DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ‘SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE’ (SAAS) BASED E-LEARNING PLATFORM
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
However and whatever our dispositions are to education, it becomes imperative to note that the more efficient and faster the nature of education and learning, the better and more productive the results will be.
E-learning is an extremely significant (but incomplete) subset of educational technology. The origins of the term is not certain, although it is suggested that the term most likely originated during the 1980’s, within the similar time frame of another delivery mode online learning. Nichols (2003) defines e-Learning as strictly learning that’s possible by using technological tools that are either web-based, web-distributed, or web-capable. Ellis (2004) added to this definition that e-learning also makes use of audio and videotape, satellite broadcast and interactive TV and it is not strictly achieved through web-based means as defined by Nichols (2003).
The e- part of the term e-earning does not necessarily mean electronic as per e-mail or e-commerce. Rather, according to Bernard Luskin, an educational technology pioneer, he advocated that the “e-” of e-learning should be interpreted to mean “exciting, energetic, enthusiastic, emotional, extended, excellent, and educational” in addition to “electronic”.
This approach to learning called e-learning has been adopted by organizations in different parts of the world for instance “Google Classroom, Coursera, Khan Academy” etc. Through these establishments it has been seen that e-learning would provide great benefits especially in a continent like Africa. In the light of these benefits, it is not surprising that institutions and international agencies have been spending many thousands of dollars to pilot and implement various e-Learning solutions in the region (Farrell & Isaacs, 2007). For example, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) provided a grant of $15.6 million to African Virtual University (AVU) to build e-learning centers and train content developers at 31 partner institutions in Africa (Adkins, 2013). Seven of these institutions are in East Africa. Similarly, the Partnership of Higher Education Africa (PHEA) has given funding to seven institutions in Africa (three of them in East Africa) to implement various e-Learning solutions (Hoosen & Butcher, 2012).
1
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
E-learning is a relatively new method of learning in Nigeria and existing e-learning facilities like web applications are very sparse and the existing ones have shown really little efficiency as it does not engage students in a manner that would help foster learning which is meant to be the main purpose of e-learning. It also continues the usual trend of students typically amassing knowledge without a viable means for application of the acquired knowledge. Also, there is inadequate awareness of these available e-learning facilities which keeps a large percentage of the Nigerian population oblivious of the possible benefits associated with these facilities. Also, some existing e-learning websites have poor development for example a web application called “SIMER”, this webapp(short for web application) is heavily dependent on JavaScript but most mobile users use devices that aren’t capable of running such amounts of JavaScript thereby reducing the amount of devices that would be able to easily make use of the webapp.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
Our goal is to promote and extend the functionalities, flexibility, awareness, ease of access as well as the educational standard of e-learning with focus on web application. This is necessary since in recent times, Nigerians are becoming more “Computer Savvy” coupled with the fact that ease of access to the internet is far greater now than it used to be years ago.
Seeing the challenges posed by existing e-learning webapps, we deem it fit to harness these earlier identified opportunities and challenges for the good of people that would like to learn things both people in school, those out of school for whatever reason as well as those in organizations.
Here are factors and objectives we have considered in the course of our study.
1. To reduce learning costs
As a student or even a small business owner, you know that online transactions cost a fraction as much those requiring paper or staff. It’s the same with e-Learning because there are no papers, no delays, and no travel expenses.
To reduce the time required for effective learning Electronic learning is sometimes called “just-in-time” learning. Such learning enables both employees and students to take what they have just learned from their computer screens and apply it to the tasks at hand.