Role-Based eLearning vs. eService-Learning ? Modern Educational Approaches Based on Mobile and Social 21st-Century Technologies

• Author: Laura Danilescu
• Position: Senior Lecturer PhD, Faculty of Economic Sciences, 'Danubius' University of Galati, Romania
• Pages: 374-381

European Integration - Realities and Perspectives. Proceedings 2020

374

Role-Based eLearning vs. eService-Learning – Modern Educational

Approaches Based on Mobile and Social 21st-Century Technologies

Laura Danilescu1

Abstract: Role-based e-learning has led to a student-centered way of le arning, adopting Internet

technologies. The new technologies of Web 2.0 and social networks undoubtedly have the potential to

improve the role-b ased learning of e-learning. However, not only will the evolution of technology influence

future directions for role-based e-learning, but it will also involve factors related to changing educator

perceptions and changing student roles. The continuous evolution of role-based e-learning is based on three

main factors: technology, educators, and learners. (Sandra Wills, 2011). eService-learning is an educational

approach that combines learning objectives with community service to provide a pragmatic, progressive

learning experience while meeting societal needs. The new information technologies support the learning

process by meeting the needs of the learning process and at the same time support the interaction between the

student and the technology, which takes place at the concept level. Technologies have the role of functioning

as intellectual tools that allow students to construct more meaningful personal interpretations and

representations of the world. An eService-Learning course provides th e students with real-world experiences

that they cannot obtain from a textbook, traditional lectures, and fictitious lab assignments. An eService-

Learning model cultivates skill sets and on-the-job training that is a very valuable asset for future jobs.

Keywords: role play; learners; teachers; competencies; content developer; hybrid training; key skills;

technological trends

Role-Based eLearning

Role-based learning in face-to-face contexts is a powerful approach at all levels of education, but

particularly within many further and higher education contexts and as part of the trainer’s toolkit

(Bolton & Heathcote, 1999; Levy, 1997). The arrival of e-learning makes it possible to engage with

different types of role play, for example, international and inter-institutional collaborations, role plays

blending online and face-to-face interaction, role plays blending synchronous and asynchronous media

including recordings of the sessions, and role-play within distance learning contexts. It is now possible

to conduct elaborate, rich and responsive role-play activities where the identity of the participants is

not immediately apparent, where they may use avatars or inhabit 3D virtual worlds as part of the role

play. As people are increasingly able to create and publish resources online themselves there is also

potential to incorporate artifacts created by participants themselves into the role play as it develops,

creating an even more dynamic, blended e-learning experience for learners. (Sandra Wills, 2011).

1 Senior Lecturer P hD, Faculty of Economic Sciences, “Danubius” University of Galati, Romania, Address: 3 Blvd. Galati,

Romania, Tel.: + 0372361102, Corresponding author: ldanilescu@univ-danubius.ro.