The Important of Online Learning_Part 2

A. Definition of e-learning

E-learning is the learning process which created using digital media, internet technology and online media for interaction and delivery materials. E-learning also can be defined as systems capability to storing, managing, or, modifying educational content by interaction between participants in the systems. Participants can insert, alter, or delete data through e-learning or LMS.

Students can access course materials, assignment, academic operation information, and also participate in group discussion.  Lecturer can interact with the students through discussion forum to give explanation about course material, and also guide the students to active in discussion forum by give triggering questions to the students. Nowadays, many universities use e-learning to improve the quality of teaching and learning process.

B. Benefits of e-learning

There are several benefits from e-learning as (1) easier to monitor the learning process because all of lecturer and students activities are captured in one Learning Management Systems (LMS); (2) cost saving for university because can reduce the funds for building and classroom; (3) cheaper for the students that can save time and money; (4) provide more instructor-student and student-student interaction than traditional systems; (5) and slow learners students can take advantage from  e-learning because they can spend more time to reading the materials and participate in discussion forum than in the traditional classroom.

C. Usability of e-learning

Usability is the degree which product or system can be used by the users to achieve the goals in an effective, efficient, and satisfactory ways. Usability is very important for e-learning because if e-learning has a good function but do not have good usability, then users can’t used e-learning optimally and there will be possibility from the users to avoid to use it. High usability will guarantee e-learning can be used effectively, efficiently, safe to use, has a good function, easy to learn and easy to use for the users.

To shows the relationship between usability and e-learning platform, there is conceptual framework which stated that there are two variables affect e-learning platform, which are independent variables that contains usability issues in terms of user friendliness and user satisfaction, and moderating variables that contains ICT policy, strategic plans, culture, legal issues, and demographic factors, as shown in Figure 1 below :

Fig 1. The Conceptual Framework [4]

From above figure, independent variables have strong affect to the usability of e-learning because users are the people that directly interact with e-learning, especially the students that need easily access and use of e-learning anytime, anywhere. In this research, we evaluate Binus University Online Learning. Continue to Part 3 of this article.

References :

• Jethro, O. O., Grace, A. M., & Thomas, A. K. (2012). E-Learning and Its Effects on Teaching and Learning in a Global Age. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 203
• Freire, Luciana Lopesa,, Arezes, Pedro Miguelb and Campos, José Creissacc. (2012). A literature review about usability evaluation methods for e-learning platforms. Deparment of Production and Systems Engineering – University of Minho – Guimarães, Portugal –, Deparment of Computer Science – Gualtar – University of Minho – Gualtar, Portugal –, Work 41 1038-1044 DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2012-0281-1038 IOS Press,1039
• Naif Jabli, A. Q. (2013). The Benefits and Barriers of E-learning in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences, 879.
• Nicholas KipkuruiKiget, Professor G. Wanyembi, AnselemoIkoha Peters. (2014). Evaluating Usability of E-Learning Systems in Universities. Department of Computer Science, MasindeMuliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya, Department of Information Technology, Mt. Kenya University, Thika, Kenya, School of Computing and Informatics, Kibabii University College, Bungoma, Kenya. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications (IJACSA), 5, No. 8, 2014, 97-98
• Alexander Blecken, Daniel Br¨uggemann, and Wiebke Marx. (2010). Usability Evaluation of a Learning Management System. Proceedings of the 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences – 2010,2