it is that these types of study vary from the already well-regarded methods of research for conventional approach, the focus significantly differs from traditional forms. It is then essential not to constrain it within the same classification and methodology. The author utilized factor analysis to figure the latent variables. The research found that intention of use is apparent as well as commitment and ability to use e-learning. The main problem as assessed in the study is the user’s ability to use the employed technologies (Imamoglu). In the same way, the paper presented by Gerard and Jill Kickul also follows the same element model by Meyen. Their study titled, “Closing the Gap: Impact of Student Proactivity and Learning Goal Orientation on E-learning Outcomes,” is another that precisely trails Meyen’s model whether with direct intent or without. The research hypotheses include 1. Students with a high learning goal orientation will have higher perceptions of the quality of their learning and overall satisfaction, 2. Students with a high proactive personality will have higher perceptions of the quality of their learning and overall learning satisfaction, 3. The interaction of learning goal orientation and proactive personality will influence perceptions of the quality of learning and satisfaction. That is, students with a high learning goal orientation and high proactive personality will have higher perceptions of the quality of their learning and overall e-learning satisfaction (Kickul and Kickul). Meyen and Ronald Aust lists levels in organizational structures as the capability of the learner to access in an orientation level the provided modules, the importance of a support level that should be available for their review, the time spent on lessons provided that the modules are easily accessible and in proper chronology in the start with the option to be altered as long as learners have already gained a mastery of the interface. It is thus ideal to have a preview presentation serving as a reminder on the lessons regarding the coverage of formerly discussed topics. Ideally, they must also be able to print hard copies of the lectures conferred by the instructor. These features can comprise of notes, outlines, questions, activities, assessments and handouts including self-assessment feedbacks. On a practice level, the learner must answer what is designed in the pattern of the module provided. This should enable them to demonstrate what they were able to acquire with room for corrections, much in the case of a conventional classroom experience (Aust and Meyen, The Design and Development of a Scaleable E-learning Authoring System). Kickul and Kickul selected 241participants enrolled both in graduate and undergraduate programs in different areas of concentration to be part of their study. All are enrolled in an online program under the university. All data were gathered through the internet, involving questionnaires based on the web. The respondents are dispersed all over the United States. The study is particularly evaluative of the students’ perception of the effectiveness of studying online, its self-efficacy, goal orientation and other pertinent concepts (Kickul and Kickul). They have found that there is a considerable relationship among the support functions of e-learning and students’ use of tools provided by distance learning programs. This also helps in how the faculty assists in the implementation of online education. It is aptly described as a movement towards ‘high bandwidth-learning environment.’ This in an administrator’s point of view, will give rise to their insistence to strive in providing innovative technologies for different feasible areas that lack this pre-requisite (Kickul and Kickul). As one of the eminent figures in e-learning, Meyen has provided for what used to be a budding new form of education a working model for research and development. He was among the first to rigorously intensify research and proposed for the valid deliberation of e-learning as a viable option for alternative education. It has become since these studies an almost ordinary occurrence to acknowledge distance learning as a new form continously on its way to successive progression. Much of the problem lies in the absence or inconsistency thereof of regulation that limits and simultaneously categorizes legitimate from spurious online academic programs that are rampant on the web. Given such, it is still to a great regard that it is to the people’s benefit the uncomplicated availabilty of e-learning. Bibliography Aust, Ronald J. and Edward L. Meyen. "The Design and Development of a Scaleable E-learning Authoring System." IASTED International Conference (2005): 225-229. Aust, Ronald J., Edward L. Meyen and Chien-Hui Yang. September 2004. E-Learning Design Lab. 14 August 2009 . Imamoglu, Salih Z. "An Empirical Analysis Concerning the User Acceptance of E-learning." Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge (2007): 132-137. Kickul, Gerard and Jill Kickul. "Closing the Gap: Impact of Student Proactivity and Learning anf Learning Goal Orientation on E-Learning Outcomes." International Journal on E-learning (2006): 361-372. Meyen, Edward L. and Chien-Hui Yang. "Barriers to Implementing Large-Scale Online Staff Development Programs." Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (2003). Read More