Benefits and Challenges of E-Learning

E-learning has altered, and will continue to affect teaching and learning contexts in universities and tertiary education worldwide, including in Taiwan. Many universities in Taiwan have moved to offer courses that include both face-to-face and e-learning but very little research has been undertaken on student perspectives. The issue about whether e-learning can bring benefits to improve student learning or students will face more challenges is a concern of many researchers and educators. This chapter explores the benefits and challenges of e-learning support from student perspectives in a national research-oriented university in Taiwan. An interpretive paradigm with quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted as the basis for the research methodology. This chapter outlines the findings from a survey of nearly 400 different college students and focus group discussions with over thirty students about their perceptions and experiences of e-learning in blended learning courses. SPSS were used to analyze the data of the questionnaires and interviews. The findings suggest that students experience benefits and challenges relating to their personal perception of e-learning, learning attitude, personal expertise with ICT, use and access to the requisite technology. Students perceived the benefits of e-learning as arising from being able to preview and follow up on face-to-face lectures and to discuss ideas and issues with peers and instructors given that class sizes are large, typically over a hundred students. Respondent students indicated e-learning might help them change their learning attitudes to become more active and diligent learners and also improve their personal time management and organizational ability. However, the findings from questionnaires and interviews also identified students face personal and technological challenges. The researcher expects the findings can contribute to enhancing the university e-learning practice and improving instructor teaching and student learning in e-learning. The university and instructors need to identify the perceived benefits and challenges of e-learning and provide practical support for student learning. Students also need to change their perceptions and learning attitude to e-learning.