E-learning: The New Curl At Education Front
A student in remote Orissa village taking his MBA exams from a Mumbai University using broadband network; American students taking maths lessons from teachers sitting in New Delhi or people from across the globe doing a crash course on disaster management from Honolulu University.
The power of information technology is using learning tools to make learning happen anywhere and any time.
Called e-learning, it uses multimedia and the internet to enable learning process. While the West, especially the European Union has embarked on e-learning bandwagon to realise the dream of making Europe a knowledge based economy by 2010, in countries like India, it is only the private initiatives which have started though the concept is catching on, say experts.
E-learning is an established concept in the west. But in India, while decision makers are convinced of its benefits, there is no single experience yet to say it is successful, says Nicholas George, Sr Vice President, NIIT.
However, he says private inititatives - both at university level and in corportate world have started which are showing good results.
But one thing is for sure, e-learning is bound to happen. There is no other way to succeed in making ours a knowledge based society. The infrastructure needs to be developed at the grass roots level and things will then get going, says George.
A big challenge in e-learning is the low retention rate. While in the West the drop out rate is above 70 per cent even today, compared to 20 per cent in physical learning, in countries like India, it is likely to be above 85 per cent, he says citing language skills and financial constraint as the main reason for high drop-out rate

A vRoom with a View
North Carolina students are peering in as doctors perform surgery, thanks to a distance learning technology that provides unique project-based educational opportunities.
LIKE MOST MAGNET SCHOOLS across the country, Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, NC, offers its students hands-on learning experience in their future profession of choice, in whichever of the high school's six disciplines their interests lie: engineering, information systems, medical sciences, performing arts, teaching, or transportation systems. Students in the medical sciences academy, for example, meet with surgeons at North Carolina Medical Center to observe surgical procedures, discuss anatomy and physiology with doctors and other medical professionals, and play video games that teach surgery fundamentals. Students in the performing arts academy, meanwhile, are able to meet with cast members of Broadway shows to engage in dialogue and learn what it takes to make it onstage.
VIRTUAL HOUSE CALLS
Elluminate brings surgeons into the classroom to explain anatomy and physiology.
The difference at Central Academy is that the students never have to leave the classroom. Using the vRoom collaboration environment from Elluminate, students are connected virtually to their subjects.
"It's getting harder to get students away from the school," says Tom Moncrief, high school curriculum coordinator for Union County Public Schools, which includes Central Academy. These experiences allow the students and the [professionals] to connect and then get right back to their schedules."
Distance learning projects are nothing new to the K-12 education space, especially in rural areas where access to educational tools is less widespread. But these virtual field trips, as Moncrief calls them, go way beyond traditional distance learning. Rather, vRoom offers realtime, two-way communication that includes social networking tools such as instant messaging, application sharing, breakout rooms, interactive whiteboards, and a live webcam—ensuring meaningful communication and offering a project-based learning environment that engages all students in the subject.

What Are the Educational Benefits Of a Distance Learning College
That's one of the benefits of attending a distance learning college. Classes come to you, not the other way around. Students determine the best time for their studies, whether it's after midnight or at four o'clock in the morning. The good news is that today, nearly 50 percent of higher education institutions around the country, and the world, offer some type of online learning opportunities, whether it's a few courses or an entire degree program.
Web based course work and degree opportunities offer students of all ages, backgrounds and financial situations to consider the education that used to be off limits to them for various reasons. No longer is time an issue when it comes to distance learning. Working upholstery cleaning solution at home, work or in a library is now an option for those who must work and take care of families as well as other responsibilities on a daily basis. Even night and weekend school is not an option for some, as transportation and location in many areas is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.
Learning online through a distance learning college offers the same quality and degree weight that would be received through a traditional educational campus. Distance learning schools must be accredited, so the school upholstery cleaning supplies choice should offer potential students everything that a typical college campus does, including student services, financial offices, student support services as well as guidance and educational counselors. You won't be limited to attending a physical campus in your area, but can branch off into different states, or even countries, if you desire.
It is the responsibility of the online college student to follow study guidelines and coursework curriculum within the parameters offered by guidance counselors of any distance-learning program, and must also be able to work upholstery cleaning machines of others in this environment. For those tackling a distance learning degree, discipline is essential in order to complete coursework in a timely manner, as well as the ability to study and prepare for final examinations and complete testing requirements.
With a distance learning college, every student experiences a sense of equality with others enrolled in various courses and programs, and in a sense, everyone is in the same boat, starting and finishing with the same coursework and restrictions as everyone else. In some cases, this sense of equal footing acts to provide a sense of accomplishment to those who usually have carpet amp; upholstery cleaning competing with others in a student environment. Instructors are accessible online via email, chat rooms and forum discussion boards, and offer student ample opportunities to communicate.