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Also, there might be situations where learners can get kicked off in the middle of a test or an assignment. One of my students who took an online course at her work was kicked off the Internet after two hours. In one of the courses, she got kicked out in the middle of a test and she had to start over again — did not save the work she had done. It is not clear whether getting kicked of is planned (“after two hours”) or inadvertent (“middle of a test”). This can relate to network’s connection or to service provider or equipment failure. Students new to e-learning may be anxious when they encounter network and server problems. Both technical and instructional staff must work together to come up with innovative solutions to tackle these problems. To help students troubleshooting and reduce anxiety, Spitzer (2001) recommends setting up a “buddy system” so that students will have at least one person whom they can call upon for assistance.
Digital Literacy In the digital learning environment, all stakeholder groups (i.e., students, faculty members, support staff, etc.) should be digital literate in order for them to participate actively in e-learning. Digital literacy may include (but is not limited to) skills needed to use browser, search engines, file transfer, scanner, digital cameras, and familiarities with terms and jargons, and so on. Branigan (2002) notes: “New technologies — like computers and the Internet — require different skill sets, such as reading graphs, searching databases, and thinking critically. How do different search engines work? How does one tell good information from bad?”
Shareable and Reusable Learning Objects In designing e-learning courses, we have to organize and manage course content in the most effective and efficient ways possible. These e-learning course contents are comprised of a myriad of learning objects (LOs), also known as content objects, knowledge objects, reusable information objects, and reusable learning objects. What is a learning object? Simply, a learning content that supports learning. A learning object is a discrete piece of instructional content that meets a learning objective (Masie, 2002). Wagner (2001) notes that learning objects are standalone pieces of information that are reusable in multiple contexts depending on the needs of the individual user. A learning object can be any entity, digital, or non-digital, that can be used or referenced in e-learning. A learning object can be physical, such as text, a workbook, or a CD-ROM, or online, such as Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited.