Literature Review on The Impact of Online Learning on Computing Courses that

Requires Practical Sections.

The Internet is a technological advancement with the potential to alter not only how society retains
and accesses knowledge, but also to transform and restructure traditional higher education models,
particularly in terms of course delivery and interaction with course materials and associated resources.
E-learning” may be defined as instruction delivered electronically via the Internet, Intranets, or
multimedia plat- forms such as CD-ROM or DVD (Hall, 2003; O’Neill, Singh, & O’Donoghue,
2004). Since many users today have access to direct Internet connections, e-learning is often
identified with web-based learning (Hall, 2003).

E-Learning is construed in a variety of contexts, such as distance learning, online learning and
networked learning (Wilson 2001).
A learning system that employs internet media as a learning paradigm is known as online learning. It
can also describe learning that utilizes Information Communications Technology (ICT) to promote
educational interaction between students, lecturers and learning communities (Holley 2002). Indeed,
eLearning has allowed universities to broaden their geographic reach, capitalize on new student
prospects, and establish themselves as global educational providers. Online learning, on the other
hand, should focus on the learner and the learning process rather than just the presentation and
delivery of content via the Internet. As a result, the author defines online learning as
the use of the Internet to access learning materials; to interact with the content, instructor, and other
learners; and to obtain support during the learning process, in order to acquire knowledge, to construct
personal meaning, and to grow from the learning experience. (Ally, p. 7).

Any educational system should aim to foster learning. As a result, educators must understand the
principles of learning and how students learn before developing any learning tools for practical course
sessions. This is especially true in online learning,since teachers and students are not in the same
room. The creation of effective online learning materials for practical courses should be based on
well-researched learning theories in order for students to be able to acquire course skills as compared
to their experiences using the face-to-face learning method. As stated by (Rovai, 2002), the delivery
medium is not the determining factor in the quality of learning per se; rather, course design
determines the effectiveness of the learning (Rovai, 2002).

John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems is quoted as saying “e- learning is the killer app of the
internet” and will “make email look like a rounding error”. He wasn't too far away. In the last few
years, there has been an explosion in web development. With this rise, one may expect technology
courses to automatically transcend into the virtual world, becoming the first to do so; yet, technology
courses, like others, cause distinct, specific online challenges.

Implementing online learning activities with tools like Webex, Google Zoom, Moodle, and Google
Meet. For the learning process to be consistent during COVID 19, internet learning was required.
Instructors for online courses can pay for commercial software designed specifically for their course,
they can use the tools provided to them by their institution, or they can use free software that rarely
fulfills all of their needs, such as ICQ, NetMeeting, PalTalk, or even Roger Wilco. Commercial
software, such as CentraNow, provides excellent tools which are free to test for a short trial period.
The cost is then approximated at $35,000 per year for a group of users. TeamSpace creates a similar
environment “for as little as $10,000 for annual hosted service”.

Online learning deals with two types of learning systems. These systems typically include both
asynchronous and synchronous learning tools. Asynchronous tools can be used to give online training
with a time delay between the instructor's activity and the learner's accessing and responding to the
instruction. Participants use synchronous internet tools to engage in real-time activities like text chat,
audio, and/or video.
Finding suitable ways to show Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software, producing graphics-
intensive materials, and deciding adequate techniques to evaluate student work are among concerns
that engineering graphics instructors encounter. Synchronous communication systems for learning,
which allow teachers to communicate with students in real time, have recently been developed. By
including audio, video, and other means for students to participate, these technologies have expanded
the amount of community inside an online course.

An experimental research by Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University, Ukraine made use of a complex
Research methodology to evaluate their research on the use of e-learning course in the process of
training students majoring in Computer Science and Information Technology. The research
methodology employed was the scientific literature analysis in order to establish the state of the
problem development, the definition of the categorical and conceptual apparatus of investigation;
synthesis, generalization, systematization for theoretical substantiation and practical development of
e-learning course; empirical: diagnostic (conversation, content analysis, testing) for monitoring the
dynamics of the mathematical training level of students; a pedagogical experiment in order to prove
the effectiveness of using the e-learning course; mathematical methods (Pearson criterion) to assess
the significance of positive changes in experimental work results.

High-level demos and interactivity between the lecturer and students are part of CS and IT courses. In
beginner programming classes, for example, the rate of dropout and failure is significant. Algorithmic
thinking is a multi-step, sophisticated process. More sophisticated concepts are put on top of subjects
that should have been studied previously in math and science. It is feasible to have some level of
interactivity in the regularly used formats of course content and methods of communication given in a
remote learning environment, such as Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt) and Word, Adobe Portable File
Format (PDF), phones, or emails. However, using flash technologies and animated simulations, as
well as synchronous communication technology, which serves as a collaborative platform for the
instructor and students, can provide better demonstration and involvement.

It has been rationalized that student in Online courses need to be responsible, have self-discipline and
a certain amount of motivation to complete the course work (Kerka, 1996). Rintala (Rintala, 1998)
went further and cautiously asserted that distance education works best for more mature, motivated,
well-organized, and already accomplished learners (Cereijo, 2006).
Due to the physical separation, interaction between the instructor and the learner, as well as
socialization between students, might be limited in Online learning. Professors and classmates are
usually reachable by phone, email, and discussion forum, so students do not receive rapid feedback on
their questions or discussions. Physical separation leads to a psychological and communication gap, a
space of potential misunderstanding and delay between the inputs of the instructor and those of the
learner (Moore, 1991). The opportunity for the student to make the cognitive connection within the
course material may be lost because of this time delay (Mallory, 2007).

For instance, learning to program is a difficult task for many students even in traditional class. The
dropout and failure rate are as high as 30 percent in introductory programming courses at the
university level (Guzdial & Soloway, 2002). Algorithmic thinking is a multi-step, complicated
process. Problem-solving skills and a foundational understanding of the mathematics behind the
process are required. In addition, a student must be able to properly use the computer and tools to
develop, build, and locate the output. Any programming errors must be repaired, and the program
must be tested. Because the instructor and students are geographically separated in Online learning, it
is difficult to teach students the fundamental skills needed to use new software or debug a program.
High-level examples and interactivity between the lecturer and students are required for teaching CS
and IT courses.
In this review, in order to monitor and evaluate the impact of online learning on computing courses
that requires practical sessions, we need to look at the various courses that involves or requires
practical sessions. Some of these courses include Programming courses, Networking courses,
Multimedia courses, Software and Hardware Engineering courses, Website Development courses and
Database Management courses. We will seek for different types of Research methodologies to
enhance a quantitative and qualitative research on the impacts online learning has had on students.
Also, investigation of all aspects of students pursuing Computer Science and Information Technology
and collection of data concerning their experience with online courses which requires practical
sessions must be considered since the experiment is basically focused on them.
This experiment will help us understand both the negative and positive impact it has had on the
students. These impacts might be a result of students’ personal challenges or challenges concerning
the learning tools and materials that was involved. Other factors might also affect the use of online
learning which might later be discovered after this research has been done.

This won’t be the end of the research since we need information to prove the impacts online learning
has had on computer courses which requires practical sessions. We are yet to stand a chance to say
whether online learning has had a positive impact more than the negative impact or vice versa and
it’s effects on students. As a result, graduate students may have different perceptions about their
responsibilities in online courses.

The term "online learning" refers to the use of a variety of technologies to deliver education over
computer networks, including the internet, email, chat, new groups and texts, and audio and video
conferencing. It allows the learner to progress at their own pace and at their leisure. Online education
necessitates a significant investment of time and resources, as well as meticulous planning. Teachers
take on the role of facilitators rather than transmitters of content knowledge, and ICT is viewed as a
resource that improves students' learning experiences. E-learning resources, which are free to use, are
used by students to learn. Through its innovative and dynamic content delivery, e-learning has
reintroduced the joy of learning and has shown to be more appealing to students.

Collaborative learning is one technique to boost both the quality of students' learning experiences and
the efficiency of delivery by implementing high levels of interaction among students. Much of the
prior research on collaborative learning has been on face-to-face settings, but this study focuses on
collaboration in an online learning environment. Face-to-face discussions differ significantly from
online encounters. Because online interactions lack the nonverbal indicators that are present in face-
to-face interactions, the amount of communication that occurs may be limited. A lot of online
interaction happens asynchronously, with long waits for responses. This could have both positive and
negative implications for the participants.

One strategy to promote student interest in online learning is to introduce high levels of interaction
among students. Changes in both funding levels and student profiles have resulted in a greater
emphasis on the use of flexible methods of course delivery in higher education, with a growing
interest in the use of communication and information technology (CIT).
For an online learning environment to be effective and yield good results the following models are
employed.

Wrap Around Model

In this online-learning model, study materials, such as online study guides, activities, and
conversation, are "wrapped" around previously published resources such as textbooks or CD-ROMs,
among other things. This model is a resource-based approach to learning since it attempts to utilise
current material that is relatively stable and already available online or offline. Once built, such
courses can be taught or tutored by people other than the course developers. The course requires
collaborative learning activities in the form of group work, peer discussion, and online evaluation.

The Integrated Model

This model is the most like a whole online course. These kinds of courses are frequently delivered
with a sophisticated learning management system. They include chances for computer conferencing,
small group-based collaborative online learning activities, and online assessment of learning
outcomes, as well as the availability of much of the subject information in electronic format.
However, some of the subject matter content may be best assessed offline in already published
textbooks and other sources for the time being. Through these courses, learning and instruction take
place in computer conferences during which the required readings and tasks are addressed.

Students, particularly those pursuing a professional degree, benefit greatly from instructional
technology (Mehra & Mital, 2007). Because of the following reasons, online learning is regarded as a
boon:

Online learning enables accessibility, allowing students to learn from any location in the world. This
is especially true for students who aspire to study in another country. No matter where a student lives
or what he wants to study, he can always find a course or even a degree program that he can complete
from home. The learning alternatives available to students are not limited by their geographical
location.

Personalised Learning: A student's learning style, topic, goal, current knowledge, and specific skills
can all be determined and processed using an online learning system. As a result, unique learning
styles could be used to give person-specific education. Individuals can design and direct their own
learning via e-learning. It has the potential to motivate, build confidence and self-esteem, overcome
many of the barriers that learners face, customize the learning experience, expand access, and improve
the learning experience, all while assisting individuals in developing their ICT skills.

Develops cognitive abilities: According to a study, E-Learning can help students strengthen their
cognitive talents as teachers (Singh & Mishra, 2009). Students in an e-learning program were shown
to have higher success levels than their peers. A learner can access an infinite amount of information
with the push of a button. Some of the most famous colleges in the world offer a variety of online
programs. The student might enroll in an online course that will aid in the development of his
cognitive talents.

Basic Computer Abilities: Students who choose to study online, both on and off campus, have the
chance to learn technical skills in the use of information communication technology (ICT). These
talents are likely to be valuable in their professional lives and in all future undertakings, and they may
be marketable qualities of their education in and of themselves.

Everyone has the same chance: All pupils are treated equally, regardless of caste, creed, ethnicity, sex,
religion, disability, or other factors. Rather, Online Learning is a blessing for learners who are
impaired and have difficulty commuting, as well as for those in society who reside in remote areas
where schools/colleges are far away.

Excessive use of technology, as well as a lack of careful planning and implementation of E-learning,
can result in a variety of issues, including poor communication, feelings of isolation, frustration,
stress, and, in some cases, poor learning and teaching performance, as well as squandered resources
and revenue. One coin has two sides. As follows, there are several disadvantages of online learning:

Poor communication: Online learning eliminates the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with the
teacher, which is critical for forming a bond between the student and the instructor. According to
research published in the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, online
learning can lead to miscommunication between students and teachers.

Feeling Isolated: Tim S. Roberts and Joanne M. Mclnnerney emphasize the need of engaging with
other students, identifying feelings of isolation as a significant disadvantage of online learning. The
social development of a child has taken a back seat because of technological growth in the current
day. Students use WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook to communicate with online acquaintances
who live far away, yet they forget to meet and greet someone who is right next door. This propensity
leads to a sense of loneliness. According to studies, students' feelings of loneliness were a major stress
factor in their decision to drop out.

Lack of motivation: Online students struggle to stay motivated when studying because they are
quickly side-tracked by other things. For students who struggle with time management and
procrastination, working at their own pace becomes a disadvantage. With the structure of traditional
learning, these children are more likely to succeed.

Lack of quality in the teaching and learning process: Online learning can sometimes result in a lack of
quality in the teaching and learning process. According to Galusha (1991), non-online instructors have
concerns about the credibility of online courses. Too often, online teachers do not take their lesson
preparations as seriously as they should, and this lack of dedication has a significant and detrimental
impact on the quality of online learning.

Poor accessibility in remote areas: Online teaching and learning requires hardware, software, and
connectivity facilities. Without any of these, online learning would not be able to fulfill its goal. Some
people may not have easy access to a computer and an internet connection, and those who do have it
feel unprepared to utilize it.

As it stands, the ongoing epidemic caused by the new corona virus, which has gained international
attention over the years, continues. As the virus's propagation became a major concern in most
countries throughout the world, the government decided to close schools to prevent the infection from
spreading among its population.

As a result of these consequences, the government is taking steps to ensure that education is provided
through emergency remote learning/teaching approaches, with many organizations implementing
online learning solutions. Some higher education institutions, often in developing nations.

A survey was created to get real-time responses to a series of questions. It was aimed at undergraduate
students at Ghana's University of Cape Coast. This was accomplished via an online survey. According
to the poll, most students were under the age of 25 while others were between the ages of 25 and 40.

It also revealed that some students had gained some knowledge of e-learning through various
university programs, such as Alison, among others. It also revealed that students preferred to conduct
their research on social media platforms.

Because the cost of accessing the Internet in Ghana is higher, the university's administration could
negotiate educational discounts for students with cell phone operators such as MTN and Vodafone
Ghana. To make it easy and appealing for students to use e-learning platforms, students should be
introduced to them through orientation.

(Edmond et al.,220)

Higher education institutions recognize that problems are bound to arise during the academic year.
Most of these institutions, which include students and teachers, are from low- and middle-income
nations. They lack the high-speed broadband or digital gadgets required to properly implement online
learning choices. In other words, in low- and middle-income nations like Ghana, the change from in-
person to person instructions to emergency remote learning has created a wide-open digital inequality
across and among schools and countries.

Lower resource environments in middle- and low-income nations are even worse, with Internet
penetration rates often less than 50% and a big proportion of pupils without gear to permit emergency
remote learning at home.
(World Bank , 2020a ,)

With the arrival of COVID-19 arose the need for some healthy measures such as social distancing,
and imposition of lockdowns in many affected countries. These measures brought many activities to a
stop which also affected many aspects of daily lives, but education has been particularly hard hit by
this unexpected situation. Authorities worldwide issued stay-at-home orders, imposing prolonged
periods of lockdown, which led to a suspension in educational activities globally. Educational
institutions in many parts of the world were temporary closed but progressively, these educational
institutions that faced the suspension resumed and started operating under online models to continue
academic activities.

This new advanced change depends entirely on the technologies and enhancement of using e-learning
as a revolution for overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study presented by Tawafak et al. (2019) revealed in the last academic year that the

Information Technology Department proposed a new strategy for using technologies in education by
activating the use of Google classroom and uploading many recorded materials (Tawafak, Romli,
Malik et al, 2019).

A new modification of the e-learning upgrade made by activating Moodle as a common platform for
students to participate in the online academic platform.

Various students at the comfort of their homes had access to the e-learning platform during the
pandemic. Despite the emergence of technology which has brought educational progress into various
educational institutions, some challenges were also encountered by students in the various department
and there are various surveys made to acknowledge those challenges to compare the real impact
technology has had on students during the pandemic.

A systematic review and meta-analysis provided on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted
by papers released between January 2000 and March 2020 on the effectiveness and acceptance of
synchronous distance education (SDE) in health sciences as compared to more traditional
educational methods measured the knowledge of students, their skills (using objective assessments)
and their overall satisfaction (using sub- jective evaluations). Daoud et al. (2020) conducted a
systematic review focused on the issue of equity regarding home internet access by evaluating the
educational value of having internet at home for school aged children.

Di Pietro et al. (2020) produced a paper that attempts to explore the direct and indirect ways in which
the COVID-19 pandemic may impact education. Based on the existing literature and preCOVID-19
data, it made predictions about the impact on and future of education.
Additionally, Carrillo & Flores (2020) conducted a review of the literature between January 2000 and
April 2020 on online teaching and learning practices in teacher education to explore how and why
online teaching and learning in teacher education occur, also, discussing its implications in the context
of the pandemic. The review highlighted the complex nature of the model, discussing such factors as
social, cognitive, and teaching issues and the need for a comprehensive view of the pedagogy of
online technology-based education used to support teaching and learning (Carrillo & Flores, 2020).

The pandemic might have set in motion changes that are to last millennia in the way education is
conducted across the globe. It is therefore critical to study the direct impact of technology on students
and understand the role it played to make informed pedagogical choices in the future and ensure a
smooth transition into more flexible but effective online teaching methods.

The utilization of the Internet and cutting-edge technologies to collect information for quick
communication has become critical in any university's communication and marketing plan One of the
foundational parts of the student-teacher-university connection is communication in the university
setting. The reason for approaching university communication stems from the belief that the way in
which information is communicated by universities has a significant impact on students' success in the
learning process and their integration into the university environment. Furthermore, as more and more
schools shift to the red scenario, which implies that nearly the entire educational process transfers to
the online system on educational teaching and learning platforms, the COVID-19 epidemic has shown
the value of these platforms.

investigated the impact of e-learning and evaluations on students during the pandemic era and
reported significant improvements in students' technology skills. mentioned typical evaluations for
evaluating students and course templates, as well as quality assurance and surveys, learning analytics,
and intermediate assessments. The award-winning instructors used a variety of facilitation tactics,
including prompt reaction and feedback, availability, and regular presence and communication.

In many subjects, such as geography and the use of educational platforms has allowed finding
answers in the forced situation and inventing teaching techniques and tools. In addition, the utilization
of information and communication with the use of technology has been beneficial in the medical area.

Students' performance in online education is influenced by the quality of the platform used in the
educational process.

According to them, COVID-19 has helped improve electronic platforms, according to the storing and
management of an infinite number of courses, as well as the storage and management of an infinite
amount of content inside each course.

Since 2020, the use of online educational platforms has become a requirement and has increased
rapidly, as they are the only instruments available for online instruction during the break. like an
education in times of crisis: quick transition to distance learning, have discussed the impact of smart
learning. However, there are several drawbacks to using these educational platforms, including the
following: it needs both teachers and students to have prior computer experience. Digital inequalities
among students, which are a major risk factor for socioeconomic vulnerability, have been brought to
light as a result of the crisis. Furthermore, inequalities were discovered because not all students have
the same socioeconomic or lifestyle circumstances, and not all students have access to the internet,
high-performance digital equipment, or the requisite abilities. We discover that learning opportunities
during and after COVID-19 are unequal. They emphasized the relevance of the library in the learning
process because children and families come from a variety of backgrounds, as do their education and
financial levels.

According to the European Commission's digital education action plan for the period 2021–2027 state
that in the setting of a pandemic, educational innovation allowed for the identification of specialized
features in digital and post-digital education.

The European pandemic COVID-19 prompted the development and implementation of swift and
effective responses on a national level, causing major disruption to school systems and teacher
training. ( Elzainy et al. 2020)
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