INTRODUCTION
In pursuit of advanced discoveries, mastery in academy and continued education, many scholars have resorted to online education, sometimes referred to as eLearning or digital education. This is nothing but a superlative mode of the long existing distance education, undertaken using technological apparatus such as computers, telephones, etc… Like any other systems of education already in existence, the eLearning has its pros and cons. In the following article, the author intends to highlight the benefits and the challenges of eLearning and later explain how this educational system affects leadership on a global level.
BENFITS OF GLOBAL ELEARNING
Cost effectiveness – Students do not need to travel to and from class. This cuts on costs
There is no need to pay the traditional administrative fees
No need to pay accommodation fees or food allowance
Flexibility – Students plan when to study, there is no need to travel in a rush to the classroom
Choice/Option – whereas students from the traditional classroom may not be allowed to take options, online programs are tailored to suit the students‘ objectives. As in the case of University of Liverpool, a student undertaking a Master’s in Business Management has 8 compulsory modules and 4 elective modules selected to suit his future prospects
Asynchronous Collaborative Interaction – Collaboration with each one of the class members and the instructor is done one at his/her own free time – there is no obligation to be in class at the same time
Technological Empowerment – eLearning gives students more proficiency on the use of modern technology like phones (WebEx/Webinars), software and hardware requirements.
Professional Growth/Reinforcement - Learners obtain an upper hand in expressing themselves professionally through feedback and analytical reflective practices they have in class.
Diversity – ELearning brings together people from diverse locations and cultures. Students build an intellectual scope with a universal setup (layout) through global interactions
Discipline - eLearning teaches learners to be Proactive and self-learners through investigation and exhibit some punctuality by working against set deadlines. Through this, students learn to get more organized by allocating time correctly and doing the right thing at the right time.
Location – Unlike in the traditional classroom setup, students can learn or conduct their studies in any location of their choice – could be at home, office, garden, aboard, etc…

CHALLENGES OF ELEARNING

Time Management – Sometimes, working students/professionals do not have ample free time to carry out their studies
Technology Constraints – Not always is the internet connection up to date or good. Crash in software or hardware malfunction can cause loss of data. Crash in software or hardware malfunction can prevent students from collaborating accordingly and consequently not submit assignments at the right time
Cultural Constrains – Culture and language barriers can sometimes affect the performance of certain learners.
Isolation - sometimes students tend to have a lone feeling and begin to lose concentration.
Doubted Credibility - Many people still feel insecure about learning on an online platform. This mentality is also known as stereotype.

HOW TO OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES

Time Management – Schedule activities appropriately after announcement of the weekly activity in order to incorporate studies
Technological Challenges – Put to use the ULMS´s Technology Contingency Plan i.e.: having two alternative computers, creating a file backup system, save contact information separately, using the technology Support Services (email, phone, etc…) and alternatively print out some of or all of the major topics.
Cultural/Global Constraints – ´´Cognitive or locational multiplicity will usually cause some range of social conflicts and failure in dialogue. There is urging need to put up some ´´apparatus´´ that identifies such stumbling blocks and make positive use of varying ideologies – there is also need to synthesize these divergent views and come to a more constructive platform´´ (Building an Effective Global Team N. D)
Isolation – Be as much participative as possible, reaching out (asking questions and giving feedback) to both course instructor and fellow students as required. Also put the school´s student support apparatus to full use. This includes libraries, software, councilors, technical support, etc…

HOW TO REVERT THE CHALLENGING ISSUES

Cross-culturalism is omnipresent in multinational (global) institutions. Managing or leading multicultural teams to accomplish a deliverable has never been an easy task. Communication barricades and mistrust consistently disrupt the group’s activities. ‘’When a team comprises members with distinct knowledge and skills, drawn from different subsidiaries in different countries, intercultural variations and other factors will always bring some degree of ineffectiveness.’’
(Effective Process for Global Business Teams N.D). This, if not handled with care, can bring the downfall of either the leader or the entire organization. The question is: How can leaders reverse this trend? To begin with, it is vitally important that we understand these negative tendencies:

Communication Breakdown – teams may not be able to exchange important information effectively
Racial discrimination – Certain organizations (unintentionally) end up into subdivided racial groupings. This may result in teams not collaborating or sharing cardinal information.
Territorial Limitations – As a result of global teams operating from areas separated by huge distances, there could be some difference in time zones (fuse hour), as a result of this, scheduling global activities like meetings can be cumbersome.
Language Barricade – Words translate into things and actions. This ends up into completion of determined goals. To better achieve goals, it is highly recommended that team members use one common language (official language). Sometimes, this is not the case and tends to pose technical challenges. In one example, we ended up losing some income as we could not find some French speaking engineers to work on one of our platforms with an expert team that came from France. The client finally gave the job to our competitor who readily had available resources.
Cultural Differences – International teams are sometimes formed by people from various countries, with completely different traditions and cultures. Familiarization and let alone synchronization of their values/goals and in some cases religions may not be easy. In advanced cases, some teams may be affected by the ‘diversity factor’- often, groups operating from various points work to achieve dissimilar deliverables and/or objectives. As a result, priorities may not be the same.

HOW LEADERS SHOULD OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES

It still stands to date that for the fact that we are living in a globally industrialized world; there will always be need for expatriate manpower. Parry (P.67). In order to overcome the leadership challenges which might frustrate the universal industry operations and create strong performing teams, the following suggestions ought to be considered: * Creation of an effective organizational Charter/repertoire – it is a compendium of individual behavioral skills. It keeps track of how the team members conduct themselves throughout their engagement with the firm. * Selection and Recruitment – it is necessary that leaders build teams that are easy to manage. To supplement this, it is usually essential to identify the organization’s key operational areas. Team builders need to know their headcount demand, how to equate the cultural/racial differences and also who shall supervise others * Use/Application of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) Parry (P.69). This is a leadership instrument which is contextually presented to address multicultural variations and their impact on global operations. * Better Communication Medium – Devise means and ways to facilitate open dialogue within team members. * Official Language – Leaders should implement one universal language throughout global subsidiaries * Cultural Education and Acquaintance – Leaders have the onus to encourage or promote programs that equip expatriated with cultural norms of the areas from which they operate. This will eventually smoothen the process of leadership being administered to local followers. ‘’ * Cultural Harmonization – Continental organizations are commonly susceptible to social disparity resulting from the incongruences between ‘internal cultures’ and ‘external cultures’ Parry (P.73) - it is therefore necessary to bridge this this gap by fostering inter-cultural corporation and ties.
RESOURCES AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS PROVIDED BY ULMS
For online programs, ULMS has put in place a number of resources to help students succeed with their studies visa:
Online class room through the discussion board and interactive collaboration, technical support, help desk, Student managers and councilors and online library and vital source bookshelf
CONCLUSION
The online educational system has exceptional benefits as compared to the traditional or conventional classroom mode of learning. However, there is still more to be done by both faculty and students in order to overcome the inevitably unanswered challenges to the system.

REFERENCES:
Jackson, B. and Parry, K. (2008) A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about studying leadership
University of Liverpool Management School (n.d.) http://www.liv.ac.uk/management research (Accessed: 30 October 2013)
The Ten Virtues of Outstanding Leaders http://www.leadershipnow.com How to Overcome the Common Challenges of Online Learning htp://www.onlinecollege.org ELearning Advantages and Disadvantages http://www.about-elearning.com Building an Effective Global Business Team http://sloanreview.mit.edu Benefits of Online Learning
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