Exploring Communication and Communication Tools for E-Learning

Introduction

Communication involves sending or transmitting messages between individuals or groups (Romera et al., 1984). It often takes multiple attempts to achieve mutual understanding. This can only happen when all parties involved share a common understanding of the information being communicated (Tendero et al., 2009; Team et al., 2013).

The sending and receiving of messages by sender and receiver occurs in a two-way process called communication. shown by Schramm's communication model (lim et al.,2017) . The communicator uses a shared medium to translate his thoughts into words, signs, images, graphics, sounds, tones of voice, facial expressions and body language . the receiver then retrieves the message and encodes it. The decoding process is not straightforward, since the recipient interprets the information according to his or her own experiences, expectations, level of understanding and other factors that affect perception or comprehension. A crucial element known as feedback is what brings the communication process to an end once it has begun say that the four components of communication are sender, medium, receiver and feedback (lim et al.,2017).

Exploring communication and communication tools for e-learning is a growing field of study, attracting increasing interest among educational researchers. The development and growing popularity of e-learning has opened up new opportunities to study how to improve communication in this specific context.

By describing the primary objectives, strategies, and communication technologies used to enable an interesting, collaborative, and fruitful distant learning experience, this chapter seeks to explore the fundamental components of communication in the context of online learning. We'll examine how online communication may help teachers fulfill their guiding and facilitation roles, boost student engagement, facilitate concept understanding, and promote pair collaboration. This chapter's ultimate objective is to provide readers a comprehensive grasp of communication techniques and the resources available to maximize online learning so they may build online learning environments that are more productive, approachable, and enriching.

Research on communication and communication tools in e-learning has experienced a significant increase, generating interest among educational researchers. The advancements and effectiveness of e-learning have created opportunities for further investigation on enhancing communication in this particular context. Various aspects of communication in e-learning have been explored through research. These studies delve into the utilization of diverse, real-time communication methods and online collaboration tools such as discussion forums, live chat sessions, and online videos. Moreover, there is a growing emphasis on examining the impact of online communication on learner engagement, promoting peer collaboration, and facilitating knowledge consolidation.

Online learning opens up a realm of communication possibilities, many of which have never been fully exploited in traditional face-to-face environments. Higher education has moved beyond the content download model to one that maximizes the potential for learner collaboration and authentic learning simulating real-life situations. However, new possibilities pose new problems or, as some would say, revive old ones. The communication tools available in the online environment are, in part, responsible for opening up innovations in interactive learning in higher education. Asynchronous communication, in particular, is one of the most versatile tools available. Learners may not be able to attend classes in real time, as in a synchronous face-to-face environment, for a multitude of reasons involving work and family commitments as well as geographical and physical barriers. The online environment offers these learners the opportunity to access education beyond the traditional distance learning model of home-based learning programs. Learners are now able to evolve in a socially constructive learning environment (Jonassen et al., 1995) reinforced by information and communication technologies.