LMS online coursework aids students in their development of strong independent study skills, and teaches them how to motivate themselves. But something many people don't realize is that e-learning has shifted from an independent study to an interactive experience.

Oftentimes, a professor or trainer's teaching style can make or break a face-to-face course. Students' degree of interest in whatever the subject may be can be lowered by an uninspired teaching style. In the same way, an engaging professor or trainer can give life to even the simplest or dullest subject.

What makes the latter situation even more exciting is often the space allowed for student collaboration and interaction with the learning material. This instructive trend is increasingly valued and practiced in online learning. John Milton spoke of the importance of free discussion when he said, nearly 400 years ago: "Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience." One feature that often distinguishes university classrooms is the space it often allows for exciting discussion, dissent, and debate.

Even though in some traditional higher education classrooms, instructors still choose a format in which students are not encouraged to speak, virtual classrooms are becoming much more interactive.

Many course topics, of course, aren't suitable for classroom discussion. For example, there may not be a great need for student interaction in calculus class. But for many online courses, space for student discussion is in fact suitable. With student-led discussions, learners become familiar with the course content and develop their own ideas effectively and quickly.

With the increasing use of Web 2.0 tools in online learning, e-learning has matured from its early days as a solitary enterprise. Using LMS 's and Web 2.0, learners can "utter" and "argue freely according to conscience" just as Milton encouraged everyone to do. Discussion forms, wikis, and other tools offer a convenient, simple, and comfortable space for students to have a voice.

They also prompt more sophisticated and democratic discussions. LMS online courses which use Web 2.0 tools offer a dynamic and engaging space for optimal student learning.

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