Fixed e-learning is a fancy name for something you are likely already familiar with. “Fixed” in this context means that the content used during the learning process does not change from its original state and all the participating students receive the same information as all the others. The materials are predetermined by the teachers and don’t adapt to the student’s preferences.
You can think of fixed learning as when traditionally a teacher prepares a lesson and teaches all the students exactly the same thing, in the same manner, and at the same pace. In short, the content is fixed. This is the other extreme of adaptive learning, in which the content molds itself to suit the needs of each student.
This type of learning has been the standard in traditional classrooms for thousands of years, but it’s not ideal in e-learning environments. That is because fixed e-learning does not utilize the valuable real-time data gained from student inputs. Analyzing each student individually through their data and making changes to the materials according to this data leads to better learning outcomes for all students.
Advantages of Fixed Elearning
- Suitable for very large audiences
- Ensures every student covers every topic
- Saves time for teacher
Examples of fixed e-learning include lectures uploaded on sites like YouTube. Even though you can watch them any time you want, you are still restricted to whatever the teacher is describing in a particular lecture, and you have to follow along.
This method of learning is increasingly being relegated to the annals of history. Although it makes the actual teaching part easier for instructors because they just need to prepare one lesson at a time, this form severely disadvantages students who have different needs from each other and would fare much better with a more adaptive system.