Online education is a method of acquiring skills and knowledge through electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones, laptops, etc., using the Internet. It enables tutors or mentors to reach all students more flexibly and teach them relevant skills more efficiently. Students who can't attend traditional regular classes can now also learn anything from anywhere via the Internet. Like many other technological and specialized fields, online learning has many terms and abbreviations that may seem unfamiliar or confusing at first.
Understanding these core terms used in online learning, as well as in other forms of learning, can help people learn more about this important method of education. In this article, the main terms related to online education will be listed and explained to differentiate them from other uses and to identify precisely what they mean. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. In this web-based class, students watch video conferences and interact with educators and other students in online forums. Some MOOCs involve multiple-choice tests or questionnaires that are conducted online, while others use peer-reviewed articles as scoring criteria. In a VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), all-in-one software solutions that facilitate online learning create the online learning environment.
All types of digital media are used, including videos, chats, audio and podcasts. Tasks are sent through the software package and users can communicate with each other. Services provided by the administrator include access control, communication monitoring, and provision of learning content. Some examples of VLE include Moodle, OLAT and Blackboard.
This type of learning environment is also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or Learning Platform. A course management system consists of a set of educational and online tools. Educators can use these tools to create an online course with various types of content, such as videos or audio files. This content can be published on the Internet without using computer programming languages or HTML. EdTech (Educational Technology) includes many domains, such as learning theory, computerized training, and online learning. EdTech involves the use of digital tools for the learning process.
These tools can include images, videos, audio recordings, graphics, infographics, streaming videos, Internet learning, educational software, and more. It can happen in a classroom or anywhere with an Internet connection or a computer. Online learning describes a form of learning in which at least 80% of all related activities are done over the Internet and is a type of distance learning. It's a newer form of distance learning, as it only began to exist since the Internet became widely available. In online learning, a student may never be face-to-face with the instructor or with the other students participating in the course. Online learning is always a type of e-learning, because an electronic device is used to deliver information and a form of distance learning, since it is done without physically attending classes.
Online learning can also be mobile learning if educational content and activities are delivered through mobile devices, such as smartphones. Similarly, parents and caregivers of family members who may have variables in their availability during the week can use online learning as an opportunity to advance their education in their own time without being enslaved to a course schedule. It is a general term that includes any type of learning done on a computer and usually through the Internet. When used to its full potential, online education has been shown to be more effective than pure face-to-face teaching. For many non-traditional students, including those who want to continue working full time or raising a family, graduations and online courses have become popular over the past decade. This allows an online service, while providing validated course studies through the physical institution, to benefit from the advanced expertise and technology provided by an online provider. In its broadest terms, online education simply means acquiring knowledge through the use of teaching provided over the Internet. In other words, reading an article about birds in an online periodical would not be classified as online education but enrolling in a video course on ornithology taught by a teacher would be considered online education. This makes online study a valuable resource not only for the individual but for collective society as everyone benefits from informed and educated citizenship.
Examples of social media learning can occur through online social media platforms, blogs and microblogs (such as Twitter), online conversational radio, and wikis. Like fully online learning, this learning style is also well suited to non-traditional students such as those who have families to care for or other responsibilities that make traditional educational environments a challenge. A blended learning approach is a combination of face-to-face classroom experiences with online learning that if done well can combine the best of both worlds. Another difference that we can highlight is the “learning material” which differentiates online learning and distance education. With online education students can turn any place with internet and electricity access into a classroom.
