Human factors in e-learning

Abstract

In an e-Learning environment, collaborative learning raises questions that lead us to reflect on the challenges posed to teachers to promote their engagement and the engagement of their learners in a real collaborative teaching-learning process, allowing the emergence of a productive virtual learning community, in which there are sharing of knowledge and socio-pedagogical relationships. The critical issue of this process is not the technology itself since it undergoes constant updating and modification. Technical problems whose solutions are not yet available, or are precarious, can be solved or optimized in a short time; even shorter than the time available for developing this work. Technology should be valued only as a communication channel, what matters are the ways teachers use technologies to interact with learners. The teacher-learner relationship is complex both in online and face-to-face teaching situations, as human behavior is always present. People relationship is moved by feelings, desires, convictions, and interests. In a technology-mediated learning environment, this complexity stands out even more, as it involves individuals from different cultures, with diverse ideas, concepts, and formations. It is essential that teachers reflect on the aspects related to human interaction in general and to the educational interaction of teaching situations. In the latter case, teachers must be aware of their teaching experience, considering what occurs during the interactions. This work contributes to creating a participatory, collaborative, trustworthy and committed ‘culture’ among students and teachers in an e-Learning environment.