How can Students make Digital Learning in Engineering more Effective?

One of the biggest benefits of studying engineering through eLearning is that the students can study at their own convenient time, pace and place. This advantage has made digital learning extremely popular among, not only engineering students, but also learners in various other fields. There are a few basics which, when applied to digital learning engineering, enhances student engagement and interest. These basics are applicable to all types of digital learning courses such as language skills, process training skills, soft skills etc.

Basics for Effective eLearning

Some of the fundamentals that can make digital learning extremely productive are discussed as follows:

Relate to Offline Learning – A student’s level of understanding engineering concepts increases when he is able to make a connection between what he studies digitally and what he learns from classroom teaching. This connection makes eLearning a relevant experience for the student. For instance, to study a chemical engineering eLearning course, the student will require a recap of topics learnt previously to set the right base. This ensures better understanding and a firmer grasp on essential concepts.

Practical Application – When it comes to engineering, studying a lot of theory may become monotonous and unproductive if not applied practically. Therefore, an effective way to study would be to include real life scenarios, demonstrations and artificial simulations along with the theoretical concepts for a thorough understanding of the subject. Practical applications coupled with an exhaustive digital learning engineering courseware can work wonders for any engineering student.

Provide Constructive Feedback – Digital Learning programs come with assessments that help students to assess their learning and track their progress. They also provide students with a feedback section where students are encouraged to put in their suggestions, grievances or any other feedback that would help to make the platform better. Such a mechanism benefits students in the long run as the eLearning platform adapts to their needs.
MagicMarks is one of the leading digital learning portals for engineering students. Apart from its high-end courseware, it allows learners to interact with them through feedback and suggestions. Over the years it has implemented many suggestions from students to make their portal better.

Enable Social Engagements – Most of the digital learning platforms for engineering allow learners to socialize and collaborate with fellow students. They can share learning resources, milestones and even work together to discuss study topics. Students can leverage this feature to experience a higher level of engagement.

Mixed Approach – It has been observed that carefully designed blended programs tend to improve the understanding and knowledge retention of students. eLearning course content can be embedded within other learning guides such as podcasts, videos and interactive multimedia courses, to further engage students and promote their learning curve.

Civil Engineering Study Materials for Digital Learning

Civil engineering is probably the oldest stream of engineering that dates back to many centuries. Early man constructing a roof over his head or laying a plank of wood over a water body to cross it, can be considered the primary forms of civil engineering. One of civil engineering’s major discipline is structural engineering which includes the construction of buildings and bridges. Railroads and subways are built by transportation engineers who are also a type of civil engineers.

To become a successful civil engineer, one requires a good deal of formal education. Civil engineers usually work on projects involving construction, rebuilding, renovation etc. They perform many civic responsibilities like review government laws and regulations and design roadways and highways. Apart from these civil engineers are also employed in aerospace industries and space-stations. Civil engineering is considered to be a very exciting profession as engineers can see the fruits of their work in the form of a tall skyscraper, a massive bridge connecting cities or even a public park.

Civil Engineering Study Materials

Nowadays, with the advent and growth of digital learning, a lot of civil engineering study materials are available online. Civil engineering has many sub-disciplines that need to be studied separately. The major sub-disciplines along with a brief description is given as follows:

1) Structural Engineering – Structural Engineering is probably the biggest discipline covered in civil engineering. In this, the engineers are involved in designing structures, analysing their stability and overseeing their construction.
2) Transportation Engineering – Transportation engineers are involved in designing transportation systems, railroads, roadways, subway stations and other structures of conveyance. Transportation engineers must be aware of traffic routes, safety guidelines, efficient transport schedule and overall interaction of systems with their environment.
3) Materials Engineering – Material engineering involves the study of basic construction materials, their properties and their means of production. The commonly studies building materials are metals, wood, plastic, cement, sand, rocks, rubber and clay.
4) Environmental Engineering – Environmental engineers deal with issues of the environment and build solutions for these issues. From improving the quality of air, water and the natural environment to cleaning up pollution sites, environmental engineering contributes significantly to the stability of human habitation.
5) Earthquake Engineering – Earthquake Engineering is the discipline of civil engineering that is devoted to diminishing risks and hazards brought about by earthquakes. Earthquake engineers investigate and provide solutions of problems that may arise due to devastating earthquakes. The study includes planning, designing, building and managing constructions that are resistant to earthquakes.

Magic Marks is one of the fastest growing providers of digital engineering education. It offers eLearning solutions for engineering students in India. The Civil Engineering study materials are provided in detail by Magic Marks, including all the sub-disciplines mentioned above. The study material is in the form of video tutorials with 2D animations and an easy-to-understand English voice over.

What Makes eLearning so Effective in Supporting Learner’s Development?

eLearning or digital learning is currently becoming the most popular mode of imparting education to millions around the world using the latest technology. eLearning not only provides students with learning content online but also offers assessments, evaluations, clarifications, Q&A sessions as well as visual graphics to elucidate basic concepts. In the field of engineering, digital learning is growing at a rapid rate. Since eLearning is cost-effective and provides knowledge in a well-structured manner, more and more engineering students are opting for this option. Unlike a classroom lecture, which happens only once, digital learning offers the courses online which the students can keep going back to whenever and wherever they want. The following reasons describe why eLearning has become so popular:

1)The courses can be accessed in real-time – In classroom learning, a particular schedule is followed by teachers and the students have to adhere to this schedule linearly. However, in digital learning a student can access any course from anywhere (whether home, class or even a park) at any time. The courses can be accessed through a laptop, a tablet or even a mobile phone. This easy accessibility at any point of time has made it very simple for students to pursue digital courses.

2)Knowledge retention is enhanced – Since the learning content is provided using instructional design and a combination of multimedia, students experience a unique way of acquiring knowledge which is almost 80% more retentive than normal classroom teaching. Addition of self-evaluation tests makes it a complete package enabling students to track their progress as well.

3)No fear of failing in tests – Engineering students are always wary of classroom tests as these directly affect their results and GPAs. In digital learning, the tests and assessments are designed exactly like university formats to allow students to get exam practice and get an idea of where they stand with respect to the course. Students can time themselves in these tests and identify areas where they need to focus more. Since the results of these online tests do not affect a student’s college grades, they can take them at their own pace without the fear of failing.

4)Learning in a personalized environment – Digital learning enables students to learn sitting in the comfort of their homes. The entire control is given to the learners. They can choose what to study, which areas to put extra focus on, which tests to take, what format of assessment to choose and also how to pace their learning. These benefits are not provided by classroom education.

Magic Marks is India’s biggest and fastest growing digital learning platform for engineers. It provides students with engineering course materials and video tutorials for First Year, Electrical & Electronics, Mechanical and Civil Engineering. The content can also be used by students appearing for various competitive exams. The courses are provided entirely in the form of conceptual videos with rich animations and a simple English voice-over to allow the students to learn easily and grasp concepts faster.