Research Methods and Critique Question Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Methods and Critique Question - Research Paper Example In addition, this paper critically appraises the article â€Å"Embedding Quality in e-Learning Implementation through Evaluation† by Frances Deepwell (2007) which throws light on the various domains of evaluation as applicable to the domain of e-learning and recommends how evaluation can be used in order to improve the quality of e-learning (Deepwell, 2007). E-Learning – a novel approach to learning: In the current advent of technological advancements, the world has changed into a global village, where distance learning, an essential component of which is e-learning, has fast made its place in the domain of education (Gunasekaran, McNeil, & Shaul, 2002; Khodamoradi & Abedi, 2011). In this download era, the internet has transformed from a simple medium where information and knowledge was fed and then consequently retrieved or shared at a required time, into a worldwide platform, where now each and every second millions, if not more, users are learning ,sharing and teachi ng a wide variety of topics (Downes, 2005). Moreover, in recent times, the teaching methodologies and learning approaches have experienced a paradigm shift in that learner centered approaches are more favored than teacher centered educational approaches, which has made the learning process more individualized and tailored to suit each individual’s pace, requirements and capacity (Deepwell, 2007). In today’s post-positivism era, more emphasis is placed on promoting learner autonomy and cooperative learning (Ehlers et al., 2005). In such a model of learning, the use of technology is pertinent and effective as it enables learners to be independent and learn from a wide variety of learning strategies rather than the conventional teacher centered mode of instruction (Zhang, 2003). These demands and changing trends in the patterns of learning and transfer of knowledge and ideas gave rise to the concept of distance learning or e-learning. The term distance learning refers to â€Å"education designed for learners who live at a distance from the teaching institution or education provider (Khodamoradi & Abedi, 2011, p. 225).† Traditionally, the predominant medium of education employed for distance learning was print media such as textbooks, notes or other course materials, but more recently, this practice has been replaced gradually with the increasing use of non-print media eversince the evolution of the concept of e-learning (Khodamoradi & Abedi, 2011). E-Learning, which is defined as â€Å"technology-based learning in which learning materials are delivered electronically to remote learners via a computer network (Zhang, Zhao, Zhou, & Nunamaker, 2004, p. 76)†