The web is the medium of choice in e-learning

Since setting up a web-system for e-education takes significant amount of time as well as computer and other resources, assessment of goals and desired effects of the online system should be done in the preparation phase.

If most of the instruction takes place in a traditional classroom or lab setting, and using the materials on the web is only a supplement to such instruction, it is not necessary to create a complex system for online education, as most of the educational content is given through traditional instruction or printed readings, while consulting an instructor or lecturer is possible face to face.

However, if participants will mostly access the educational content online and very rarely directly contact the instructor, it usually takes a lot of effort and resource investment into the design of a system which will be easy to use and at least partly fulfil the users’ need for social contact with the instructor and other participants.

Tips & tricks: Goals related to e-education system design should be adapted to the available resources as well as to the desired function of such a system, i.e. cost-benefit analysis should be done. Greater number of participants and a higher education cost increase the profitability of investment into such systems.