Romaa Lobo | SNDT Women's University (original) (raw)

Papers by Romaa Lobo

Thesis Chapters by Romaa Lobo

Online Teaching and learning has always been a daunting affair for both the learners as well, as ... more Online Teaching and learning has always been a daunting affair for both the learners as well, as the teachers. Today in the midst of a pandemic (Covid-19) , (A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of people), where many educational institutes are trying to creatively deal with such unforeseen and once-in-a-century catastrophic events that are being predicted as the ‘new normal’ and in order to adapt, schools and Institutes across the country have switched to remote learning- On-line learning /e Learning.
What is online learning? - Online learning is education that takes place over the Internet. It is often referred to as “e-learning” among other terms. However, online learning is just one type of “distance learning” - the umbrella term for any learning that takes place across distance and not in a traditional classroom.
According to DOMINIC UPTON (University of Worcester, UK) and SALLY ADAMS (University of Wolver Hampton, UK) a number of factors have led to the increasing delivery of online modules in higher education (HE) today. For example, there are reported benefits for management (Jenkins and Hanson, 2003), academics (Bain, 2000) and Students (Littlejohn and Higson, 2003). For students, it has been reported that traditional lectures are not a good way to learn (Biggs, 1999). Some researchers argue that neither students (Butler, 1992; Husbands, 1996) nor teachers (Willcoxson, 1998) regard lectures as effective and students now expect technology to be used effectively as part of their learning experience. Some have suggested that web-based learning appeals to students both on and off campus (e.g., Waschull, 2001). Students find such learning appealing and engaging and may therefore be more involved and motivated as a consequence. The benefits for student learning and performance of online learning have also been investigated. The results so far are equivocal. For example, both Steele, Johnson
Palensky, Lynch, Lacy and Duffy, (2002) reported both positive and negative responses from students to the introduction of online resources. Similarly, researchers have suggested that those in online courses may score better, the same, or a classroom-based method.

However all individuals are unique in terms of their abilities, interests, habits, capabilities, attitudes, aptitudes etc. Similarly each individual possess a different way to learn the things. All students have their own “style” for collecting and organizing information into useful knowledge, and the online environment can be particularly well suited to some learning styles and personality needs.
According to The Memletics Accelerated Learning System, each person prefers different learning styles and techniques. These styles are-
• Visual- prefer using pictures, images and spatial understanding
• Aural- prefer using sound and music
• Verbal- prefer using words both in speech and writing
• Physical- prefer using your body hands and sense of touch
• Logical- prefer using logic, reasoning and systems
• Social- prefer to learn in groups or with other people
• Solitary- prefer to work alone and use self-study.
There is evidence of the benefits of online learning (Gorman, 2000; Pereira and Murzyn, 2001), there is less evidence on the types of students who benefit. There may be a distinction between those who can benefit and those who cannot. In other words the question arises whether there are those who can benefit more than others from online learning? This may be on the basis of basic demographic differences such as gender differences, age difference, or differences related to the familiarity with technology.
For example, whether students with different personality types benefit more, or students in different years of academic levels, the type of course going through. Finally, it may be related to students’ learning style, or their expectations of teaching. It is likely that online teaching is going to become more prevalent throughout higher education globally.
The aim of the present study is to determine the characteristics of users (i.e., in terms of demographic details, learning style and attitude towards e-learning) who would both use and benefit most from an online learning.