I support Dr.Jayasimha Sir's statement and counter Dr.Ramani ma'am's statement in this aspect.

It may not be a one time investment but it is a waste of time and resources as

"Developing infrastructure to support e-learning within medical education includes repositories, or digital libraries, to manage access to e-learning materials requiring consensus on technical standardization of not only the content but also the assessment and documentation methods, and methods for peer review of these resources.

Warm regards,

Dr.P.Sujith Devaprasad

ACME 2017 BATCH

Asst Professor, Orthopaedics,

SRMC, Nandyal. Kurnool district, AP.

Dear all,

I am Dr. P. Sujith Devaprasad, ACME 2017 Batch, Group 2 in the debate, with my inputs.

e-learning is a waste of time and resources

In today’s online era, the concept of a classroom extends beyond a walled room with desks and chairs and into the realm of cyber space. One finds the blackboard being replaced by smartboard and keypads replacing chalk. The continual evolution of technology enables a growing number of students to rely on the Internet for education instead of the traditional classroom-style learning. While distance learning seems an ideal solution, it is better to stick to the old-fashioned academic format due to the following reasons.

1. Provides interactive classroom setting that promotes the open exchange of ideas:

Having numerous students learning in the same classroom has the added benefit of allowing students to exchange ideas and questions with one another providing another valuable learning medium that online environments cannot replicate. First-hand interaction with the educating professor also allows for ideas to be exchanged freely and without any communication barriers. This is an added social benefit as well as an educational aid.

Even if a virtual classroom is full of students, the lack of personal interaction might make one feel detached and lonely and affect the learning curve adversely.

2. Changing technology may create barriers to accessing learning environments:

As with any new teaching method, online learning has faced much criticism from many sources as it is claimed to have devalued post secondary education which will reduce the effectiveness of obtaining quality career positions by obtaining higher education.

Medical researchers claim that there are many existing barriers to effectively learning complex subjects in an online-only setting. They also feel that it isolates the students from one another as well as their instructor reducing the overall outcome of the course.

3. Limited understanding of effective teaching methods:

There has been little research conducted to evaluate the teaching methods or the effectiveness of student comprehension through an online-only learning environment. Hence it is better to invest in the time-tested traditional teaching/learning methodology.

4. Medical education is quite unique and using e-learning trivializes the holistic concept of conventional medical education which has a strong foundation anchored on training, mentoring and assessment under close supervision.

Elements of professionalism, ethics and communication skills which are essential aspects of medical training are not easy to teach using e-learning methods.

4. The learning atmosphere of the traditional classroom helps them to stay focused and keeps them motivated; unlike virtual classrooms, where procrastination can become a common attitude, traditional classrooms preserve a feeling of “now and here” all through the learning process.

5. Some students don’t have access to technological devices, so online classes are out of question. Some don’t know how to use them, and some don’t care about them.

6. Lack of Discipline:

Since one doesn’t have a teacher/instructor nearby, reminding deadlines, asking for assignments, there are chances that a distance learning program is not taken seriously and very often the teacher is ignored easily.

Warm regards,

Dr.P.Sujith Devaprasad

ACME 2017 BATCH

Asst Professor, Orthopaedics,

SRMC, Nandyal. Kurnool district, AP.