A Guide to eCourse Management: The Stakeholders' Perspectives

Abstract

Web-based education (WBE) and training is growing by leaps and bounds, and the market is expected to reach almost 28.6 billion by the year 2006 (IDC, 2001). Technological advancements and student demands have necessitated a shift from a “brick and mortar” synchronous environment to a “click and learn” asynchronous environment. Students are demanding anytime, anyplace accessibility, and universities are obliging by bringing education to students. The instructor’s role is changing from “lecturing” to “facilitating,” and the student’s role is changing from “recipient” to “participant.” These virtual students require virtual convenience and are opting for a “complete” online education, from admission to graduation. In this chapter, the steps involved in Web education, from three major stakeholders’ perspectives—the faculty, the student, and the technical personnel—are discussed, and ways of providing online conveniences are discussed, based on the author’s experience.