Communication between Students and Instructors in an E-Learning Program E-learning is very different from the traditional method of teaching in that there is no physical interaction among students and instructors as courses are delivered online. Unlike the traditional style of learning, students do not need to go to classrooms to attend class. All they need is a PC with Internet connection to gain access to the course.
Because of the absence of classroom interaction, an e-learning program must have a good communication platform so students and instructors will still have a venue where they can interact, collaborate, and exchange views even if the entire course is done online. This is important as classroom sharing and interaction is part of the learning process, which is very much present in a traditional setup of teaching. Therefore, an e-learning program must also provide the proper tool that students and instructors can use to communicate even if they are not face-to-face so they will have a chance to still learn from each other even if all activities are done online.
This can be made possible with the use of Learning Management System (LMS), which provides the tools needed for an effective communications among students and instructors.
One of the Learning Management System available in the market today is Instructure Canvas and it includes functions that allow for student-instructor collaboration and communication:
• Instructure Canvas makes use of technology as it allows students and instructors to interact via chat, discussion boards and more.
• Instructure Canvas also has student notification feature so students can be notified of exam schedules and various activities even when outside the LMS system as they can receive notification via email, Facebook and SMS.
Since e-learning uses the power of the latest technology to deliver the course effectively, it should also make use of the technology to provide tools for student-instructor interaction. Some of these tools that can be integrated in a Learning Management System of a university includes:
1. Internet Forums or Message Board. An Internet forum is an online message board where students and instructors can communicate by publishing message to the board. The instructor can start the thread by posting a topic for discussion on the message board and the students can interact by posting their views and comments in the board. This is the counterpart of recitations in a classroom setup. The instructors can grade the student based on the merits and value of the comments and messages posted by the students on the message board.
2. Social Media. Instructors can also use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in collaboration with the school’s LMS as a form of communication with their students. Almost everybody has an account in various networking sites so this can be a very effective means of communication. Instructors can post event, announcement for exams or lecture, invitation for a vote via Facebook and students can then receive feedbacks and publish their comments and questions too via this media so each one will be updated. Twitter also is an effective communication tool as both instructors and students can post real time messages and updates via this micro-blogging platform.
3. SMS. The power of SMS cannot also be dismissed since cellphone is a common gadget for everybody. Instructure Canvas has a feature that sends text messages to students enrolled in the class, which can easily be setup inside the LMS. By using text messages, students does not need to be inside or logged in to the LMS to be able to get messages and notifications from their instructors.
4. Email. Another tool that has been tapped by Instructure Canvas is email. Sending of email messages to all students under the course can also be setup inside LMS so notifications, conversations, discussions will be send to the students’ email address.
5. Chat. Instructors or students can initiate a chat conference for group collaboration, meetings, and discussions which is a very good tool as chat offers instantaneous sending of text messages from sender to receiver thereby reducing delay in the flow of communication.
Although e-learning offers a lot of benefits, it lacks the personal interaction that is present in a classroom setup. But by integrating the different technologies available into the learning management system, students and instructors now has a venue where they can communicate and share their thoughts which is really important factor for a successful learning process.
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