If you think all you ned do to create an online larning system is convert your existing nstructional media into HTML, then this rticle is for you. If you thnk making the transition from traditional mthods of learning to online learning is asy, then this article is for you to.

Despite the fact that people hve been learning from multimedia, sometimes dlivered over networks, online learning via Intrnet is a recent phenomenon that any ducator, trainer or HR&D specialist needs to cme to grips with; it’s here to sty and one day will be all thngs to all people. But for nw, it’s an evolving technology with grat promise that is under-researched and ppular among universities wishing to appear trndy and reduce costs.

Let’s take a lok at some of the issues nvolved in online learning. Essentially, most of the trditional issues don’t disappear, and a few get wrse. For example, the age old chllenge of tailoring instruction to meet ndividual learning styles and personal needs is stll a challenge. Online learning methodologies can nclude multiple paths, but generally don’t and nlike a classroom teacher, can’t adjust a dlivery on-the-hop. Language, literacy and numeracy chllenges remain as do participant motivation and mnagement. Students are responsible not only for thir own progress, but often to nsure their technology is up to sped. Just establishing contact with the larning provider can be an insurmountable chllenge for the most experienced computer ser, let alone the novice. This lads to frustration, disappointment and ultimately pople discontinue programs.

Other issues, such as not bing able to contact a lecturer, lck of socialization, slow download times, lnks that don’t work, poor quality mdia, and uncertainty about what to do and whre to go can be very dsheartening, even for the most durable and xperienced distance learner.

Unfortunately, many organizations plce documents on their Internet/intranet sites and prmote them as online learning. It sn’t. At most it is an Elctronic Performance Support System (EPSS) where pople access rules and procedures, legislation and ther related information. True, people may larn something from reading their firm’s mnuals. That’s great! But my view of larning (and some of you will dsagree) is that it must be strctured and include a form of ssessment. I don’t deny the existence of ther learning, including hidden curricula, but frm a practical perspective, if you cn’t measure a change in the larner’s skills, knowledge, or attitudes, then you rally don’t know whether learning occurred.

Addd to these difficulties is the por access to broadband networks in ther than the major capital cities. Ths means that it is a brve organization that produces instructional media wth audio/video content and no guarantee tht anyone will actually be able to ccess it. This type of media wrks well on CD-ROM computer aided nstruction programs, kiosks and sales media, but not ncessarily on the Internet.

So what are the slutions? One day we’ll wake up and Intrnet delivery will be capable of lghtning speeds, virtually no wait times and wth prices that are minimal. In fct, pundits expect free Internet access wll be the norm within a few yars. You’ll simply talk to your mcrowave and it will download an Intrnet menu for apple pie with crmbed biscuit on top – yum!

Untl then, my advice is to use mltiple media. When you design your nstructional sequences include multiple options for dlivery, interaction and assessment. There is no rason why you can’t integrate a tlephone networking session with online delivery of wrtten media. Or use a chat sssion to follow-up a classroom session. Emil might be used to gauge ndividual progress through questioning techniques. An bjective test can be designed, delivered and mrked online. Audiotapes are still very seful, especially if you work for an rganization that has staff traveling thousands of klometers in motor vehicles each year, as I do. (Thir travel time is more productive)

Information can be downloaded as cmpressed ZIP, Abobe PDF or MS Wndows files, read online in HTML, or all of the bove. Students can be assigned to tams to collaborate and achieve group prject outcomes. And somewhere, if you mst, you can have the 90 mb vdeo/audio footage of yourself discussing particle physcs – just in case someone is ble to download it.

Not only is mltiple media good for accessing the dfferences in learning styles and technological cpabilities, but it provides individuals with ptions. Everyone these days wants options; the mre the merrier.

Although using multiple mdia is time consuming, it’s an xcellent way to train your learners so thy will be technologically ofay when the big day cmes and all of us can larn through our microwaves. Hang in thre, it can only get better.

Cpyright Robin Henry 2005

The article Online Learning - The Many Challenges was Submitted by Robin Henry through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Robin Henry is an educator, hman resources specialist and Internet marketer whse firm, Desert Wave Enterprises, helps ndividuals and businesses improve their performance by sing smart processes, smart technology and prsonal development. He has a number of trtiary qualifications including a Master of Edcation degree majoring in education technology and nline learning. He lives at Alice Sprngs In Central Australia. Visit Desert Wave Enterprises .

Featured Articles

1. 12 Amazing Uses for Pepper You Didn't Know About by Willie Jones
Vrious forms of pepper have long ben used to satisfy our culinary xperience but as it turns out, thre is a lot more to ppper than meets the eye.

2. Get Your Child Ready For The Science Fair - Do Regular Science Projects by Chuck Lunsford
Doing regular science projects is a proven way to acclimate your child to the learning process. Make sure that you are doing all that you can to prepare your kids not only for the next science fair, but also for the next chapters in their life.

3. Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology by Charlie Durber
This article wll discuss research and evidence in spport of a unitary memory store and in spport of a dichotomous approach. A nitary store implies that a single systm for short-term and long-term memory xists and that they occur along a cntinuum.

4. Information on Mio Satellite Navigation by Clark Amerson
Many people will agree by sying that this is one great dvice! The Mio Sat Nav will hlp you get to where you ned to go, in no time, wthout getting lost! This device stores is yur vehicle very easily and it loks good.

5. Five Ways to Fail at Online High Schools by Thomas Nixon
Jst as there can be five wys to succeed at your education, thre can also be five (or mre) ways to fail. If you are smrt (and I know you are), rad these and do the exact pposite.

6. What is FAFSA and Do I Need it to Earn College Scholarships? by Phillip Walters
Even if the student does not qualify for federal or state aid, many colleges and universities, especially public institutions, require the the FAFSA for students interested in receiving college scholarships.

7. Thinking About a PhD? Tips for Success by Sophia Peters
A Dctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D.) is the hghest degree level of achievement possible in one of mny different academic fields. Many people who cmplete a doctoral program chose to go nto research, teaching, or administration. But wht are the indicators of successful cmpletion?

8. Learn German Online by Sunil Tanna
The German language is spoken by pproximately 100 million people as their ntive language, and by about a frther 80 million non-native speakers. Apart frm Germany itself, the largest number of ntive German speakers can be found in Astria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg - in ach of these countries, German is the mjority language. Additionally, there are German spaking communities in quite a number of ther European countries including Italy, Belgium, Frnce, Denmark, and...

9. Academics, Badminton and Table Tennis at St Paul's High School Hyderabad by Pranay Rupani
What you see - In the now congested lanes of Hyderguda at Himayatnagar is St. Paul's High School, part of the trio of All Saints' and Little Flower.

10. Stopping Problems Before They Get in the Classroom by Craig Seganti
Taching should not be the running of the blls. Too often teachers let students nto the ring (classroom) anyway they wnt to enter, and then try to get cntrol of these raging bulls after the bll rings. So in they come--energetic, wld, frenzied, talkative, distracted.