Page 165 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

146 5 Innovative EC Systems: From E-Government to E-Learning, Knowledge Management, E-Health, and C2C Commerce

E-learning can be very useful in developing countries. For The top constraints for corporate e-learning are: (1) too
an example of positive results in Jamaica, see Thompson costly to create and maintain; (2) difficulties persuading people
(2014). For the top ten e-learning statistics in 2014 with an to learn in new ways; (3) insufficient technological support; (4)
infographic, see elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning- employee hesitation to contribute to social learning; and (5)
statistics- for-2014-you-need-to-know. For how to teach learners may prefer traditional classroom instruction.
with e-learning including the design of material, see Clark Advanced technologies can reduce some of the above and
and Mayer (2016). other drawbacks and constraints. For example, some online
software products have features that help stimulate student
Drawbacks and Challenges of E-Learning thinking. Biometric controls can be used to verify the iden-
tity of students who are taking examinations from a distance.
Despite the numerous benefits for both the learners and the However, these features add to the costs of e-learning.
teaching organizations, e-learning does have some draw- For more about the disadvantages of e-learning, see
backs, such as the following: peoplelearn.homestead.com/ELearning/Introduction/
Disadvantages.html.

• Need for instructor retraining. Some instructors
do not have the knowledge to teach by electronic Distance Learning and Online Universities
means and may require training, which costs money.
• Equipment needs and support services. Additional The term distance learning, also known as distance educa-
funds are needed (by the teaching institute) to pur- tion, refers to education where the teacher and students are in
chase e-learning systems that supplement traditional different locations. In such a case, the student is separated
ones. These are needed for e-learning creation, use, from a classroom by distance and possibly time. Sometimes
and maintenance. students meet once or twice at a physical location in order to
• Lack of face-to-face interaction and campus life- get to know each other, meet the instructor or coordinator, or
style. Many feel that the intellectual stimulation take examinations. Distance learning is becoming widely
that takes place through interaction in a classroom used in universities and learning institutions around the
with “live” instructors and peers cannot fully be globe. Major universities offer courses and degrees via this
replicated with e-learning. mode, which is becoming more recognized and acceptable.
• Assessments and examinations. In the higher edu- For details, see onlineeducation.net.
cation environment, one criticism is that professors
may not be able to adequately assess student work Virtual Universities—Real Degrees
completed through e-learning. There is no way of
knowing, for example, who actually completed the The concept of virtual universities, online universities
assignments or exams. (Nevertheless, the same is where students take classes from home via the Internet, is
true for any homework done outside the classroom). expanding rapidly. Hundreds of thousands of students in
• Maintenance and updating. Although e-learning many countries, from the United Kingdom to Israel to
materials are easier to update than traditionally pub- Thailand, are taking online classes. A large number of exist-
lished materials, there are practical difficulties (e.g., ing universities, including Stanford University and other top-
cost, instructors’ time) in keeping e-learning materials tier universities, offer online education of some form; for
current. The content of e-learning material can be dif- example, MIT offers thousands of their courses online (see
ficult to maintain due to the lack of ownership of, and courses at ocw.mit.edu). Millions of independent learners
accountability for, website material. The developers from all over the world (students, professors, self-learners)
of online content might not be those who update it. log on to the MIT OpenCourseWare site each year (see
• Need for reliable wireline and wireless commu- ocw.mit.edu/about and ocw.mit.edu/about/site-statistics).
nication networks and devices. Privacy needs to Some universities, such as University of Phoenix (phoenix.
be protected as well as systems need to be secured. edu), National University (nu.edu), and the University of
• Protection of intellectual property. It is difficult and Maryland (umuc.edu), offer hundreds of courses and dozens
expensive to control the transmission of copyrighted of degrees online to students worldwide. The California
works downloaded from the e-learning platform. Virtual Campus (cvc.edu) provides a directory and links to
• Student retention. Without some human feedback thousands of courses and online degree programs offered by
and intervention, it may be difficult to keep certain colleges and universities in California (see cvc.edu/courses).
students engaged and energetic. For information about distance learning resources and online
universities, see distancelearn.about.com. For a list of the