The e-learning debate

Asma Al Fahim.

This month, the vice president of the European International College of Hotel Management and Tourism Abu Dhabi Asma Al Fahim takes a look at the pros and cons of getting an online education in hospitality

We always hear that the more things change the more they are really the same. I am talking about online education.

Many people think that online education and traditional education are completely different from one another; I disagree. I believe if you choose the right online course, it can be as good or even better than the traditional way. I recently felt the conviction to assert this after my own personal experience

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As people who want to learn, we normally expect a teacher, books, notes, interaction with other classmates and so on. We still think that online education does not provide all of that — but on the contrary, it does.

Initially, I had my personal doubts about the recognition you receive from employers concerning online classes; I guess I was a little ‘old school’ when it came to education! I also believed that I could learn more in traditional classes versus online education, until I tried it myself.

There are many pros and cons, however, so you should adopt a different mindset if you do choose online classes. You must be very disciplined, focused and physically set aside time to study online with no distractions in order to absorb the maximum amount of educational material.

This is my personal point of view. As always, I asked some of my colleagues in the field about what they thought of online education and what is available.

Here is what they had to say:

Paul Ram Prakash, Industry Professional Development Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism

“Online education is a wonderful tool for industry members to upgrade themselves. It is convenient, cost-effective, interesting and effective.

As in other forms of education, no-one-size fits-all; it all depends on the segment e-learning is targeted to. In my experience, e-learning has a high incidence of failure when it is not pitched to the right target audience. The critical success factor is the “motivational level” of participants.

E-learning requires a great deal of discipline, not to mention IT skills and good hardware. While the latter can be purchased or sponsored, the former is intrinsic to the learner.

While many people would embark on e-learning earnestly, most lose steam after some time. Herein lies the paradox; while e-learning makes it more convenient for learners to study at their convenience and at their own pace, they may become bored or discouraged.

The dynamics of real-life classroom room learning, from a face-to-face relationship with the lecturer to the interaction among fellow students, play a huge role in the overall learning experience. This constant engagement keeps participants challenged and motivated. Although this could be pre-arranged with ‘real-time’ forums/lectures via video or web conferencing, the difference in time zones can make it pretty daunting for all participants to be online at the same time.

Sometimes it is even difficult to get people in one place to log-on at the same time without delays. Another area of concern is the quality of the exchange carried out online. Funnily enough, everyone online must be able to type faster than 40 words a minute to contribute effectively. It’s a challenge for some.

In my opinion e-learning should be pitched to highly motivated individuals who are IT savvy and are driven to acquire a specialised or technical training.

For example, e-learning is very effective for short technical programmes such as using new software, accounting. It is challenging if it is pitched for general education or ‘soft skill’ training. Also, most of the participants should be at mid-management levels.”