Technology has an influence on teaching methods in e-education

Application of certain methods in e-education depends to a high degree on the available technology. For example, if participants can use fast broadband connections of 100 or more kbit per second, and the instructor can record the lectures as well as disposes of a server of appropriate memory capacity and Internet access speed, educational content (lecture) can be saved in the format of a video recording.

On the other hand, if users approach the materials via slower modem connections or if a server that the instructor uses has a limited memory with bad Internet connection capacity, most of the educational content will probably be prepared as written text and static visual illustrations which do not take up a lot of memory.

It is especially useful to look into alternative solutions for complex Learning management systems – LMS or Learning content management system – LLMS. Such systems usually integrate web publishing, evaluation and assessment, forums and communication with the users. However, if the instructor only needs to put exercises or tests on the web or have a forum on the web, alternative solutions should be looked at. For example, for forums and discussion groups services of popular portals such as Yahoo can be used, while for development of online exercises or tests, freeware such as Hot Potatoes is available.

Tips & tricks: Before deciding to use an LMS or some other distance education solution, analyze the following factors in detail: (a) what are the options that you really need; (b) when will you need specific components; (c) is it more important to have a comprehensive solution or flexibility enabled by modular approach; (d) how long will you be using a certain system; (e) how long will you be able to use a certain server or LMS; (f) whether there are any potential future problems with the LMS maintenance.