What is web-based learning?

Web-based
learning has got much attention as being an incredible opportunity to study nowadays.
Despite of its popularity the notion still remains unclear and confusing.
What is web-based learning? First of all it has many names. You have probably heard the
following terms: online learning, e-learning, computer-based training, technology-based
instruction etc. Generally the meaning and the basic concept of them are the
same. Web-based learning is one way to learn, using web-based technologies or
tools in a learning process. In other words, learner uses mainly computers to interact
with the teacher, other students and learning material. Web-based learning consists
of technology that supports traditional classroom training and online learning
environments."Pure" web-based courses are wholly based on computer and online
possibilities. In this case all the communication and learning activities are done online.
On the other hand, web-based courses may have some face-to-face sessions besides the
distant learning tasks. In this case they are called blended courses as they blend webbased activities with face-to-face activities.
Web-based learning can be also formal or informal. Formal web-based learning is
purposed and learning activities are organised by teachers. Informal learning takes
place while you are searching material from the Internet. It is self-paced, depending on
your goals and ambition to learn.

What is different in web-based learning?

Think about what traditional learning is and what web-based learning is. In your opinion,
what are the differences and similarities between them?
Generally, web-based learning and traditional learning are similar in terms of desired
goals: to acquire new knowledge and skills. In both ways the teacher is mentoring
and students are doing various learning activities. Differences between them are seen
when we take a closer look at learning activities and tools, teaching approaches,
communication issues, etc.
The biggest difference between web-based learning and traditional learning is
in communication issues. Web-based learning offers many opportunities for
interaction with both fellow students and instructors. Communication can take place via
various communication tools such as e-mail, telephone, chat etc. In a traditional way of
learning communication and interaction take place mostly at the same time and place as

face-to-face meetings. You can learn more about communication on the web in the
fourth part of this material.
Due to the distance between the teacher and students in a web-based learning new
learning and teaching approaches are needed. Web-based learning enables learnercentred approach. Learning is seen as an active construction of meaning. The main
idea behind teaching is to guide and facilitate learning. Group work and independent
learning are at the same time the key words of web-based learning. In traditional
learning teacher-centred approach is more common, teacher giving/providing knowledge
and students passively receiving it.
Prerequisite for using new approaches is changes of roles of teachers and students.
In web-based learning, the teacher is a motivator who encourages and supports
students in independent and group work activities. Teacher should be an organiser who
plans learning activities to support students in learning process. In addition, teacher has
to be a mentor who guides and tutors students through learning material and learning
tasks. Students are active in their learning process. Students should construct their
own knowledge and organise their learning. Furthermore, they should be able
to adopt new technology-based learning tools and approaches.
As a result from new teaching and learning approaches student assessment in webbased courses is also different. In a classroom setting it is usual to have an oral or
written exam after the course. The most popular ways to assess students in web-based
learning are:

discussion forums, where teacher can observe the student's active participation;
online multiple choice test, where you can do (self)test;
e-portfolio, where you have collected all your material and assignments
electronically during the course;
report or essay, where you can analyse and express your comprehension based on
the content of the course.

Assessments are carried out mainly by tutors or computer. In web-based learning

also self- and peer assessment have become popular ways of evaluating students'
progress.
Web-based learning assumes different learning tools compared to classroom learning.
Modern technology (computers, CD, audio, video, PDA, mobile) is used to create suitable
learning environments, disseminate information and carry out various learning activities.
Taking part in web-based courses requires certain skills to be successful. Motivated
and independent learners will handle web-based learning better. Knowledge and skills
related to the use of computers and their devices are also prerequisites for successful
web-based learning. Nevertheless, fortunately all these skills are acquirable.

Web-based learning - good or bad?

Web-based learning has both advantages and disadvantages. When comparing them,
one can notice that the same factors can be advantages as well as disadvantages
depending on the context. Below some factors are described.

Factor

Advantages

Disadvantages

Learning
theories and
approaches

New learning theories and

approaches enable to learn and
teach in a more effective way.
Students can experience a sense
of equality. Course work and
challenging assignments are
stimulating for knowledge

Teachers and learners have to

adopt new learning theories and
approaches. Role changes of
teachers and learners may cause
frustration and confusion.
Without the common structures
of a traditional class, students

building.

may feel lost or confused about

course activities and deadlines.

Independent
and learner
centred
learning

Students can work at their own

pace, when they want. Webbased learning enables to study
more deeply areas of interest. It
encourages exploring material
on your own and enables to skip
over materials already mastered.
Web-based learning supports
personalised learning and is selfdirected. It builds selfknowledge and self-confidence
and encourages students to take
responsibility for their own
learning.

Learners who are not selfmotivated, self-directed and

independent are not able to plan
their own learning and may have
problems. Material and
assignment instructions might be
too complicated to understand
independently. Some of the
students may lose motivation
without certain deadlines.
Independent learning requires
certain skills: technological,
communication skills, selfmotivation and effective study
habits.

Flexibility

Web-based learning enables to

join discussions at any hour and
encourages also those who don't
like to speak. It facilitates
learning through a variety of
activities. Learners have access
to courses, which enables to
reduce travel time and costs.

Learners with low motivation or

bad study habits may fall
behind. They may have
difficulties in organizing their
learning.

Web-based learning provides

interaction between students
and instructors. Students can
share their ideas with other
students, which may help to
understand the material better.

Prohibits those who are not

active learners in a group.
Human contact is missing as
interaction is relied on electronic
communication.

Students can study anywhere

and anytime if they have an
access to computer and
Internet. Web-based learning
provides continual and also
direct access to materials,
resources in many different
formats and of good quality.

Problems with technology might

prevent the access: low speed
connection, difficulties to
download information, problems
with communication tools. Some
courses and materials might be
out of date. There may be lack
of quality control.

Working on the web offers an

opportunity to communicate with
students using e-mail, discussion
boards etc. Teachers receive
students' work quickly and they

Teachers are overloaded with

students and their contacts.
Students may feel isolated from
the instructor and classmates.
Instructor may not always be

Interaction

Access to
material

Contact with
instructors

Use of
technology

provide timely feedback to

students' questions.

available when students are

studying or need help.

When you learn to use one

browser and certain software,
you will probably be able to use
other browsers and software as
well. Some of the software and
web browsers are free of charge
on the internet. Web-based
learning develops knowledge of
the Internet and computer skills
that help learners throughout
their lives and careers.

Managing computer files and

online learning software can be
complex for students with
beginner-level computer skills.
Poor usability may cause
troubles with navigation,
computers crash or have
viruses, impossible to send
mails. Software and access to
the Internet and e-mail is not
free all the time

The list is not complete. Likewise, the advantages and disadvantages mentioned above
are disputable and in many cases solvable. Which of the aforementioned aspects you
have already experienced as an advantage or disadvantage?

How do we learn?

As you have probably noticed we all learn in different ways. Some of us learn well by
working in groups, discussing and sharing ideas. Others learn better by listening music
or reading silently in the library. Differences are due to our experiences, habits and
personal innate ability to learn. We all have our own particular way of acquiring
new information - this is called a learning style. You have been in a traditional
classroom and probably experienced that subjects have been taught by explaining the
content with words and you are supposed to learn by listening and writing. Learning
styles and strategies are important when studying on the web as well. It is very
important toadopt your learning habits to web-based learning.

Learning styles

Jack remembers quite well when he listens to people talking.

Michel enjoys group work as it helps him learn faster.
Listening to music while studying helps Maya to learn.
Lisa likes to explore the world by herself, making and creating things using her
hands.
Maria takes notes while studying and prefers to draw schemas, figures and concept
maps.
What about you? How do you learn?

Your learning style is the way you prefer to learn. Recognizing it is the way to
improve your quality of learning. Learning style is innate ability based on the way
your brain works most efficiently to achieve new information. It is not related to your
age, knowledge and skills you have acquired or your intelligence. There is no right or
wrong learning style. People who can combine different learning styles are the most
successful. It is essential to be aware of your learning style. In addition, knowing
how to adjust your dominant learning styles and strategies according to the learning
material and learning situation is useful. Ability to adopt your skills can improve the
speed and quality of your learning.
You can find many ways to divide learning styles in educational literature. The simplest
way is based on human's senses:

visual - memory of graphs, illustrations and text;

auditory - remembers sounds, speeches;
kinaesthetic - learns best by doing something by hands.

Learning by seeing

Learning takes place through seeing. Visual learners understand fully the content if
it is presented visually (illustrated textbooks, diagrams, flipcharts, and videos). It is also
important to have face-to-face discussions and to see teacher's body language and facial
expression. Visual learners like to sit in the front of the classroom, take detailed notes
and follow the text in blackboard. Visual learners tend to visualize a picture of
information in their mind. You will recognise them as they talk fast and are not
interested in listening to others. They prefer maps to orientate if they are lost. It is
typical that visual learners forget names, but they have good memory on faces.

Learning by hearing

Learning takes place through listening. Auditory learners acquire information best if
they can participate in discussions, lectures, work in groups to listen others ideas and
present their own. These learners often benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape
recorder. Auditory learners prefer to talk on the phone. They enjoy listening to others,
but at the same time they are also impatient to start talking. Opposite to visual learners
they forget faces, but remember names and in case of losing directions auditory learners
are eager to ask help.

Learning by doing
Learning takes place through moving, doing and touching. Kinaesthetic learners
learn best when they can be physically active in the learning environment. They don't
like to sit for long periods listening or reading. They prefer to explore the world by
themselves in a lab or outside the classroom. Kinaesthetic learners want to discover new
things and participate in practical work to experiment new things. You will recognise
them talking slowly to someone and doing something else at the same time and whilst
talking gestures and body language are very common. If they are lost or need
directions, they prefer to be shown the way.

Learning strategies

Based on the learning style you use certain learning strategies. Perhaps you have
noticed that you like some of learning situations more than others, such as you prefer
group work instead of sitting silently in library and reading. This is called your personal
learning strategy, your way to learn and organize material more effectively and
efficiently. Look back at the beginning of the paragraph "Learning styles" and read
again the examples of some of the students' learning styles. Next you can read about
their learning strategies.

Jack uses audiocassettes for learning because he is an auditory learner and

remembers best by listening. He usually records lectures and discussions as it helps
him to recall what he heard.
Michel enjoys being with others so he always wants to take part of the group work
and discussions. He likes to talk loudly and repeat the material using his own words.

Maya is musical and likes music, therefore she always listen her favourite music
while studying. She even listen music during the classroom, if she has to do some
written activities.
Lisa has a habit to create and design things by herself and always tries to find ways
to make learning tangible for better understanding.
Maria prefers to study by herself in a quite room. She is very visual and she often
writes out summaries of material and keywords to remember the information. She
likes to use highlighter pens with different colours.
What about you? Think about one of your learning experiences.

What did you want to learn?

How did you learn it?
Did you have your own strategies for improving your memory?
Did you achieve the results you wanted?

Learning strategies and learning styles

The examples in previous chapter show that a person's dominant learning style has an
impact on the way he/she studies. In other words, learning style defines his/her
learning strategies. The following paragraphs give some suggestions how visual,
auditory and kinaesthetic learners may be the most efficient and effective in a learning
process. The following information can't be taken as an absolute truth, these are just
some guidelines. You have to figure out by yourself how you get best learning outcomes.

Strategies for visual learners

To be an efficient learner, visual learners should visualise what they are learning by
writing down key facts or drawing mind maps with important key words. While reading,
it is common for visual learners to underline with colourful markers important sentences
and keywords. After reading a book visual learners use to create pictures and diagrams
from what they have read. They should try to find visual representation of course
material such as photos, diagrams, sketches, figures and concentrate on their
information.

Strategies for auditory learners

Auditory learners benefit from hearing presentations, explanations, and stories.

Reading aloud with emotion or accent to themselves helps them to remember and
understand the content better. It is a wise idea to record a lecture and even your own
reading to tapes and listen it whilst doing other things, which don't require serious
concentration. Explaining and discussing the subject with someone else is very
beneficial.

Strategies for kinaesthetic learners

Kinaesthetic learners learning strategies are related to hands-on activities. It is

essential to get involved in their learning physically and actively. To get better learning
outcomes they should make models and try to transfer information to some kind of
activities. It is helpful to copy demonstrations, walking around, whilst reading.
If you want to learn more about learning styles and strategies here are some additional
links about different learning styles:
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/
http://www.support4learning.org.uk/
http://www.emtech.net/learning_styles.html

Different web learning styles

Web-based learning does not require special learning styles, rather skills and
knowledge of how to adopt your learning styles to web-based learning and its
material. Research shows no proof about which learning style is best in web-based

learning. As you have probably noticed, much information is provided as written text and
graphics, which are most beneficial for visual learners. But knowing your learning
style and strategies you can always adopt and combine your way of learning
with the presented material.
Web-based learning is best suited to students who are:

Independent learners able to learn without classroom activities, face-to-face

interaction or constant guiding and directions from teachers;
Familiar with computers and technology or at least willing to learn how to use
them;
Self-motivated, well organized in terms of time and structure of the course;
Busy with their families or work, far from universities to be on campus.

Besides of the learning styles and strategies independent learning and self-directed
learning are also important keywords in web-based learning. In the context of webbased learning terms "independent learning" and "self-directed learning" mean a little bit
different ways of learning. Students can learn independently, do the assignments and
tasks on their own. They can follow the course instruction without guidance, but learning
process itself has been planned and directed by the teacher. Teacher sets up learning
goals and creates suitable learning material in a suitable learning context.

Selfdirected learners are well-motivated and they set up their own learning goals. They
choose an appropriate learning environment, subjects what to study, when and how. The
teacher does not play a significant role in a learning process. Students are aware of what
content they have already mastered and know what to just skip over and what part they
are not confident yet.
Both ways of learning requires an ability to be independent in a learning process and to
know how to organise studies in an efficient way. Understanding the content and
assignments instructions without the teacher explaining them is important and
necessary.

Me as a Learner

It is essential to know about yourself as a

learner, your capacity to learn, your successful learning strategies, dominant learning
styles, your strong sides and disadvantages. Furthermore, level of motivation and
interest with respect to learning activities are also important aspects in learning. In
addition to aforementioned, understanding the nature of learning process and being
aware of it help a lot to be a successful learner. The following sections help you to find
out what kind of learner are you?

Study Methods on the Web

Studying on the Web requires somewhat different study methods and

techniques from "normal" classroom studying or attending to lectures. This part of the
material gives you an overlook on different ways to study on the web and on the skills
especially relevant to web-based learning.
The differences between web-based learning and traditional learning were described in
the "Web-based learning - what and why?" part of this material. It might be a good
idea to take a look at that part before reading through this part.
Web-based learning may sound very attractive, as it is possible to study either at home,
at work or some other place with a computer and connection to the web, any time that
suits you. It is true that web-based learning saves you the time and energy needed to
attend the lectures. However, this does not necessarily mean that studying is going to be
any easier - the time you used to spend on lectures is needed for independent studies
with learning material on the web, with various exercises, assignments and queries as
well as for collaborative work with other students, for web-based discussions etc.
Web-based learning means, for a large part, working independently and alone, with a
computer and books or some other written or visual material. However, it may - and
probably will - also include communication and collaboration with the trainer, tutors and
other students. Communication and collaboration on the web is somewhat different from
face-to-face situations, so you will need to know some basic things about the acting on
the web to make this kind of action successful. Every student has an influence on how
well grouping and the feeling of being together with others are realised. Communication,
as well as many of the exercises and assignments, requires writing skills and information
literacy, so they are introduced as well.

Characteristics of web-based communication

Communication on the web is not quite the same as communication in a face-to-face
situation. As the communication is based on text, reading and writing, you have to rely
on the writings of other people when trying to decide what kind of people they are.
There are also other characteristics of web-based communication, e.g. distance, temp,
the possibility to return to the discussions.
Communication on the web increases the student's anonymity, as the physical
appearance does not have an effect on communication. Sometimes it is even possible to
communicate without your actual name on the message, meaning that total anonymity
is achieved. Partial or total anonymity can make participating to collaborative work
easier, and for example otherwise shy students can benefit from it. On the other hand, it
can also make participating more difficult, because fellow students seem more distant
and personal relationships are more difficult to make. Whichever is the case for you, do
remember that the people who seem perhaps distant to you when you are working with
them over the web are people just like you!
Not actually seeing other people while communicating with them makes interpreting
their messages more difficult than in face-to-face communication. When interpreting,
remember to take your time when trying to understand what the writer tries to say in
his/her message. If you are not sure about the message, use the possibility to check the
meaning - that is conversation!
When you write a message to others, either by e-mail or to A&O's discussion board,
remember that the message will stay there for others to go back to it even after the
discussion is over. So, choose your words wisely and read through the message before
sending it, just to make sure that the others understand it in the way you want them to.
Discussions during the courses often have a set timeline. It is important to follow them,
as discussions on the web end easily if the messages are not answered soon. The temp
is often surprisingly quick!
On the other hand, the temp is always slower than in face-to-face conversations. This
gives a good chance to take part in the conversations even to those students, who
otherwise have difficulties to express themselves. Use this opportunity!