Dr Nirmala ,I would like to dispute your points
1.Absence of personal interaction with teachers can be avoided by regular on line interaction
2.Time spent in searching information by itself is a learning process so well spent
3.Practical skills can very well be learnt due to repitition
4 assessment can be improved with time with stringent rules
5.In fact e learning makes us more social as less effort is needed to communicate
6 Clinical skills can be taught with e learning tools effectively
7 Web costs are very minimal now and are good investment for a secure future for teaching
Dr Srinivas that is the whole point which we trying to discuss, e learning as you have agreed has advantages and you say it has disadvantages ,which we are trying to overcome ,a rose however beautiful it is has thorns which are protective mechanism for it ,we are seeing enormous potential in e learning which will overcome all the starting problems and hiccups and become an asset for M.E
I beg to differ from Dr Philipbauer ,we are here talking about education and not food,water or electricity ,we already have existing infrastructure,colleges and trained teachers ,we are trying to implement e learning to keep up with the fast advancing technology in the world and to improve our teaching standards with the help of latest electronic tools,adolescent population if left unaided and unguided with their gadgets will definitely go astray ,now is the time for us to step in and gradually guide them to look towards e learning
I would like to dispute Dr Sudarshan Raj,i dont agree that e learning is a hyped up entity ,all over the world e learning is being blended with conventional one so that authenticity and relevance are controlled in delivering proper content to the students,knowledge is being tested in the form of on line surveys and quizzes and on line tests ,data processing though out sourced is absolutely controllable by the academic administrators ,the on line exams taking place in our country are examples for that
Dr Srinivas i agree that students are using electronic gadgets but if you see their content most of them are having text books and practical points and useful videos ,it lies in our hands to channelise their interest and stimulate them academically ,hold on line quizzes ,give small prizes ,form on line groups and keep them busy
Dear Dr Rama,happy to see your response but would like to dispute point wise,
1 we are suggesting blended type of learning where the student is shown and taught most essential things to know and these are followed up by e learning where the student is introduced to audio and video demonstrations which he can practise and see them repeatedly till he masters them
2.Oral communication skills where are we testing in the students in the present system except in the practicals and oral exams where each student gets hardly 5 minutes to interact with us,by e learning we are suggesting videos ,peer evaluation and 360 degree evaluation which can be done even through remote means
3.Show me one single student who has no smart phone ,thanks to the china phones and subsidised net charges thanks to companies like JIO, students are getting rapid net services and remember all colleges now have e libraries
Dr Sharon thanks for appreciating my points,Yes I agree that medical students have started viewing e learning as enjoyable and effective tool ,this is the time for us teachers to step in and channelise their interest and fascination towards learning by proper usage of technology ,we may have to spend some energy ,time and resources but it will be an effort well spent as i am sure you will agree that to get significant differences and positive results in pedagogic approaches we still have to convince some of the teachers to become tech savvy and fall into the line of e learning so that they learn to teach through net and use the gadgets judiciously
