E-Learning vs. Traditional Learning E-Learning

E-Learning vs. Traditional Learning E-learning is one of the most common ways to deliver media for education and training within organizations, schools, businesses and other entities. However, though supply and demand for e-learning opportunities seems to be increasing in recent years, professionals are starting to wonder whether e-learners are ready to be successful in an online learning environment (especially at a time when online learning is gaining in popularity).

It must be noted that a learner's illustrated success in a conventional learning environment may not be a significant predictor of success in an e-learning classroom (Watkins, Leigh & Triner 2004). Internal validity refers to whether the observed effects could have been caused by or correlated with a set of non-hypothesized and/or unmeasured variables -- that is, it is concerned with the ability to make causal statements from a piece of research (Straub 1989; Levy 2005).

External learning refers to or is concerned with generalizations -- that is, it is concerned with the ability to generalize research. Construct validity, on the other hand, refers to the degree to which inferences can be made from the "operationalizations" in a study to the theoretical constructs on which those "operationalizations" were based (Knowledge Base 2010). To explain further, construct validity is concerned with the validity of the variables that are measured.

While external validity involves generalizing from the study context to other people, places or times, construct validity involves generalizing from a program or measures to the concept of a program or measures. Construct validity may be thought of as "labeling of issues" (2010). One of the threats to external validity would be the generalization that e-learning is as effective as traditional learning.

While many studies have shown that e-learning can be just as effective in e-learning, there are many studies that show that in both traditional and non-traditional learning environments it is mainly up to the individual when it comes to how well he or she does in the learning process. A threat to construct would mean that there was a failure in the way that constructs -- or thoughts -- were formed.

In the case of e-learning, if we were to show that e-learners are more open to not just non-traditional learning, but they are more open to non-traditional ideas, in general, a threat to construct validity would probably say that e-learners are not more open than any other learners and even if they are open to other types of learning, they are not more open to non-traditional ideas in general. A threat to construct validity would keep the two totally separated.

Validity issues could impact the research in a few different ways. First of all, there is much discussion.