Abstract:

Ever since E-Learning has become a major method in the education process, many products have been marketed to provide certain goals for specific sectors of learners. Examples rang from hard-wired multi media laboratory to internet Blackboard, Moodle and networked TLM. And although this experience at Ajman University of S&T (AUST) has only been started 5 years ago, many instructors have subverted their course materials to students via class networks and the Internet. Some of these means proved to be very complicated and time consuming for instructors to prepare and offer. Others proved to be less effective in terms of enhancing student interests and instilling technological ideas at classrooms. Networking era proved to be positive alternatives to traditional classrooms when E-Learning packages such as Blackboard, Moodle and TLM were used to upload class notes, lab sessions, tutorials, quizzes and tests as well as the interaction with students in a secured and controlled manner.
With no extra costs, and already available MS NetMeeting, engineering labs sessions with aid of NetMeeting are now being practiced at AUST to focus on advantages such as availability and simplicity. Many features of NetMeeting such as whiteboard, FTP, program sharing, audio/video conferencing and security have been experimented in a number of courses and proved to be effective in terms of student interest, ease and speed of E-learning session, and of course, costs. NetMeeting can be both envisaged for on-line videoconferencing and pre prepared and saved lectures and notes.

Keywords:

e-learning, AUST, Engineering, Moodle, NetMeeting.