Confronting challenges to e-learning in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Technological innovations have not only brought benefits to business, but to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) where an unprecedented demand for tertiary education has seen students enrolling for courses, some doing so through distance education. This has made the internet a very significant and indispensable learning and business tool for information dissemination for both education purposes and business transactions. The Internet is a technological development that has the potential to change not only the way society retains and accesses knowledge but also to transform and restructure traditional models of higher education, particularly the delivery and interaction in and with course materials and associated resources. Utilising the Internet to deliver e-learning initiatives has created expectations both in the business market and in higher education institutions (Singh, O'Donoghue and Worton, 2005:3). Universities have been faced with the daunting task of having to re-adjust and re-organise themselves in preparation for the incorporation of e-learning within their institutions. Institutional leaders have also been faced with the challenge of having to align their institutional objectives to meet the needs and demands of the e-learning dispensation. Indeed, e-learning has enabled universities to expand on their current geographical reach, to capitalise on new prospective students and to establish themselves as global educational providers. This article explores the issues surrounding the implementation of e-learning into higher education, including the structure and delivery of higher education, the implications to both students and lecturers and the global impact on society.