Eden Abstract

E-LEARNING SUSTAINABILITY: FREEDOM IN LEARNING AND RECOGNITION IN CERTIFICATION
K. P. Hewagamage, [email protected], University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) Sri Lanka,
Abstract
Free and Open Online Education (FOOE) is becoming the most interesting outcome of promoting e-Learning beyond the geographical boundaries. An initiative is attractive in the beginning since it is a new experience for many stakeholders but time could make it another old story if such initiative doesnt bring benefits and social recognition in changing society. In this paper, we present the freedom in learning and recognition in certification of learning experience as two most important sustainable pillars of FOOE. Observations and conclusions desc ribed in this study are based on the experience of National e-Learning Centre (NeLC) Project which was conducted during last 5 years to develop a sustainable framework of e-Learning in Sri Lanka. The business model of FOOE is based on the free access to online e-Content according to wish of the learner and he selects the suitable certification to proceed on the selected learning paths. Some courses are free made available at very beginning to create the motivation, and learners have to pay a nominal fee for certification. We established two levels of certifications based on the requirement of different learners. FIT (Foundation in Information Technology ) is online free learning program with national level acceptance. BIT (Bachelor of Information Technology) is online IT degree program and it consists of several learning stages. Later cost only 300 US$ to be paid depending the progress. In this paper we are presenting both these programs in detail. NeLC Project established the e-Learning sustainability using these two program.
Sustainability in online education is a challenging issue for many educational institutes which have to modernize their educational process using ICT infrastructure to meet the demand of 21st Century. On other hand, sustainability like quality in online education could convey different meanings and expectations for different stakeholders in an educational environment. Hence, we have identified the sustainability with respect to learners (students), facilitators (teachers) and providers (educational institutes). Later one, the institutional sustainability, is the foundation for the continued and uninterrupted e-learning service and it also links both the learners and facilitators or subject matter experts to develop their interaction beyond the traditional expectation. Income generation or return on financial investment is an indicator of sustainability but it doesnt describe all aspects in an e-learning environment. In an educational institute, human resources that are being developed for a period of time, are valuable than the material investment such as buildings, teaching and learning equipments since the process of education is highly human sensitive and dependable one. Similarly the sustainability of elearning depends ability to maintain the key workforce which facilitates the process while they are being developed to face the demand and changes in the environment. In this study, we have identified following categories of e-learning sustainability based on a project to establish the National e-Learning Centre (NeLC) at the University of Colombo School of Computing. y y y y y Intuitional commitment and process integration of e-Learning Hardware, Software and Network Infrastructure for ICT based service delivery Adopt ICT based pedagogical approach to provide educational service Teachers ability to adopt and use of ICT based facilities Human Resource and Knowledge Management for e-Content Development
Students ability to adopt and use of ICT based facilities
The sustainability of learning process depends the satisfaction of all immediate stakeholders and the expansion of the scope to new parties. Hence, it creates new opportunities for innovations as well as the knowledge development in the domain. We observed Free and Open Online Education (FOOE) framework consists of features that supports this argument of sustainability of learning process.

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E-LEARNING SUSTAINABILITY: FREEDOM IN LEARNING AND RECOGNITION IN CERTIFICATION

K. P. Hewagamage, [email protected], University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) Sri Lanka,

Students ability to adopt and use of ICT based facilities

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