E-learning: Issues and Challenges

Full text

International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887)
Volume 97– No.5, July 2014
20
E-learning: Issues and Challenges
Hemant Rana
SOCIS
IGNOU
New Delhi-68
Rajiv
SOCIS
IGNOU
New Delhi-68
Manohar Lal
SOCIS
IGNOU
New Delhi-68
ABSTRACT
Providing education and training to the masses on gigantic
scale, for economic survival and to meet the ever-changing
requirements of the society and also to meet the individual’s
special requirements and tastes, is not possible through the
conventional system of education based on brick-and-mortar
schools, colleges and universities. The World Wide Web
(WWW) is being used to improve communication,
collaboration, sharing of resources, promoting active learning,
and delivery of education in distance learning mode. Distance
Education, E-learning and Virtual Universities may provide
the desired solution. E-Learning may be taken as the latest
form of distance learning mediated by state-of-art
technologies like Internet and World-Wide-Web. In recent
years, many of the universities and educational institutions
worldwide offer online services such as for admissions,
virtual (online) learning environments in order to facilitate the
lifelong learning and to make this compatible with other
educational management activities. Current e-learning
research brings together pedagogical, technical and
organisational concerns within a wider set of socio-cultural
factors. Understanding issues &challenges in respect of e-
learning is of significant importance to the research
communities involved in e-learning and will have a significant
role in forming future practices. In consulting the INDIA
research community, a number of research issues &
challenges are required to be addressed to promote more
efficient learning techniques.
General Terms
e-learning, education.
Keywords
distance education, e-learning, education, WWW.
1. INTRODUCTION
In the previous (i.e., 20th) century, we witnessed an
unprecedented technological advancement ─ specially, in the
fields of electronic computing and communications ─
changing our lives and our perspective of the world in an
unimaginable way. The computing and communications
revolution, while improving quality of our life, has also
brought in its wake a number of challenges. The world has
become a (global) village [7]. The global village view of the
world presents us with a number of formidable challenges
including the ones due to the following facts:
 The patterns of trade, competitions and
technological innovation are changing at an ever-
increasing rate.
 There is exponential growth of knowledge, again, at
an ever-increasing rate.
 There are world-wide social concerns for freedom
and general quality of life.
 Demand for universal access in respect of
opportunities for relevant and quality education ─
especially for economic survival and advantage.
In view of the above-mentioned challenges, for a community
or nation to survive and lead, it is essential that at least, its
working-age group is provided means for mass
learning/education so that it is well-equipped with latest
required skills for various economic and intellectual activities.
Providing education and training to the masses on gigantic
scale, for economic survival and to meet the ever-changing
requirements of the society and also to meet the individual’s
special requirements and tastes, is not possible through the
conventional system of education based on brick-and-mortar
schools, colleges and universities. Distance Education, E-
learning and Virtual Universities may provide the desired
solution.
Continuous efforts in the field of communication technologies
have resulted in more efficient & cost effective mode of
learning as compared to traditional strategies of learning. Now
students & educators have better control on the process of
teaching & learning. However, from academic point of view,
two questions may arise immediately:
What does e-Learning mean exactly?
Is e-Learning really the best way to acquire knowledge or
education?
The answer to the first question cannot be given exactly,
because it is still a topic of research and discussions are still
going on. The concept like e-Learning is relatively a new term
and has been evolving over number of previous years.
Through this paper, author is trying to focus on various issues
and challenges in implementing E-learning system. E-
learning is a very broad area of research in terms of education
system. In this paper, it starts with an introduction on e-
learning system and followed by the some definitions on e-
learning and distance education. Section 3 is all about the
discussion on issues and challenges in different areas of e-
learning domain. In section 4, introduces analysis and
recommendations to overcome these challenges. And finally
section 5 tells you about future scope of e-learning.
2. SOME RELEVANT DEFINATIONS &
EXPLANATIONS
In order to set the subject matter in proper perspective it begin
with some brief descriptions [8].
Distance Education: As, later on, they are going to mention
that e-learning is the state-of-art computing and
communication mediated Distance Education; it is desirable

International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887)
Volume 97– No.5, July 2014
21
to enumerate the characteristic features of Distance Education,
which are identified by Keegan (1980) [1] , one of the
pioneers in the discipline, as follows:
 The separation of learner and teacher
 Influence of an educational organization
 The use of media as a medium between a teacher
and a learner(like, TV, RADIO etc )
 Facilitate two-way exchange of information
 Learners as an individual rather than in group; and
 Educators as an industrialized form
E-Learning: Rosenberg (2001) [2] Defines the term e-
learning as, the use of Internet technologies to deliver a broad
array of solutions that enhance knowledge and performance”.
e-learning is based on three fundamental criteria suggested by
Rosenberg [2]:
 Networked for instant updating, distribution,
storage/retrieval and sharing of information.
 Content delivery via computer using WWW.
 It focuses on the broadest view of learning and
learning solutions.
Thus, e-Learning may be taken as the latest form of distance
learning mediated by state-of-art technologies like Internet
and World-Wide-Web. They must remember that e-Learning
is much more than online training or Computer-Based
Training (CBT), encompassing knowledge management and
electronic performance support, Computer –conferencing
enabling group communication, enabled by Internet and
WWW is one the key characteristics of e-learning which
makes it qualitatively much superior to the conventional
distance learning paradigm [2], [4] , [5].
Longmire (2001) states “e-Learning covers a wide set of
applications and processes such as computer-based learning
systems, Web-based learning systems, virtual classrooms, and
digital collaborative learning GroupWare packages. E-
Learning content is mainly delivered via Internet,
intranet/extranet, audiotape and videotape; satellite broadcast,
interactive TV, DVD and CD-ROM, and the still to emerge
wireless application protocols (WAP) “[3 ].
Computer - based conferencing that enables group
communication, and is itself enabled by Internet and WWW -
is one of the key characteristic of e-Learning which makes it
qualitatively much superior to the conventional distance
learning paradigm.
Key attributes of e-Learning, as subsumed by the above
definition, may be explicitly stated as:
 Many-to-many (i.e. group) communication
 Any place (place independence)
 Any time (asynchronicity, time independence)
 Text, enhanced by multi-media and
 Computer-conferencing (i.e., computer mediated
messaging)
In order to facilitate learning & education, web is being used
as the backbone and we cannot underestimate its value in
delivery and promoting effective learning to the people.
For about last two decades, the World Wide Web(WWW) is
being used to improve communication, collaboration, sharing
of resources, promoting active learning, and delivery of
education in distance learning mode[6][16]. The WWW helps
teachers in planning suitable online delivery structure, sharing
goals of learning, and activities for their courses.
In recent years, many of the universities and educational
institutions worldwide offer online services such as for
admissions, virtual (online) learning environments in order to
facilitate the lifelong learning and to make this compatible
with other educational management activities[9]. For
example, a teacher may create a purely Web-based delivery
system including online handouts in respect of student’s
activities, projects and lists of resources for reference. The
students and other learners may access web-based material
anytime from anywhere in the world, being connected through
Internet[15].
3. ISSUES & CHALLENGES IN E-
LEARNING
3.1 Technological Challenges
The e-learning raises significant challenges in the
technological research area. For development of e-learning
resources that meet the users requirement need to be
addressed. The technological challenges of e-learning can be
considered as a two key technological research areas.
3.2 Development of New Forms of
Learning community and Interactive
Learning
In e-learning environments interaction, cooperation and
community play an important role to support learning. The
developments in the area of e-learning environments provide
new forms of interaction for learning experience. It generates
new relationships between learner and computer and also
form a new learning community. Key issues include:
 New forms of multimodal interface to support
learning.
 New techniques to understand and support learning
communities.
 The development of systems to support mobile
communities of learners.
 Personalisation techniques that meet user personal
needs and current activity.
 Techniques to promote and support interaction.
 Discovery of new learning communities.
 Support for time to time assessment services.
3.3 Developing New Knowledge Facilities
for e-learning
e-learning environment needs to support the rapid increase in
the size and variety of data by appropriate semantic services.
The semantic services generate a surrounding semantic
context for learning support. Research that needs to work on:
 Development of learning and reasoning theories for
uncertain and incomplete knowledge.
 Support for the development of large-scale learning
facilities.
 Support for a dynamic learning process.
 Support for information sharing across different
learning facilities.
 Developments of lightweight knowledge capture
technique for promotion of lifelong learning.

International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887)
Volume 97– No.5, July 2014
22
 Development of learning support services as per the
requirement of different domains and users.
3.4 Research Issues for e-learning
Current e-learning research brings together pedagogical,
technical and organisational concerns within a wider set of
socio-cultural factors. These factors influence the research
agenda in e-learning system. Understanding these broader
social and cultural issues is of significant importance to the
research communities involved in e-learning and will have a
significant role in informing future practices. In consulting the
INDIA research community, a number of research issues
emerged:
Interdisciplinary, and the notion of multiple voices, is a
defining characteristic of the area. How do different research
perspectives influence the overall area? How do problems in
the practice of different disciplines differ in the adoption and
use of learning technologies?
Access and inclusion, includes issues around the widening
participation agenda. What are the barriers to inclusion and
what are the issues surrounding the extent of the digital
divide?
Change, and its relationship to learning technologies. How
does change impact upon motivational issues? What are the
drivers and rationales for change? What are appropriate
strategies for managing changes and mechanisms for their
implementation?
Convergence and interoperability, in terms of exploration
of different forms of convergence (organisational,
technological, pedagogical, sectoral, institutional, etc). How
well do they understand issues of globalisation and scalability
standards to support interoperability? These are complex
relationships. A current focus is also on standardisation across
the pedagogical, technical, organisational and human aspects
versus critique of convergence.
Interactivity and social interaction: How does the
interactivity of different tools relate to, or impact upon, the
nature of the medium? How is interactivity expressed at
different levels of organisations, and how have organisational
boundaries and functional groupings blurred as a consequence
of new technologies? What potential do the new technologies
have to enhance communication and collaboration and also
creating new communities and networks?
4. ANALYSIS & RECOMMENDATIONS
According to the study, learning contents and learning
communities got the highest priority in e-learning research. In
these areas, lots of development has to be made. As
technology is growing day by day, learner interest in e-
learning increases very rapidly. Now researcher has begun to
work on the designing new e-learning methodologies that can
work according to learners' interest and preference. For
predicting learner interest, they have to study learner
behavior, learning style by their online activities and search
criteria.
Experts in the field believe that some of the most promising
features of modern e-learning platforms will be Web with
intelligence, i.e., an intelligent web. Applications will work
intelligently with the efficient use of Human-Computer
interaction (HCI) and intelligence. Different Artificial
Intelligence (AI) based tools & techniques (such as, rough
sets, fuzzy sets, neural networks, machine learning etc) can be
integrated with the e-learning applications to support
intelligence [10].
In support of e-learning on the web, a new version of World
Wide Web called Web 3.0 has been proposed as a possible
future consisting of the integration of high-powered graphics
(Scalable Vector Graphics or SVG) and semantic data. There
have also been discussions around 3-D social networking
systems and immersive 3-D internet environments that will
take the best of virtual worlds (such as Second Life) and
gaming environments and merge them with the Web. Web 3.0
based e-learning services will be having constructive impact
on education. Web 3.0 technologies offer benefits of 3D-
wikis, 3D Labs; Intelligent Agent based search engines,
Virtual environments like Avatar, Semantic Digital Libraries
that may result in added advantage in delivery of effective e-
learning to the mass [9][13].
Fig 1: Web 3.0 Tools & Services
Semantic web is another promising technology for realisation
of e-learning requirement. In the simplest terms, we can
define Semantic Web as a relationship between things,
described in a manner which makes people and machines able
to understand [9]. One of the objectives of Semantic Web is to
identify, recognise and extract the exact required data that
matches the keywords provided by the user. semantic web
facilitates flexible and personalised access to the learning
material. semantic web is suitable platform for
implementation of e-learning environment because it provides
ontology-based annotation of learning materials, ontology
development and proactive delivery of the learning materials
through e-learning systems [11].
e-learning is a complex system with multiple forms and
different level of interest of learner. To make e-learning
system to more interactive for learner, researchers need to
take decision at every level of learning cycle. A Decision
Support System (DSS) is an interactive information system
that provides models, data manipulation tools and
information. DSS helps to make decisions in semi-structured
and unstructured situation [12]. By offering such approach,
education system could play much better for student centric
operation towards positive improvement of his performance
[9].

International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887)
Volume 97– No.5, July 2014
23
5. FUTURE OF E-LEARNING
Over the past few years, adoption of technology in the
education has increased significantly. Most of the universities
like to invest in modern forms of learning, therefore it may be
seen that the growth of e-learning is expanding tremendously.
The new form of education through technology is attracting
entrepreneurs around the world to invest and develop new
forms of e-learning products.
According to recent studies done by Docebo[14] in 2014, the
global market growth for Self-Paced E-Learning reached
$35.6 billion in 2011. The five- year compound annual growth
rate for e-learning is estimated approximately 7.9%. Hence,
the global revenues should reach approximately $51.5 billion
dollars by 2016 as shown in figure 2.
Fig 2: Global E-Learning Market [14]
Studies shows aggregate e-learning growth 7.9% annually
worldwide but regional growth is somehow much more in
some specific continents. According to figure 3, the highest
growth rate is in Asia at 17.3%, followed by Eastern Europe,
Africa, and Latin America at 16.9%, 15.2%, and 14.6%,
respectively. Entrepreneurs from the world are attracting to
this market as the revenues generated in this market are
extremely high.
Fig 3: Regional E-Learning Market [14]
In Asia, specifically, Indian universities are focusing into
effective higher distance education to provide cheaper
effective education to the learners. India has become a mature
player for higher distance education in the Asian E-Learning
market.
6. CONCLUSION
This paper discusses about the formulation of the problem and
their need and prospects in today’s education field. We
discussed why e-Learning is required at all, followed by
relevant definitions quoting some pioneers in the field.
Through this paper, we trying to focus on various issues and
challenges in implementing E-learning system. E-learning is a
very broad area of research in terms of education system. Web
3.0 technologies offer benefits of 3D-wikis, 3D Labs;
Intelligent Agent based search engines, Virtual environments
like Avatar, Semantic Digital Libraries that may result in
added advantage in delivery of effective e-learning to the
mass. Semantic web is another promising technology for
realisation of e-learning requirement. In view of the facts that
AI technologies plays significant role in almost every domain
of human experience, specially, when the domain is complex.
Modern e-learning platforms are required to be equipped
intelligence, i.e., an intelligent web. Applications can work
intelligently with the efficient use of Human-Computer
interaction (HCI) and intelligence. Different Artificial
Intelligence (AI) based tools & techniques (such as, rough
sets, fuzzy sets, neural networks, machine learning etc) can be
integrated with the e-learning applications to support
intelligence. . To make e-learning system to more interactive
for learner, researchers need to take decisions at every level of
learning cycle. A Decision Support System (DSS) is an
interactive information system that provides models, data
manipulation tools and information. DSS helps to make
decisions in semi-structured and unstructured situation. By
offering such approach, education system could play much
better for student centric operation towards positive
improvement of his performance.
7. REFERENCES
[1] Keegan, D. (1980). On Defining Distance Education:
Distance Education 1(1) 13-36.
[2] Rosenberg, M. J. (2001). E-learning: Strategies for
delivering knowledge in the digital age. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
[3] Longmire, W. (2001). A Primer on Learning Objects.
Managing Web-Based Training : ASTD.
[4] Tomei, A., (2003). Challenges of teaching with
technology across the curriculum: issues and solutions.
Information Science Publishing.
[5] Mortimore, P., (1999). Understanding pedology and its
impact on learning. Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.
[6] Rana, Hemant, Rajiv, and Prof. Manohar Lal. "Rough
set based system for effective E-learning." Computing
for Sustainable Global Development (INDIACom),
2014 International Conference on. IEEE, 2014; ISSN
0973–7529 and ISBN 978-93-80544-10-6.
[7] Harasini L., et al. (2001). The Virtual University: A
State of the Art. Advances in Computers, Vol. 55, PP 1-
47.
[8] Witten I.H., et al. (2000). Greenstone: A comprehensive
Open-Source Digital Library Software System. ACM
2000 Digital Library, PP 113-121.
[9] Rajiv & Manohar Lal, (2011). Web 3.0 in Education &
Research, BVICAM’s International Journal of
Information Technology (BIJIT), Vol. 3 No. 2; ISSN
0973 – 5658.
[10] Robin D. Morris, (2011). Web 3.0: Implications for
Online Learning, TechTrends Vol. 55, No. 1 Springer.

International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887)
Volume 97– No.5, July 2014
24
[11] L. Stojanovic, S. Staab, and R. Studer, (2001). E-
learning based on semantic web, WEBNET 2001.
[12] M.S. Velmurugan and K. Narayansamy, (2008).
Application of decision support system in e-commerce,
Communications of the IBIMA, Vol. 5.
[13] Han Xiaoting, Niu Li, (2010). Subject Information
Integration of Higher Education Institutions in the
Context of Web3.0, 2nd International Conference
onIndustrial Mechatronics and Automation, 978-1-4244-
7656-5/10, 2010, IEEE.
[14] E-Learning Market Trends & Forecast 2014 - 2016
Report , A report by Docebo, March 2014, URL:
http://www.docebo.com/landing/contactform/elearning-
market-trends-and-forecast-2014-2016-docebo-
report.pdf (accessed 30/06/14).
[15] Hemant Rana, Rajiv, Prof. Manohar Lal, (2014). Role of
Artificial Intelligence based Technologies in e-learning,
International Journal of Latest Trends in Engineering,
Science and Technology (IJLTEST) , Volume 1, Issue 5,
May 2014, ISSN: 2055-530X(online), ISSN: 2055-
5296(print), London, United Kingdom.
[16] Rana, Hemant, Rajiv, and Prof. Manohar Lal. "Rough
set based system for effective E-learning." IEEE, 2014;
ISBN: 978-93-80544-10-6.
IJCATM : www.ijcaonline.org