Possibilities of e-learning in Nepal

POSSIBILITIES OF E-LEARNING
IN HIGHER EDUCATION
OF NEPAL
Research Project
VIJAY THAPA
C7204132

Email: hi@vijaythapa.com Possibilities of E-Learning in Nepal
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My Online Courses: youtube.com/vijaythapa
Acknowledgement
I would like to thank my supervisor Mr. Manoj Shakya for assisting me on the hardest part i.e.
identifying my research domain and interested topic for the research project.
I am also thankful to the associate dean Mr. Arun Joshi for his continuous support and
encouragement to continue this project and complete it.
Similarly, my thanks to our program coordinator Dr. Pranita Upadhyay for her support and
information on research process, feedback and guidance on writing proper dissertation.
I could not have completed this assignment without the continuous support and motivation of
my colleagues, family and friends.
And finally, my thanks to all the participants who helped me on data collection by filling the
survey forms though I was unknown to you. I am really indebted to all of you for your
encouragement and belief on me.

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Abstract
Youths are the backbone of any nation. They are responsible for the economic progress and
development of a country. But in Nepal many students are deprived of quality education. Due to
uneven geographical structure (mostly hills and mountains) and more than 80% living in rural
areas, the number of educational institutions is quite low or overcrowded (if available).
As a result, many of them quit before completing even primary education and some have to
migrate to urban to get higher education.
But with the increase in internet penetration and availability of electronic devices at an
affordable price, e-learning poses the possibility of providing quality education to the students
all over the country at an affordable price.
Thus, this research project identifies the present condition of e-learning platforms, internet
connections and devices used by the netizens to access the online courses.
To complete this project, researcher has also collected the data using survey and the results has
been presented.
And finally, the outcome of this dissertation is an e-learning framework to be implemented in
higher education of Nepal to improve the quality of education provided among the students.

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Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................5
1.1. BACKGROUND AND KEY TERMS .........................................................................................................................5
1.1.1. Background ...........................................................................................................................................5
1.1.2. Key Terms ..............................................................................................................................................5
1.2. RATIONALE ....................................................................................................................................................5
1.3. DISSERTATION OUTLINE ...................................................................................................................................7
1.4. RESEARCH AIM, SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES.............................................................................................................8
1.4.1. Research Aim.........................................................................................................................................8
1.4.2. Research Objectives ..............................................................................................................................8
1.4.3. Research Questions...............................................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................................9
2.1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................9
2.2. E-LEARNING ..........................................................................................................................................................9
2.3. BENEFITS OF E-LEARNING ......................................................................................................................................11
2.4. IMPLEMENTATION/ADOPTION OF E-LEARNING AROUND THE WORLD ............................................................................15
2.5. WHY E-LEARNING IN NEPAL?.................................................................................................................................17
2.6. SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................................18
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................................19
3.1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................19
3.2. RESEARCH APPROACH AND DESIGN (RESEARCH METHODOLOGY).................................................................................19
3.3. RESEARCH METHODS ............................................................................................................................................20
3.4. ETHICS................................................................................................................................................................22
3.5. SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................................23
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS........................................................................................................24
4.1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................24
4.2. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ................................................................................................................................24
4.2.1. Participants Demographics.....................................................................................................................26
4.2.2. Education level of the Participants .........................................................................................................26
4.2.3. Location of the people participated........................................................................................................27
4.2.4. Amount of people knowing about e-learning (Online Education).........................................................28
4.2.5. Participants taken Online Courses..........................................................................................................28
4.2.6. Participants Experiences on Online Courses...........................................................................................29
4.2.7. Type of Contents on Online Courses .......................................................................................................30
4.2.8. Effectiveness of E-Learning on Participants............................................................................................30
4.2.9. Devices used by Participants to access Online Courses..........................................................................31
4.2.10. Status of Internet Connection among the Participants........................................................................32
4.2.11. Do participants think that e-learning can improve the quality of Education in Nepal? .....................33
4.3. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................................34
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS AND REFLECTIONS ......................................................................................................35
5.1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................35
5.2. FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................................35
5.3. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF E-LEARNING.....................................................................................................35
5.4. STUDY LIMITATIONS AND TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS............................................................................................36
5.5. SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................................37
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION...........................................................................................38

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6.1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................38
6.2. FULFILLING THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES.....................................................................................................................38
6.3. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................................38
6.3.1. Proposed E-Learning Framework............................................................................................................39
6.3.2. Recommendations for Further Research ................................................................................................54
6.4. SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................................................................55
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................................................56
APPENDIX 1: PROJECT PLAN ................................................................................................................................59
APPENDIX 2: ETHICS FORM..................................................................................................................................60
APPENDIX 3: SUPERVISOR MEETINGS..................................................................................................................70
APPENDIX 4: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES..............................................................................................................73

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background and Key Terms
1.1.1. Background
In Nepal, more than 80% people live in rural areas (Khakurel, 2018). And the number of
educational institutes in such rural areas is either quite low or over crowded. As a result,
many of them have to migrate to the urban areas in search of better education.
But with the advancement in internet technology and availability of electronic devices at
an affordable price, e-learning or online education has the potential to provide quality
education even in such rural areas.
Digital educational resources like e-books, audio (podcasts), video, conferences, etc. can
be accessed using the internet and electronic devices like Laptop, Personal Computers,
Mobile Phones, Tablets, etc.
1.1.2. Key Terms
E-Learning, Online Education, High School
1.2. Rationale
In order to conduct this research, various factors have motivated me. Not only to get a
degree, but to help people to learn at an affordable price has always been my thing of
interest. Thus, I decided to conduct this dissertation for my master’s degree in
information technology.
a. Most people live in Rural Areas
As Khakurel says, still more than 80% people live in rural areas in Nepal. And the
number of educational institutions in these areas are very low. And the available ones
are overcrowded.

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Beside this, such schools also lack teachers with effective teaching methods. Students
have to walk hours to reach their schools which is waste of their productive time. And
sometimes, it really takes longer time to get the educational materials like books and
necessary kits which also affects in quality of learning process.
But with internet access and availability of electronic devices like mobile phones,
laptops, computers, etc. can help students from anywhere at any time without any
geographical boundary.
b. Traditional Style of Teaching
In Nepal, most of the teachers are trained only on how to use textbooks to teach the
students. Most of them don’t even care on how a student learns and what’s the goal
and purpose of curriculum.
And the Nepalese curriculum is driven only by textbook or exams, instead on a vision
that tries to discover the need of a country.
Not only the improvement on course and its content or teachers are to be blamed,
but the teachers need to be trained so that they know their roles and effective
teaching methodologies (Kandel, 2020).
And with the implementation of e-learning on educational sectors of Nepal, teachers
can be mentored and trained by the professionals from anywhere at any time.
Similarly, students can also learn from the expert residing anywhere in the world, can
get access to the updated course contents and information.
c. Quality Education is Expensive
As we know most of the Nepalese live in rural areas and to pursue higher education,
they need to migrate to the urban areas. And the living expenses is higher in city areas.
So, they either have to quit the education or pay more.
And the education institutions in city areas also provide better quality than in rural
areas, but the tuition fees are really expensive (3-10 times more than normal), which
is not affordable by common peoples.

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But on e-learning platform, a student can only pay for the course on which they are
interested and taught by really great instructors. And the cost on e-learning platform
is quite low and most of the time free.
Here, student can take skill-based courses which can help them to get real jobs. And
in this modern world of technology, having a degree doesn’t guarantee a job, but
having a skill set needed by the market does.
1.3. Dissertation Outline
The background, rationale and the specification of the dissertation is discussed on
Chapter One, the remaining part of this dissertations is discussed in this section
Chapter Two is all about the theoretical support of conducting this research project. Here,
literature review has been reviewed critically and also the general background of the
education system and its present condition in Nepal is discussed. Along with that, the e-
learning technology, it’s pros and cons are discussed.
And the research work is carried out to prepare the e-learning framework that can be
implemented in the higher education of Nepal, that can help to improve the quality of
education.
Chapter Three explains about the selection and use of research methods and
methodologies to complete this research project. The reason behind the use of particular
research philosophy, research approach, research methods, fact finding techniques, etc.
has been discussed in brief on this chapter.
Chapter Four describes about the actual data collection for this research project and the
visualization from the collected data. The results after the analysis of the data collected
is described in this chapter.

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Chapter Five (Discussion and Reflections) discusses about the results analyzed on the
chapter 4. It also tries to dig deep down the opportunities and challenges of the possible
solution or outcome of this research, and also talks about the study limitations and
technical constraints.
Chapter Six briefly summarizes the findings of this research project and discusses about
the recommended solutions or outcomes of the research project. And also recommends
to continue the research if anyone wants to.
1.4. Research Aim, Scope and Objectives
1.4.1. Research Aim
To design and propose e-learning framework for higher education in Nepal.
1.4.2. Research Objectives
Some of the major objective of this research are as follows
a. To explore the status of e-learning in Nepal’s Higher Education.
b. To identify the opportunities and challenges of implementing e-learning in Nepal.
c. To design and propose an e-learning framework
1.4.3. Research Questions
In order to achieve the research objectives, some of the research questions are as follows
a. What’s the status of e-learning in Nepal?
b. What are the opportunities and challenges of implementing e-learning in Nepal?

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Introduction
In order to know more about the topic and the methodology used, literature review was done
on the topic off our research. For this, a lot of documents related to e-learning, its possibility and
implementation around the world was considered.
At first, literature review assisted on narrowing down my category of interest and selecting the
research title. And the in-depth literature review helped to identify and understand the reason
behind the selection and use of specific research methods and methodologies, fact finding
techniques and data analysis.
Beside this, it also helped to discover the sources of data that other fellow researchers have used,
key concepts used by them and also aided in providing evidence that may be used to support our
findings (Subjectguides.library.american.edu, 2020).
2.2. E-Learning
Basically, e-learning is the digital or modern method of delivering and receiving education
(education materials) through the use of electronic devices like mobile, laptop, Personal
Computer, tablets, etc. and internet.
In other words, e-learning can be described as “the use of any electronic medium to assist in
achievement and development of knowledge and understanding in order to demonstrable and
positively influence behaviors” (Aadm.com, 2020).
Unlike traditional brick – mortar classroom, courses and degree on e-learning platform is
delivered across the students via internet. And the teachings via this platform is not limited to
prebuilt or recorded videos, but students can also interact with the instructors via web
conferences or live chatting and using other modes of communication as well (Brown, 2017).
E-learning is also described using many other terms like online education, Learning Management
System (LMS), distance learning, internet learning, computerized electronic learning, etc.

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Worldwide growth of E-Learning
According to Forbes, e-learning is considered the future of education. And the forecasts showed
that the revenue of e-learning will be tripled down by 2025 ($325 Billion) as compared to the
revenue of 2015 ($107 Billion) (McCue, 2018).
According to Docebo (top learning management system provider), it is predicted that e-learning
market is going to get a rapid growth over the next five years, with the advancement in internet
technology and needs of evolving business, and improvement learning and development trends
(Grenkie, 2016).
Based on the report by Global Market Insight, E-learning market is valued at around $190 billion
and is growing at the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7%.
And it is also found that the adoption of e-learning is increasing as compared to any other nations.
The Indian academic eLearning market also reported that the growth will be at CAGR of 10% until
2025.
Also, the eLearning is praised by the academic institutes as the adoptions of using internet
technologies is increasing (Michelle, 2019). And the literacy rate is also increasing as the schools,
colleges and universities are offering the online courses and anyone is allowed to join at an
affordable cost.
The growth of e-learning is more internationally than United States. According to Ferriman, the
growth in Asia is expected to reach 28% and 22% in eastern Europe. The two nations that are
supposed to see explosive growth (over 50%) are China and India, leading all other nations. And
other top ten nations include Malaysia, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Brazil, Indonesia,
Colombia and the Ukraine.
One of the major factors for the rapid growth of e-learning or online education is the adoption
of technology-based teaching and training techniques. Some of the major evolving technologies
in e-learning industry includes AR (Augmented Reality) & VR (Virtual Reality) devices, use of AI
(Artificial Intelligence), ML (Machine Learning) and wearable devices to better understand the
behavior of the students then develop and recommend the courses tailored for the specific
students (Bhutani and Bhardwaj, 2019). And it helps in better learning and effectiveness.

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Besides this, the penetration of internet is increasing and becoming cheaper. And the electronic
devices (mobile phones, laptops, Personal Computers, Tablets, etc.) are available at an affordable
price through put the world.
And not only on educational institutes, but the e-learning technologies are being used by large
companies (40% of fortune 500 companies) to provide training in order to excel the skill of
employees (Ferriman, 2014).
Hence, it can be concluded that the growth of e-learning will be explosive and is considered as
the trusted source of getting education.
2.3. Benefits of E-Learning
Some of the major benefits or advantages of e-learning over traditional class-based education
are discussed below
a. Students can access from anywhere at any time
As we discussed earlier, e-learning is not bound by any geographical conditions. It does
not need an instructor or learner to be on a fixed physical location. The courses can be
accessed by the learner from any place on earth at any time using the internet and
electronic devices like mobile phones, laptop, personal computer or tablet.
This Just in Time (JIT) advantage of e-learning makes getting education possible to those
who have difficulty in managing time from their jobs and family (OBRINGER, 2020). Prior
to the development of e-learning, it was impossible to get education with fixed physical
location and timing of traditional colleges and universities.
Also, the students/learners from the rural areas can learn from the professors of urban
areas or overseas without migrating from their place.
b. Lectures can be taken any number of times (Self-Paced Learning)
Unlike traditional class-based learning, the course materials (lectures, audio, video,
presentations, etc.) are documented and recorded. Thus, it gives learners the ability to
see or review the lectures as many times as they want.
While watching the lectures, if they got stuck or confused then they can also pause and
re-watch the courses or lectures, which is impossible in traditional education system.

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Not only this, they can also download the courses, lectures and documents that can be
used to learn offline, when they don’t have access to internet.
And this ability to learn at their own pace helps learners to retain the knowledge without
feeling rushed or stressed. Everyone learns at their own pace (Ferriman, 2014).
c. No age limits
As the courses are delivered via internet and can be accessed from anywhere at any time,
anyone can enroll in online learning platforms. Learners at any age can enroll to learn new
skill without the restrictions of traditional classrooms.
Both young as well as young people enroll to the courses to learn new or excel existing
skills, gain a promotion, improve their career, etc.
Equal opportunities are provided to every learners and same courses are taught. In e-
learning platforms, there’s absolutely not any harsh restrictions that can be seen in
traditional educational institutes.
Both freshers and working learners can enroll in online course with just few clicks from
their own comfort without any hassle and start learning (Brown, 2017).
d. More Cost Effective
As compared to traditional education system, e-learning is less expensive because only a
few trainers and consultant can create better quality courses and deliver among the huge
number of students at a time. It will also eradicate the high salaries of more lecturers
required to deliver each course among few students. Thus, e-learning helps in reducing
operational costs of any educational institutions.
Similarly, students also get to get the quality education from their own home land at an
affordable cost of internet and an electronic device. It will save the transportation cost if
they had to travel in urban areas or overseas, and also the living cost of city areas.
Beside this, the cost of any specific course on online platform is really low (often free) as
compared to the traditional school, colleges and universities. So, everyone gets equal
priority and same quality of education whether they are rich or poor, live in city or village.

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Thus, it will also prevent the migration of human power and helps to develop skills that
can help to develop the rural areas instead.
e. Time saving without loss of quality
As we know by now that the courses, lessons and lecturers in e-learning platforms are
delivered via internet and electronic devices (mobiles, laptops, tablets, etc.), neither
lecturer nor the learner need to be on any physical location.
Thus, it saves the time of transportation. Also, the learner can learn at anytime from
anywhere which makes it feasible for working parents to easily manage their time and
don’t need special schedules as it needed on traditional colleges or universities.
And they also don’t lose the quality of education on such platforms, as the courses are
delivered by the same or better lecturers/professors of the reputed universities
(educational institutions).
And unlike traditional education, online education offers the most specialized/focused
courses, so it also saves time. Because on traditional classes you’ll have to attend every
classes even if you didn’t like.
f. Updated and Focused Courses
It’s really easy to update the courses and contents based on the market needs as
compared to the traditional education system. In e-learning the courses, lessons and
lectures are saved in a server or CD ROMs for offline.
Thus, the text and image-based courses can be edited and updated quickly as per the
need (OBRINGER, 2020). Similarly, the audio and video-based courses can be replaced by
the new ones though they take some time to create the new courses than text-based
courses.
But in traditional courses it takes months even years for a course to be updated, as it
requires permission from different departments, then print the text books. And by then
the courses that are valuable now might be worthless.

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Beside this, the courses on e-learning platform can be made shorter and specialized. And
a learner can enroll and learn a specific course that he/she needs. For example, if a
student is interested in Web Design, then he can directly join the course for Web Design
and pay for that only.
But in traditional education system, it’s impossible, because even if you’re only interested
in web design, you will have to study math, networking, programming, etc. and pay for all
as well. Not only study but you have to pass the exam to get certificate and be able to get
a job.
But e-learning has the flexibility to choose, study and pay for the courses in which you’re
interested. And it also focuses on developing skills which will make you job ready unlike
traditional courses which focuses on getting certificate only.
g. Delivery of Lesson is quick
In e-learning platform, lessons can be delivered quickly to the masses as compared to
traditional classes. Based on the article on “Training and Development magazine”, it is
found that e-learning courses progress 50% faster than traditional courses. It is because,
the e-learning platform provides the feature to skip the lessons (parts) that learners
already know and focus on new lessons and nee training on.
It is also found that the time required to learn on e-learning is 25% - 60% lesser than what
is required on traditional classes (Gupta, 2017). It is because most of the courses on e-
learning are specialized, thus are shorter and can be delivered in short period of time.
Also, the learners can define their own speed of learning instead to depending on the
speed of whole group. And it also saves the commute time to learners, as they can learn
from their own comfort places and don’t need to gather on a fixed specific location.
h. Effective
As we already discussed that the e-learning platform offers specialized/focused courses,
has the ability to learn at your own pace, replay the lectures, etc. thus increases the

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learning retention among the learners. And the contents are easier to grasp and digest as
the learners are more interested on specific courses.
Various studies have shown that the effect of e-learning on students is positive and
helped by improving the attitude of students towards learning and training, higher
content retention, higher scores on tests and examinations and finally implementation of
knowledge on real world jobs (Brown, 2017).
2.4. Implementation of E-Learning around the world
With the advancement in internet technology, availability of electronic devices (mobile phones,
laptops, computers & tablets) and the flexibility of online education has increased the adoption
of e-learning platform worldwide and rapidly.
Thus, the students in 21st century are more interested over e-learning platforms over the
traditional class-based education. Beside the popularity, the satisfaction on e-learning platform
is also found increasing over the traditional education system.
Based on a survey, it is found that around 43% students found digital technology-based education
system more helpful for doing homework and also 81% of college students in US agreed that the
e-learning platform has helped to improve their grades as well.
Also, the study suggests that, North America is dominating the eLearning market followed by
Europe, middle east and Latin America (Singh, 2020).
And the 4 major countries where the e-learning has become one of the most vital sectors are
a. The United States: A study conducted by Solan Consortium found that around 6 million
students in the United States were learning via some online course. The number of
students were significantly high that if compelled even reputed universities to offer online
courses. And now the universities like Berkley, Stanford, Princeton, UCLA and other
precious universities are offering online courses to those students who prefer over the
traditional class-based education.
b. India: After the United States, India is the second country to whose online education is
growing rapidly than the traditional education system (schools and colleges). India faces

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the major education crisis, with half of the country’s population has limited education (i.e.
4th grade) due to uneven geographical condition and monetary aspects.
But over the past year, the development of eLearning platforms and the internet
connection (decent) even in the remotest part of the country has helped the students to
get better education at an affordable cost.
c. China: Another country where the e-learning is blooming is China. With more than 70
online educational institutions, education is made more significantly accessible to those
who wish to have further education.
Due to the high competition on working sector of China, higher education is vital than
before. Also, the people want to gain more education so that they can keep their job an
earn a living. The e-learning platform here was born due to economic necessity like India.
And the distance learning in not new to China, as used traditional form of distance
learning like TV and radio shows in the past.
d. South Korea: As the country is highly advanced in technology and has the highest internet
speed in the world, even in rural part of the country, e-learning became the most
favorable educational development in the country.
With rapid growth in tech industry and busy life style, the birth of new education system
i.e. e-learning was natural. And the country sees a greater number of students enrolling
on online education over the regular class-based education. And the country is prepared
to completely transform its educational model from traditional class based to new digital
e-learning based.
Besides the developed countries, e-learning is also gaining popularity in developing countries.
And the online courses are being created and deployed over the e-learning platforms. Based on
the research by the “The Africa Market for Self-Paced e-learning Products and Services”, It has
been predicted that the e-learning market in Africa will grow at the rate of 15% per year over the
next four years. And the growth rate of e-learning in countries like Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe
and Kenya are 30%, 28%, 25% and 25% respectively (Adkins and Bates, 2013).

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2.5. Why E-Learning in Nepal?
The geographical structure of Nepal is uneven, thus mostly covered with hills and mountains.
And more than 80% people in Nepal live in rural areas. And the availability of educational sector
in those areas is either quite low or overcrowded if available. And also due to difficult road
condition the educational materials also take time to reach among the students and teachers.
Also, the teacher in those areas have difficulty in getting further training on understanding the
behavior of the student and teach accordingly. So, the quality of education delivered to those
students is not so great.
Thus, the students either have to migrate to urban areas to get higher and better education or
quit their educational journey. And around 38% of Nepal’s population lives under poverty. Thus,
the students from such family will have to quit their education journey quite early.
Growing Internet Penetration
Fig: Internet Penetration in Nepal
According to Nepal Telecommunications, Management Information System, it is found that
around 16.67 million Nepalese are connected to the internet which is 63% of total Nepal’s

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population. And based on that fact, it is also found that around 95.62% people are under the
network coverage area of the phone tower (Nepalitelecom.com, 2019).
Now, the technology is developing rapidly, internet and mobile phone connections is getting
better. Also, the electronic devices like mobile phones, laptops, personal computers and tablets
are getting cheaper and affordable. Thus, the development of e-learning sheds a light and
possibility of delivering quality education even in the rural areas of Nepal.
Implementation of e-learning in Nepal’s education system will not only help to deliver the quality
of education and increase the literacy rate. But it will also stop migration of human power from
rural areas and that manpower can learn on their home land, develop skills and be employable
and ultimately contribute to the economy of the country.
2.6. Summary
In this chapter, we have explored about our research project and its various components. It aided
to understand about the topic in depth. Literature review consisted of various documents to
support the research title.
The depth literature review assisted on knowing about the e-learning, its growth worldwide, it’s
adoption and the reason for e-learning to be implemented in education system of Nepal has been
discussed.
And it can be concluded that the development and the adoption of e-learning platform is
increasing rapidly and can bring the revolution in education sector globally.
In Nepal, the implementation of Online education can help the students from remote areas to
get quality education at an affordable cost. And it can also prevent the migration of people and
help develop skills that can help to increase their living standards and also contribute to boost
the economy of the nation.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Introduction
In this chapter, the approach to the research, ethical approach, design of the research and the
selection of appropriate research methods in association with related academic literature has
been outlined and justified.
3.2. Research Approach and Design (Research Methodology)
In this research, Pragmatism research philosophy has been used since there will be both
quantitative and qualitative data analysis. This philosophy only approves the theory to be
relevant, if they support action. And here, researcher believes that there are multiple ways to
interpret the world and undertake the research, and a single point of view is not enough to give
the full picture and has the possibility to have multiple realities.
Here, research question is considered as the most important determinant of research
philosophy.
Based on the nature and source of knowledge, Pragmatism research philosophy has two mutually
exclusive paradigms i.e. Positivism and Interpretivism. Among these two paradigms, Positivism
believes only on “factual” knowledge obtained via observation (the senses), including
measurements (like data collected from survey or questionnaire or interview) (Dudovskiy, 2019).
Whereas, In Interpretivism, researchers suppose that “the access to reality (given or socially
constructed) is only through social constructions such as language, consciousness, shared
meanings, and instruments” (Dudovskiy, 2019). Thus, Positivism philosophy has been used in this
research.
Similarly, Inductive research approach has been adopted to carry out this research. The reason
behind choosing Inductive research approach instead of deductive is because this research does
not have a hypothesis. Instead it starts with research questions, research aim and objectives.
Here, the research begins with the observations (Data Collection and analysis) and a hypothesis
is formed from a data at last (Reference, 2019).

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For this dissertation, research strategy has been prepared based on an approach that can answer
the objectives of the research. Quantitative and Qualitative are the two major research
strategies.
In order to decide which research strategy to adopt, one should recognize the purpose of the
study and its type, and also whether the required information is available or not (UKEssays.com,
2018). Both of the strategies are equally valuable and often used by the researchers.
Generally Quantitative research is “objective” in nature whereas Qualitative is of “subjective”
nature. Quantitative method depends upon the measurements and statistical data analysis to
prove or develop a hypothesis. And the Qualitative method focuses on opinions and perceptions.
Some of the Quantitative research methods are experiments, surveys, etc. And some Qualitative
research methods are literature review, questionnaires, etc.
Thus, for this research, mix of both Quantitative and Qualitative research strategies has been
followed.
3.3. Research Methods
In research, either to find new information or to understand the topic more clearly, different
strategies, processes, tools and techniques is used for data collection and data analysis. And this
whole process of data collection, then analysis and finding are Research Method
(Libguides.newcastle.edu.au, 2019).
And there are different Research Methods like Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Research
Method.
Based on the research methodology discussed earlier, we will be using Mixed Research Method
and two appropriate data collection tools have been used in this research. Data Collection is the
systematic process of collecting and analyzing the data to find the answer of the relevant
research question and estimate the results (Blog, 2019). These data collection tools are discussed
below.

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a. Survey/Questionnaires
Survey is the Primary data collection where the data is originally collected by the
researcher for a specific research purpose. And it is also a quantitative method, thus the
data collected will be mostly presented in numbers and will require further mathematical
calculation and processing to find the result.
And for this research, Cross-Sectional Survey Research have been adopted as the data is
to be collected from a targeted audience within a particular time interval (short period)
and the data needs to be analyzed (Questionpro.com, 2019).
All the questions prepared for the survey are close-ended (having multiple options). Some
of the Survey Questions with options (answers) are as follows
1. How Effective is E-Learning as compared to Traditional Class Based Learning?
a. E-Learning is easier and more effective than Traditional Class Based Learning
b. Both are same
c. Traditional Class Based Learning is Better Than E-Learning
2. What devices do you use to access Online Courses?
a. Mobile
b. Laptop/Computer
c. TV
d. Tablet
3. How’s your internet connection?
a. Excellent
b. Very Good
c. Good
d. Fair
e. Poor
4. How likely will E-Learning improve the quality of Education in Education of Nepal?
a. Very Much
b. Slightly

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c. It won’t make any difference
The survey was done via web/internet and within the people of Nepal. The participants
were both male and female, different education backgrounds and from different districts.
b. Case Study
Unlike Survey, Case Study is a thorough study of a specific situation in order to narrow
down the wide research topic into an easily researchable topic (Shuttleworth, 2019).
Though the case study may not answer a question completely but it assists in further
elaboration or creation of hypothesis on a research.
Among three different types of Case Studies i.e. Explanatory, Descriptive and Exploratory,
Explanatory Case Study has been used in this research. Since the aim of this dissertation
is to design and propose the e-learning framework for higher education of Nepal, we need
to find the answer on why e-learning framework is needed and how it can be
implemented in higher education of Nepal?
And the answers can be found through Explanatory Case Study as its aim is to answer
‘how’ and ‘why’ questions for researcher.
For this, different research papers published on the successful design and implementation
of e-learning framework around the world has been read. And from this we got answers
on why they needed e-learning framework? And how they designed and implemented
the e-learning for better education on their nation?
3.4. Ethics
In order to complete this research project, data were collected from the participants following
the university’s research ethics policy (Appendix 2).
Also, before collecting the data, approval was taken from the participants and no one was forced
to answer the questionnaire. And it’s also made sure that all the personal information of the
respondents remains confidential.
Without the permission of respondents, neither the video nor audio was recorded.

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3.5. Summary
Thus, for this research, Pragmatism research philosophy has been used, as it has both qualitative
and quantitative data analysis. As our research is mostly based on facts and data analysis,
Positivism philosophy is used. And inductive research approach is adopted as the research does
not have a hypothesis, instead it starts with research question, aims and objectives. Mixed
Research Method is used as we need both quantitative data and qualitative data analysis. To
meet our research objectives: objective 1: To explore the status of e-learning in Nepal’s Higher
Education, objective 2: To identify the opportunity and challenges and objective 3: To design
and propose e-learning framework, these research approach have been used. And for data
collection, Survey, Case Studies and Literature Review are focused more to achieve our research
objective.

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CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DATA ANALYSIS
4.1. Introduction
In this chapter, the various methods used to collect the data for our research will be explained.
The data in this research project is collected using survey via internet. And people from different
backgrounds and all over the country participated.
Then the data collected is being analyzed to find out the valuable information and present it into
pictorial form so that everyone can easily understand. Thus, the complete process of collecting
data, its analysis and the final results are explained in detail on this chapter.
4.2. Data Analysis and Results
In order to complete this research on “Possibilities of E-Learning of Higher Education of Nepal”,
data has been collected using Survey method. And in this survey, mostly close-ended questions
were used and had one open-ended question just to collect the suggestion and feedback from
the participants. And the questionnaires were designed in such a way that it will help to get the
answers of our research questions and meet the objectives of our research.
The survey was done via web using email and social media. People from different part of Nepal
participated of Nepal.
Simply the questionnaire for this survey can be categorized into 3 parts
A. Participants Profile
This section of the questionnaire tries to find out about the participants like their gender,
education level and location (district). And the questionnaires in this section are
i. What’s your gender? (Explained in 4.2.1.)
ii. What’s your education level? (Explained in 4.2.2.)
iii. Where are you from? (Explained in 4.2.3.)
B. Research Question 1: Status of E-Learning in Nepal
Here, the questionnaires are designed to find the current status of E-Learning/Online
Education in Nepal. It tries to find out whether the people know about the e-learning or
not, had any experiences or not, etc. And this section tries to answer our first research
question i.e. What is the status of e-learning in Nepal?

25
Some of the questionnaires in this section are
i. Do you know about E-Learning (Online Education)?
ii. Have you taken any Online Courses?
iii. How’s your experience on Online Courses?
iv. Types of Content offered on E-Learning Platforms
v. Effectiveness of E-Learning as compared to Traditional Class Based Learning
C. Research Question 2: Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing E-Learning
Framework in High Schools of Nepal
In this section of the survey, questionnaires try to find the possible opportunities of
implementing e-learning framework in high education of Nepal and the challenges to
implement the e-leaning framework. And will finally get the answers to our research
question 2 i.e. What are the opportunities and challenges of implementing E-Learning
framework in High Schools of Nepal?
Some of the questionnaires in this section are
i. What’s your gender?
ii. What’s your education level?
iii. Do you know about e-learning?
iv. Have you taken any online courses?
v. How’s your experience on online course?
vi. What type of content do you prefer on online courses?
vii. How effective is online courses as compared to traditional class-based education?
viii. What devices do you use to access the online courses?
ix. How’s your internet connection?
x. How likely will E-Learning improve the quality of Education in Nepal?

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4.2.1. Participants Demographics
Fig 1: Demographic Profile of the participants
Here, the demographic profile of the participant shows that out of 144 respondents, 73.6% of
them were male and the rest i.e. 26.4% were female.
4.2.2. Education level of the Participants
Fig 2: Education level of the respondents

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On answering the education level, among 147 participants on survey, 76.9% had completed
bachelor’s degree (undergraduate), 12.9% had master’s degree (graduate), 8.8% completed +2
(High School) and the rest 1.4% had at least completed S.L.C/SEE (10th grade or Secondary Level)
or had some basic schooling.
4.2.3. Location of the people participated
Here, the figure 3 represents the different districts of the participants. In this survey around 170
people participated from all around the country. Among them, most of the people participated
from Kathmandu (37%), followed by Lalitpur (7%), Rupandehi, Tanahun, Nawalparasi and
Gorkha. Beside this district, some other district people participated in this survey are Nawalpur,
Chitwan, Kaski, Sunsari, Dhanusha, Morang, Sindhupalchowk, Salyan, Dolakha, Kanchanpur,
Janakpur, Koshi, Kavreplanchowk, Kanchanpur, Bhaktapur, etc.
Figure 3: Total Participants by District

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4.2.4. Amount of people knowing about e-learning (Online Education)
Figure 4: Do you know about E-Learning (Online Education)
To answer the question “Do you know about E-Learning (Online Education)?”, 147 people
participated. And as shown in figure 4, around 91.2% people knew about the Online Education
(E-Learning) whereas 8.8% people were unknown about the Online Education.
4.2.5. Participants taken Online Courses
Figure 5: Participants who have taken Online Courses
Here, the figure 5 represents the total number of participants who have taken online courses.
From the above questionnaire we had information about the participants who knew about the

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Online Courses. And among those who knew about online courses and have taken the courses in
e-learning platform are represented in the following pie chart.
And it is found that out of 147 participants, 67.3% has taken the Online Courses whereas 32.7%
have not taken any Online Courses.
4.2.6. Participants Experiences on Online Courses
Figure 6: Participants Experiences on Online Courses
From 4.2.4. and 4.2.5. we had an information about the people who knew about the Online
Courses and who had taken actual Online Courses from E-Learning platforms.
And among those who had taken Online Courses, here we tried to find their experience from
those E-Learning platforms. And a question i.e. How was your experience on Online Courses?
Was asked to the participants.
For this question, we got 126 responses. And among them 10.3% had Excellent experience,
31.7% had Very Good, 46.8% had Good, 8.7% had Fair and the rest (2.5%) had the Poor
experience on Online Courses.

30
4.2.7. Type of Contents on Online Courses
Figure 7: Types of Contents preferred on Online Courses
Now we have the information about the people knowing and taking online courses from 4.2.4
and 4.2.5. And also, their experience on E-learning platforms from 4.2.6.
Thus, we also wanted to know the type of content accessed by the participants. So, this question
“What type of content do you prefer on Online Courses?” tries to find out the answer from the
participants. And the result is represented in the bar graph below.
The graph shows that 74.7% participants preferred Video based contents, 58.2% preferred E-
Books, 29.5% preferred Video Conference, 21.2% preferred audio and 22.6% preferred chatting
(forums) on E-learning platforms.
4.2.8. Effectiveness of E-Learning on Participants
To find the effectiveness of E-Learning, a question was asked to the participants who took the
courses on e-learning platforms. And the question was “How effective is E-Learning as compared
to Traditional Class Based Learning?”.

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And the result of the survey is presented in the following pie chart. The figure 8 represents the
answer where it’s found that 77.3% participants who have accessed e-learning courses, found E-
Learning more easier and more effective that Traditional Class Based Learning Whereas 19.1%
found the effectiveness the same. And the rest 3.6% found that Traditional Class Based Learning
better than E-Learning Courses.
Thus, it can be summarized that though the more people are attracted and found more value is
e-learning platforms, there are still some who believe the quality provided on Traditional Class
Based Learning is better.
Figure 8: Effectiveness of E-Learning as compared to Traditional Class Based Learning
4.2.9. Devices used by Participants to access Online Courses
Questionnaire from 4.2.4. to 4.2.8. were prepared to find the status of E-Learning (Online
Education) in Nepal. But from 4.2.9. questionnaires are prepared to find the opportunities and
challenges of implementing e-learning in Nepal.
Thus, the question “What devices do you use to access Online Courses?” has been asked to 148
students. And in response 91.2% participants used Laptop/Computer, 48% used Mobile Phones,
2.7% used TV and 0.7% used Tablets. And this information is presented as bar graph in figure 9.

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Figure 9: Devices used by Participants to access Online Courses
4.2.10. Status of Internet Connection among the Participants
Along with the device to access e-courses, internet is another primary prerequisite. So, to find
the status of internet connection in different parts of Nepal, a question was added in the survey.
“How’s your internet connection?” was asked among 149 participants. And in result it’s found
that 37.6% had Very Good internet connection, 37.6% had Good internet connection, 20.8% had
Excellent connection and the rest 4% had fair internet connection.
Figure 10: Status of Internet Connection on Participants Location

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4.2.11. Do participants think that e-learning can improve the quality of Education in Nepal?
Finally, to know the opinion of the participants who have taken online courses on whether they
think e-learning can improve the quality of Education in Nepal or not, this question was asked.
And 148 people responded to the question “How likely will E-Learning improve the quality of
Education in Higher Education of Nepal?”.
And in response, 80.4% people think that E-Learning will improve the quality of Education very
much whereas 19.6% think it’ll improve slightly. But there’s no one to vote on “It won’t make any
difference”. Thus, it can be summarized that many people have positive response toward
implementation of E-Learning in Higher Education of Nepal to improve the quality of Education.
Figure 11: Will E-Learning improve the quality of Education in Nepal?

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4.3. Conclusion
After the data is collected via survey and internet forms, the data is then analyzed and visualized
in pictorial form. Based on the data analysis it’s found that many Nepalese people have been
using the internet and known about the e-learning courses. And their experience on online
courses were found positive and said that this technology has possibility to bring positive changes
in education sector of Nepal.
This data was collected from over 160 participants from all over Nepal and from different
background. And the result shows that the development of internet technology and availability
of electronic devices (mobile, laptops, personal computer and tablets) has played a vital role on
information sharing. And also has the potential to improve the education sector of Nepal.
Further discussion and reflections of the data analysis is discussed on Chapter 5.

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CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSIONS AND REFLECTIONS
5.1. Introduction
Based on the data collected and analyzed on Chapter 4, here we discuss about the findings of the
research and the possible solution for our research. The opportunities and challenges of
implementing e-learning in high education of Nepal and the condition under the research is
conducted is explained on this Chapter.
5.2. Findings
Based on the data analysis done of the collected data from the survey or over 160 participants
from all over the Nepal, it is found that people are somewhat known about the emerging e-
learning technologies.
More than 90% participants knew about e-learning, more than 67% already took the courses on
such platforms and were satisfied. And even told that the learning was better than traditional
class-based learning. The features of e-learning like self-paced learning, accessible from
anywhere at any time and cost effective, seems to be more promising than our traditional
educational system.
With the increasing in internet penetration all over the country and availability of electronic
gadgets at an affordable price, people are getting more information and knowledge from digital
media rather than traditional media.
Thus, it is found that the e-learning poses a great opportunity in higher education of Nepal as
more students have at least one electronic device (mobile, laptop, pc or tablets) and access to
internet (Wi-Fi or 3G mobile data).
5.3. Opportunities and Challenges of e-learning
With the advancement in technology and affordable electronic devices, the e-learning platform
presents the possibility to improve the quality of education in higher education of Nepal.
Although the online education has opportunities, it also poses challenges due to uneven
geographical condition and other technical limitations like internet connection and
uninterrupted supply of electricity.

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Thus, the opportunities and challenges of implementing e-learning in higher education of Nepal
is discussed as follows
Opportunities of implementing e-learning in higher education of Nepal
1. Growing netizen culture in Nepal is a favorable time for e-learning
2. LDCs (Least Developed Countries) like Nepal has a lot to do connecting best practices from
core countries (relate world system theory)
3. Implementation of e-learning will help to enhance the quality of education in rural areas.
4. Can get education from anywhere at any time and mostly beneficial for financially
struggling students.
5. E-learning implementation in education of Nepal can play a vital role in the improvement
of current education system of Nepal and aid in increasing the literacy rate of Nepal.
Challenges of implementing e-learning in Nepal
1. Lack of implicit knowledge for implementation of ICT project in approach of Human
Centric Design.
2. Knowlege management in Nepal is in primitive stage, especially Tacit knowledge
management required in eLearning is very less effective in Nepal.
3. Most of the people live in rural areas and Nepal has a difficult geographic condition which
results in poor or no internet connection.
4. People’s mentality and courage in bringing and adapting change from traditional to
modern way of learning.
5.4. Study Limitations and Technical Constraints
In order to meet the objectives of the research project different tools and technologies
of research has been used. For example
To know the present status of e-learning in Nepal, a survey was conducted among the
people of different background, education level, and from all over the country. Which
was the primary data for this research and was really beneficial.

37
Similarly, to know the opportunities and challenges of e-learning in high education of
Nepal, an open-ended survey was conducted and the answers were collected from the
participants all over the country. And the research paper published on the
implementation of e-learning platform on other least developed countries were read to
know its effectiveness and build the strategy to implement it in Nepal.
But this research project was done in short period of time, so has some limitations. Like,
the data from the e-learning platforms implemented in Nepal could not be collected. For
qualitative data, interviews with the academicians from the reputable universities or
educational institute could be a useful for this research project.
5.5. Summary
Though many people in Nepal live in rural areas, many under poverty or lacks formal
education, the increasing penetration in internet and availability of electronic gadgets
continues to deliver information quickly and cheaply.
And as a result, it can be seen that many people are now familiar with e-learning
technologies, some have already used and found benefits over traditional education
methods.
And along with the opportunities of implementing e-learning platforms in higher
education of Nepal, it also poses some challenges, due to uneven geographical condition,
unstable politics and inconsistent technology.
But slowly and steadily the challenges will be fixed by the continuous effort of the
civilized citizens.

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CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1. Introduction
Based on the data collected, analyzed and visualized on chapter 4, an e-learning framework to
be implemented in higher education of Nepal has been designed and proposed in this chapter.
And recommendations to make the course contents, its technological aspects, delivery formats,
etc. have been discussed in detail on this Chapter.
Also, the future recommendations are made to optimize and implement this technology in every
educational sector so that the course can be tailored to the students based on their learning
behavior.
6.2. Fulfilling the Research Objectives
Objective 1 - To explore the status of e-learning in Nepal: Literature review on Chapter 2 of this
research briefly discusses about the e-learning technology, it’s benefits and limitations. And
Chapter 4, based on the data collected from the survey, the present situation of e-learning among
the internet users of Nepal was discussed.
Objective 2: To identify the Opportunities and Challenges of e-learning in Nepal: Later on,
Chapter 5, the opportunities and challenges of e-learning in Nepal is discussed. The research
concluded that, though the e-learning technology is new in Nepal and poses challenges, they can
be changed to opportunities with the support of Nepal government, stable political situation and
increasing internet penetration (by the help of telco companies in Nepal).
Objective 3: To design and propose the e-learning framework: Finally, based on the research
and data analysis, an e-learning framework has been designed and proposed on this chapter.
6.3. Recommendations
Based on the discussions made on Chapter 1, about the present situation of Education in Nepal.
Which is not so good, best quality education being only available on urban (city) areas but a very
high price (expensive). Whereas the education in remote areas is still not satisfactory. The

39
number of physical schools/institutes and skilled academicians are quite low. As a result, students
from remote areas either have to migrate to city areas (paying high expenses) or quit their
educational journey even before completing secondary level.
But the advancement in technology, it’s availability in cheaper price than educational sector and
high penetration rate of internet (lately) throughout the nation shows a better alternative
solution, E-Learning.
With the use of E-Learning platforms, quality education by professionals from urban areas and
even from abroad can be delivered to the students even in remote areas at an affordable cost.
Thus, An E-Learning framework has been prepared and proposed to be implemented in
educational sector of Nepal. Course Development, Technological Aspects and Content Delivery is
discussed in detail in this Chapter of our research.
6.3.1. Proposed E-Learning Framework
Based on the research done on this project and result of the project after data analysis, an
adaptive e-learning framework has been developed that can be implemented in the higher
education of Nepal.
The e-learning framework is shown below
Fig: An adaptive e-learning framework

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Domain Model
Domain model is the huge repository of the course and its resources like documents,
presentations, audio, video, etc. stored and ready to be served.
Learner Model
Here, Learner model has the data about the learner like learners’ characteristics, motivation,
skills, learning styles, goals, etc. This framework supports both static and dynamic modeling of
the learner. A static model stores the data of the learner based on the preliminary settings or
quizzes taken by the learner. And the data remains unchanged but the admin can update the
data from static model. Whereas the dynamic model continually captures the behaviors and
characteristic of the learner and gets updated automatically.
Adaptation Model
Based on the characters of the student on Learner model, the adaptation model suggests or
recommends the courses and tips from Domain model to the student.
This adaptation model of the e-learning framework can have two main types of adaptation model
i. Short Memory Cycle: This short memory cycle can be achieved from the recent actions
off the learners. Like recently taken quizzes, learners answer to provide feedback, etc.
ii. Long Memory Cycle: Whereas the long memory cycle can be obtained from the history of
actions taken by the learner.
Finally, based on the interaction of the learner on the e-learning platform, the instructional
materials and courses are offered. And also, the feedbacks are given to the learner to improve
the education level.
Some of other different components of e-learning platforms like e-learning approaches, model
for content development, methods to deliver the contents off e-learning platforms, technological
aspects, etc. are discussed below

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A. E-Learning Approaches
The major aim of the implementation of this e-learning framework in high school of Nepal
is to provide quality education regardless of the obstacles like lack of educational
materials, specialized teachers and uneven geographical conditions.
And to learn from this framework, basically there are two major types of e-learning
approaches:
1. Self-Paced E-Learning and
In this type of approach, learner is free to learn at any time and can complete the
course at their own pace (as there is no time bound or deadline).
Here, learners have access to e-learning courses via web or mobile applications and
also the additional resources and assignments may be provided to test the
effectiveness of the course.
All the courses are hosted/stored on a web server. Thus, learner can get the contents
from anywhere with an internet connection. But if they have to travel, the courseware
can also be saved for offline studies.
2. Instructor Led E-Learning
In this type of approach, learner is accompanied by the instructor and follow his
instructions. He’ll have to study or learn whenever the instructor is ready and may
have to complete the projects/assignments within a deadline given by the instructor.
Here, the courses are developed based on the academics’ courses/syllabus and led by
the instructor via an e-learning platform.
Contents can be delivered by an instructor via video conference, chatting, e-mails and
other communication tools. And at the end, learner may have to give a test or
complete an assignment to measure learning.
And in the proposed framework, both of these approaches have been used based on
different scenarios like availability of instructors, accessibility (internet connection), etc.

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B. E-Learning Components
As we have proposed an e-learning framework and discussed approaches to learn via e-
learning platform. Here, we will discuss more about the various components of e-learning
platforms.
Some of the major e-learning components are as follows
1. E-Learning Content
The primary feature of an e-learning platform is to have contents for learning. And
the proposed framework can have two major types of contents
i. Simple Learning Resources
These are the type of contents that are presented in such a way that a learner
can read, watch or hear, and lacks interactivity (can’t perform any other
actions). The learning resources can be provided in forms like documents,
PowerPoint presentations, videos or audio files.
Though they lack interactivity, these types of resources can be developed
quickly and can be much valuable to learners if they can match the learning
objectives and has a structured design.
ii. Interactive E-Lessons
Interactive E-Lessons can be considered as the most effective form of e-
learning courses as it can help to check the progress instantly via project works
or tests/quizzes. These types of courses can include graphics, texts, audio,
video, animations, etc. along with questions and feedbacks at the end of the
course.
Thus, both of types of the contents can be created and delivered to the learners via
the proposed e-learning framework. And it’ll make content/education delivery
cheaper, faster and more effective than traditional class-based learning.
2. E-Tutoring, E-Coaching, E-Mentoring
This type of e-learning component can help learners to get individual support and
feedback from the instructors. And these, e-tutoring, e-coaching or e-mentoring can

43
be done over the internet technologies using the tools like emails, instant messaging,
video/audio calls, etc. And these features can also be implemented in our proposed
e-learning framework.
3. Collaborative Learning and
This is the type of e-learning component where learners can learn themselves either
by collaborating on online group works or online discussions.
In order to collaborate among the learners, social software like chats, discussion
forums, blogs, etc. can be used. They can also comment or share ideas about the
courses they’re taking and also help others in need.
4. Virtual Classroom
Virtual classroom is an instructional method of delivering contents. Here the
resources are not made or recorded prior to delivery. Instead a remote instructor
delivers the lectures or classes to the students via internet technologies like skype,
zoom, etc.
Here, the course is completely led by the instructor and is a synchronous learning
(real-time learning between instructor and learner).
C. ADDIE – Model for E-Learning Courses Development
Till now, we have discussed about the proposed e-learning framework, learning
approaches, various components of e-learning and different activities included on e-
learning platform.
Here, we will discuss one of the most important part of e-learning platform i.e.
content/course creation/development to serve among the learners via internet
technology.
For every type of training program, Good design and planning is really important. As we
know, delivery of the course is given primary effort in traditional education. But in e-

44
learning, creation (design and development) of the courses or content that can be used
multiple times without making any further changes is a challenge and a priority.
In order to create an online course on an e-learning platform, there are many instructional
system design models. But one of the most popular and recommended to create courses
on our proposed framework is ADDIE model.
5 Stages of ADDIE model in Online Education (eLearning)
The 5 stages of ADDIE model are discussed below
1. Analysis
Before developing any courses or programs, a need analysis must be done to find out
whether the training is needed to fill the gap in professional education and skills or
not. And also know if e-learning is the most appropriate solution to provide the
education and training.
Such analysis helps to find the high-level goals of the course.
Beside Need Analysis, Analysis of the Target Audience is another major step before
creating any courses. The effectiveness of the course designed and delivered depends
upon the characteristics (previous knowledge, skills, access to technology, geography,
etc.) of the target audience.
Besides Need and Target Audience Analysis, Task and Course Analysis also must be
done while designing the courses for e-learning platforms. Here, Task Analysis is a
type of analysis, done while designing specific course that is job skill development
related. These type of analysis helps learner to improve or learn skills that will be used
on their working environment.

45
And Course Analysis is done to identify and categorize the type of courses designed.
2. Design
After the Analysis for the course development, Design is the second and important
stage. Here, the learning objectives to meet the course objective are discussed and
set. Then the order to achieve those objectives are set.
Beside this, the types of media for such e-learning courses are identified and set. Also
the evaluation and delivery techniques for each courses is finalized in this stage of
course development using ADDIE model.
The final result of this stage is a blueprint containing the structure of the curriculum
like organization in courses, units, lessons, activities, etc.
3. Development
After the analysis and design stages, Development is the stage where actual courses
and the required resources are developed. Depending upon the type of courses,
either simpler or interactive course content is developed.
If the content is simple like PDF documents without any sound or visuals, then they
don’t require story boarding and takes less time. But the consent of any author must
be taken if the course is being digitalized from traditional paper-based education.
And if the course is interactive containing audio, videos, animations, texts, etc. then
storyboard with the integration of different pedagogical and medial elements, is
created. Then the course is developed in different forms like for CD ROMS, web
contents, etc.
4. Implementation
Finally, this is the stage of delivering the courses among the learners. The course and
its contents are uploaded on the server to be accessible by the learners from
anywhere around the world via internet and electronic devices (like Laptops, mobile
phones, etc.).

46
And in the courses led by the instructors, this stage also involves handling and
assisting students.
5. Evaluation
In eLearning courses, evaluation is done for various purposes like analyzing the
learner’s reaction and behavior over the courses, achievement of learning objectives,
usability of courses in real world job and skill transferability, impact of the courses on
organization, etc.
And this evaluation can be used for further advancement of the courses for easy
accessibility and simplicity (easier to understand) to the learners.
D. Team for E-Learning Course Development
In order to create contents and manage the Learning Management System, the team
requires people with varieties of skills like technology and multimedia.
And the creation of the team depends upon different factors like size of the project, the
amount of work that requires to be outsourced, team’s capability to maintain different
roles and mostly people with specific technical and multimedia skills.
Thus, some of the major human resources for e-learning course development are
discussed below
Human Resources Manager
This is a managerial level person who does the needs and audience analysis before
initiating the e-learning project. It also manages all the activities and roles of staffs in
various stages of the project and also has the authority to transfer the roles depending
upon the situation of the project.
Instructional Designers (ID)
These people are responsible for instructional designs. They collaborate with managers
and SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) to decide which skills and knowledge they need to

47
cover in certain course. They also develop certain strategies to be implemented while
designing courses.
In self-paced e-learning courses, IDs are also responsible for the design of e-learning
activities and materials that can be the part of e-learning courses.
Subject Matter Experts (SME)
This people are responsible for the management of knowledge and information needed
for the specific course in e-learning. And they mostly collaborate and work with
Instructional Designers to design a course and manage evaluation strategies.
SMEs has different roles depending on the type of courses. Like in self-paced e-learning
courses, they are responsible for the creation of text-based instructional materials,
whereas in instructor-led courses their role is an administrator who leads or supports on
online classes.
Web developers and Media Experts
Web developers and Media Experts are responsible for creating instructional materials
for self-paced learning courses. Media Experts can work on creating animations, audio,
video, pdf documents, PowerPoint presentation, etc.
Whereas Web Developers work on managing web pages of the e-learning platform to
make courses accessible to the learners from all around the world in right format.
Sometimes, database administrators are also needed to configure, backup and restore
data from the database. And also manage the data (activities and behaviors) of the
learners, so that they can be processed and courses can be recommended in future, tips
to be more productive on courses can be pushed to the specific learners.
Course Administrators and Tutors
These guys also have the vital roles in maintaining e-learning platform. Course
Administrators work starts on implementation phase. They deal with the subscriptions of
the learners on e-learning platform.

48
Similarly, Tutors are the fundamental people of e-learning platforms and courses. And the
role depends upon the type of course. Like if the course is self-paced, then they are
responsible on guiding to create the course contents Whereas on instructor-led courses
they are responsible for face to face interaction on video conferences, chatting with
students and instant messaging.
Based on the learning activities and behaviors of the student, they implement strategies
to make them better understand and focused.
Technical Support Specialists
People with these roles are required at any time by both producers and learners.
Fig: Areas of responsibility for key roles in ADDIE process
E. Methods to deliver E-Learning Contents
E-learning courses are designed based on the combination of different instructional
methods, like
i. Expositive methods: In this type of instructional method, learners are emphasized
to absorb new information from varieties of sources. And the courses include
different resources like Presentations, Case Studies, Demonstrations, etc.

49
ii. Application methods: Here, the learners are supposed to do process and principle
case-based works to build awareness. This instructional method includes
resources like Demonstrations-practice methods, Role plays, Project Work, etc.
iii. Collaborative methods: To learn and gain knowledge, learners have to participate
and engage in doing tasks in collaborative way. And the resources include Internet
guided discussion, Collaborative work, peer-tutoring, etc.
Fig: Different instructional methods and resources included in each of them
And all of these resources are delivered in varieties of ways depending upon the type of
instructional method. Some of them are discussed below
Delivery Formats for Expositive Methods
Simple resources for eLearning that lacks interactivity can be presented in documents or
PowerPoint presentation.
Similarly, interactive e-learning resources can be presented using text, images, audio,
animations and practice (i.e. questions and feedbacks).
Presentation from an expert or a guest lecturer can be broadcasted either in real time or
recorded so that learner can watch any time. These courses can be recorded in both audio
(as podcast) and in video formats.
Webinar and Virtual Classroom
Here, the lessons can be distributed by the instructors to the students using the internet
and video conferencing software like ‘Skype’ or ‘Zoom’. Instructor can deliver the courses
and also ask for the feedback instantly either in chat or voice or video call.

50
Delivery Formats for Application Methods
Demonstration-Practice methods can be delivered either by using interactive e-learning
or Virtual Classroom.
Interactive e-lessons may include animations and operational simulations. With these
learners can interact with the system and also instructors can get the feedback of their
students.
And in Virtual Classroom, instructor using application sharing tool can demonstrate the
usage of various test preparation tools and later give access to practice by themselves.
Similarly, Case-Based Methods can be delivered in varieties of formats like Simple e-
learning resources, electronic simulations, group activities, etc.
Simple learning resources in case-based methods includes resources like text, images,
audio, animations, etc. and the feedback from the learners can be obtained via
comments.
Electronic or experimental simulation is another method of delivery for case-based
methods where the feedback from the learners can be generated as a consequence of
learner’s choice.
Similarly, group activities can help learners to develop interpersonal/negotiation skills by
working collaboratively in group.
Delivery Formats for Collaborative Methods
E-learning courses in collaborative methods can be delivered either by guided online
discussions or peer tutoring or collaborative works.
Guided discussions can be delivered via discussion forums, chats or audio or video
conferences. And the collaborative works can also be delivered the similar methods, along
with blogs, shared documents, etc.
And peer-tutoring can be done via discussion forums, chats, audio/video conferences, e-
mails, blogs, etc.

51
F. Technological Aspects for successful E-Learning Platform
While making any technological decisions for e-learning platform, learners/students
available computing devices (laptop, pc, mobile, etc.) and internet/network connectivity
must be taken into consideration. It is really important to know whether the learner has
easy access to the connection or not. Some activities or courses on e-learning platforms
can only be conducted on availability of internet connection, others can be developed for
self-paced e-learning as well.
And wherever the internet connection is poor or limited, them the courses should be
made in such a way that they can be saved while there is internet connection and later
accessible offline. Or the courses can also be delivered on CD ROMs and other offline
formats, so that all learners can take part in the courses even offline.
Thus, the information about the internet bandwidth limitations plays vital role on
choosing the right delivery format in e-learning courses.
A rough estimate on speed of internet connection required to deliver various e-learning
formats are discussed below
eLearning Format Required Internet Connection Speed
Visual Conferencing, live webcasting 100 Kbps – 2 Mbps
Audio Conferencing 56 Kbps = 128 Kbps
Sharing Applications, Animations 256 Kbps - 1 Mbps
PowerPoint Presentations 56 Kbps – 384 Kbps
Chatting or Instant Messaging 128 Kbps
Electronic-Mail, Group Discussions, Forums,
Screens with text Images
128 Kbps – 1 Mbps
Normal Browsing 256 Kbps
Besides the devices and internet accessibility to the learners to be able to learn effectively
from e-learning platform, the type of computer program or software that they might need
should also be taken into consideration.

52
For example, if a student is taking multimedia courses, then they might need to use lots
of different software and plugins. And these must be available with ease and free of cost
so that the learners can study without any hassle.
And if the course is to delivered for offline purpose like on CD ROMs then, then the
required software and plugin should be included on that CD ROM.
And the use of different software and plugins must be minimized so that it won’t create
any confusion among the learners.
G. Currently available E-Learning Technologies/Platforms
Educational institutions all over the are adopting the power of electronic devices and
internet to deliver and manage the learning process. The platform or technology used in
this process is simply known as e-learning technologies or platforms.
An e-learning platform can provide learners an interactive environment to access the
courses and course contents, tools and resources that assists on course delivery and
management, all via the use of internet and electronic devices.
A variety of e-learning platforms are available with different complexity level. And these
platforms are commonly known as VLEs (Virtual Learning Environments), LMSs (Learning
Management System) or LCMSs (Learning Content Management Systems), etc.
Some of the major open source Learning Platforms available are
i. Moodle: Written in PHP programming language under GNU General Public
license, Moodle is an Open Source Learning Management System (LMS). And
Moodle Stands for “Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment”
(Coastal.edu, 2020). Using this web application, professor can post learning
materials like pdf documents, presentations, audio, video, tests, etc. And a learner
can enroll to the course and access it via internet and electronic device like mobile
phone, laptop, personal computer or tablets.
This web application is based on pedagogical principles and used on various forms
off learning like blended learning, distance learning, and other e-learning projects
in educational institutions like Schools, Colleges and Universities.

53
ii. Claroline: Similar to Moodle, Claroline is another collaborative Learning
Management System (LMS) and eWorking platform which is released under GPL
open-source license. It has been used in over 100s of institutions including
universities and schools worldwide.
And the application is available in more than 35 languages and is written in PHP
programming language.
iii. ATUTOR: ATUTOR is also another open source Learning Content Management
System (LCMS). It is also released under GPL license and is written in PHP. The
application was developed by American Society for Training and Development
(ASTD).
It is popular for its adaptability and accessibility features as it is really useful for
visually impaired and disabled learners (SourceForge, 2020).
iv. DOCEBO: It is also and Learning Management System which is AI powered, cloud
based and mobile friendly (Docebo, 2020). It was established in 2005 and the Latin
meaning of Docebo is “I will teach”. It is also developed using PHP programming
language and released under GPL v2.0 license without any licensing cost. And the
application is available in more than 40 languages.
H. Solutions for Limited or No Internet Connections
In a condition where the internet condition is not so good or not available, and the supply
of electricity is unreliable, the implementation of e-learning platform becomes
ineffective. And with uneven geographical structure (mostly hills and mountains), poor
internet and electricity can be considered as the limitations of implementing e-learning
in high schools of Nepal.
Thus, the following solutions are recommended while implementing e-learning on such
areas

54
Offline player features on LMS
One of the possible solutions to limited or no internet connection is Offline player
capability of the Learning Management System (LMS). This feature can be implemented
with an app that can work as fine as online.
At first, student can download the app, enroll in courses and download the resources for
offline study. Then using the app, students can continue their courses and access the
resources. At the same time app can track the progress and preferences of the learner.
And when the app gets connected with the internet then it automatically synchronizes
with the web-based apps and updates the database.
Some of the available apps that have been already tested are Meridian, blackboard Agilix
backpack and Harbinger.
LAN (Local Area Network) based LMS
Similarly, LAN based e-learning platform is another possible solution for limited or no
internet connection areas. This service can be provided using Local Area Network and a
client-server architecture based LMS.
For this, a computer can be made a server for the e-learning platform (LMS) and the
content in this server can be updated timely via pen drives or CD ROMs. And the student
can access to this server and access the courses and contents without any internet
connection. But they need to be within the range of the Local Area Network.
6.3.2. Recommendations for Further Research
This research concludes with the proposal of implementing an e-learning framework in higher
education of Nepal. The conclusion was made based on the data collected from the survey of
more than 160 participants from all over the country and literature review.
And after knowing the possible opportunities and challenges of e-learning in Nepal, this
framework is designed based on the present situation of internet, electricity and electronic
devices to access the course contents.

55
Though the framework is designed and proposed, it’s yet to know the effectiveness and the
sustainability of the technology. The framework needs further optimization on course
development, knowing the learner’s development, knowledge management and further
implementation from primary level to non-formal learners.
As we know, unemployment is a huge problem for any country, but if the people are taught skills
that are demanding, then it can also increase the employability rate. And the growth of
employment is the growth of economy of any country. And this e-learning platform may play vital
role on providing training at an affordable cost among the netizens of the country.
Thus, the research can be continued to make this e-learning technology better, affordable and
sustainable, which can enhance the quality education and employability.
6.4. Summary
This research project explored the present situation of e-learning in Nepal with the growth of
netizens (Internet Users). And also proposed an e-learning framework to be implemented in the
higher education of Nepal which will improve the quality of education.
In order to derive the outcome of the research, various tools and strategies of research were
used. Some of them were survey and literature review. Along with the opportunities, the
research also had the challenges. But with the support of Nepal government, telco organizations
and uninterrupted supply of electricity, those challenges can be converted into opportunities in
no time.
And from this research, its concluded that the people in Nepal are quite familiar with the e-
learning frameworks, tried some of the them and had positive response. And they also believe
that the implementation of e-learning in educational sector of Nepal can help to improve the
education quality, increase the literacy rate and make people more employable with the skills
learned via those platforms.

56
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