Essay Sample on E-Learning: Live Online Classrooms for Knowledge Acquisition

Introduction

E-learning describes a process where the acquisition of knowledge is predominantly made online rather than traditional classroom learning. It involves digital strategies and mechanisms where an educator or a professor, convene an interactive class online regarding a particular course or program. Unlike a recorded DVD, e-learning constitutes all the characteristics of a traditional classroom as it enables learners to raise hands digitally and air their sentiments live. It is a live classroom on the internet devoid of physical attributes! (eLearningNC.gov, 2019).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The issue of choosing the appropriate learning theory has been a bone of contention with critics dismissing the learning theories as out-of-touch with modern reality. However, I maintain that these learning theories are contemporary and should be given a space in the e-learning niche. Specifically, I contend that e-learning courses should be based primarily on the theory of behaviorism. Behaviorism is a learning theory that stresses the importance of environmental factors in modeling behavior. The theory traces its roots in an a1913 study by Watson which explicitly stated that behaviorists were purely experimental individuals with the theoretical goals of prediction and control (McLeod, 2017). Other psychologists such as B.F Skinner, Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson and Rayner also made immense contributions in the field of behaviorism.

First, behaviorism enables e-learning professionals to utilize the reinforcement and punishment aspects of learning (Keramida, 2015). This can be done through feedback whenever an online class is convened. Feedback in the context of behaviorism is a sort of conditioning that can elicit a response to stimuli. When the educator receives the correct answers from the learners, he can use positive comments to reinforce the behavior. This way, the learners keep up the reading culture as they get the "reward" of desirable comments.

Behaviorism is based on the premise that learning occurs as a result of an individual's response to stimuli. Environmental factors are the dominant forces that control the behavior of the learner. The objectives in behavioristic learning are predetermined and customized to yield desired results (Karageorgakis, 2018). As such, the theory enables the use of such practices as repetition, feedback and recognition, response measurement, and gamification to instill knowledge in learners and model behavior. However, the learning theory has received criticism for not being learner-centered and relying on the subject being taught and then later tested and relies on the item being "taught" and then later. "Tested"

The 4-Plex Model of Networked Learning accurately fits in the educational theory through its four main objectives which include provision of mechanisms that enable interactive relationships that knows no boundaries, a systematic and theoretical enquiry transcending cultural, communication and creative addition domains, provision of transferrable credentials and performing the aforementioned tasks in tandem with the geographic and developmental requirements of professionals(LaRue & Galindo, 2010).

References

eLearningNC. (2019). What is eLearning? Retrieved from http://www.elearningnc.gov/about_elearning/what_is_elearning/

Karageorgakis, T. (2018). Constructivism And Behaviorism In Designing Online Learning Programs. Designing Online Learning Programs. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/designing-online-learning-programs-constructivism-behaviorism

Keramida, M. (2015). Behaviorism In Instructional Design For eLearnin. When And How To Use. https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional-design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use

LaRue, B., & Galindo, S. (2010). Corporate Learning. Synthesizing Higher Education and Corporate Learning Strategies. http://applieddevelopmentservices.com/organization-learningknowledge-transfer/

McLeod, S. (2017). Simply Psychology. Behaviorist Approach. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html