3.0 Issues in E-Learning

Awareness
Generally there is still a lack of awareness amongst the population, especially parents, of the effectiveness of e-learning. Many parents feel the traditional learning mode is better [2]. The parents in Malaysia still believe that traditional method of going to class all the time could be much better in enhancing their children’s knowledge. However, they do not realize that some people could learn much better when given a great freedom for them in pursuing their method of study. For example, some students would prefer e-learning compared to traditional mode of learning as e-learning provides them the space and time to study for themselves.

Low Adoption Rate
Most institutions are keen to embrace e-learning. Nevertheless, issues like lack of e-content, inadequate infrastructure coupled with the problem of digital divide, has resulted in relatively low adoption rate [2]. Many students these days know and would love to embrace e-learning in their studies. However, the lack of knowledge coupled with the inadequate infrastructure within the schools and institutions have made it difficult for them to set up e-learning system for their students. Therefore, the adoption rate of this e-learning concept has been little in this country.

Bandwidth Issue and Connectivity
Engaging content requires a rich combination of multimedia components. However, due to bandwidth and connectivity limitations, downloading of engaging content to the learners will be slow. This creates frustration and boredom among learners and affects the ease of learning [2]. As we all know, the broadband connectivity speed in Malaysia still lags behind those developed countries such as Singapore, England, United States, and etc. This is one of the reasons why e-learning system still can’t be fully accomplished in the region of Malaysia as the speed of surfing and downloading from the Internet is still considered slow.

Computer Literacy and Digital Divide
In Malaysia, there is a large segment of the population that is computer illiterate. This is especially true in the rural areas. This hinders the introduction and implementation of e-learning [2]. Many schools and institutions in the rural areas around Malaysia are not equipped with Internet technology and good infrastructure for their students. This of course causes the implementation of e-learning program not to be accomplished as they do not have the sources and knowledge in running the program.

Lack of Quality E-Content
Currently, there is a dearth of high quality e-learning content in Malaysia. This is due to the lack of expertise as well as huge financial resources required to develop the content. As a result, most of the e-learning content has low interactivity and moderate impact on learners [2]. The e-learning contents in Malaysia are still under-developed due to the fact that this program is still not as advanced as compared to other countries. The people responsible to handle the e-learning program in their respective institutions are not well trained to manage the e-learning program. Besides than that, most institutions could not afford to develop a great e-content as it requires lots of financial resources as well as manpower who are experts in this field.

Language Barrier
The extensive use of English in e-learning contents is also one of the factors that have hindered the success of e-learning, especially in non-English speaking countries like Malaysia. Many, who like to enroll in e-learning programs, are deterred from doing so as they are not confident with the contents in English [2]. In Malaysia, there are lacks of schools who teach the students using English as the main language. Since young, most students are accustomed to the language being used in their own respective schools such as Malay and Chinese language. To make a transition to the English language, it would be difficult for these students to adapt as they are not well trained in English. This could cause a major hindrance towards the implementation of e-learning program in schools.