• A discussion on E-learning offered in Malaysian universities: Pros and Cons from the students perspective

With the development of technology, E- learning (Electronic learning) is a technology where support the learning process. Lately, E-learning has used in some Malaysian Universities that the students attend the course or programs by studying online and rarely attending to the campus.

Pro of E-learning
-Flexible: E-learning enables the students to learn or complete the chapter anytime as long as they are convenient at that time and not just need to fix to the particular time to attend the course in the campus. Students can attend at off-hours or from home or anyplace because this is international sharing.
-Asynchronous interaction: Instead of face-to-face interaction, e-learning does not require the students to respond immediately, student can self-pacing depends on their understanding. For those who are quick learners they can learn through the content faster while for slow learners they can learn on their own speed and this will increase their satisfaction and reduce the stress.
-Confidence: Students can refresh back to the point that not very power on it or there will be quick reference material available to the students in order to reduce their burden of responsibility of mastery on the particular course.

Cons of e-learning
- The most serious cons of e-learning is that for those student who is low motivation or has bad study habit may fall behind. E-learning requires times to complete especially those assignment or they will postpone their learning every time. For e-learning, student self-discipline is important, they have to be highly motivated and responsible because all the work they do is on their own.
- This will decrease the communication skill of students with the other students or lectures. Besides that, there will also less social and cultural interaction. The students will become impersonality and eliminate peer-to-peer learning that are consider as quite important in student life.
- Students may need to have particular skills on the learning programs. E-learning may require the students to access to the internet so slow internet connection or older computers may make accessing course materials difficult. Thus, without the skills, good fittings, software it is quite difficult for the students to succeed in e-learning and the student may give up.

There are still many benefits that e-learning bring to the students but it also need to care of all perspectives. From the student perspectives, they can save the travel cost and even for those outstation students they can study from their home and save their accommodation expenses. Besides that, some may also be able to find some part time job when they are taking the course. For me, I will choose the traditional method because college life or student life may important and memorable experienced for all the students.

http://www.e-learningguru.com/articles/art1_3.htm