John O'Donoghue

Implementing eLearning Programmes for Higher Education: A Review of the Literature

This paper is a consideration of the issues associated with the infrastructural aspects, pedagogic considerations and the need to associate the usefulness of technology to enhance the learning experience. This technological path will potentially enhance the learning process, not replace the lecturer or tutor. For lecturers and students, the implications of eLearning are extensive. Increasingly universities must provide quality and flexibility to meet the diverse needs of students – this will inevitably involve tailoring courses to suit differing educational needs and aspirations. Lecturers will be forced to fundamentally change their approach to teaching to accommodate the shift in student learning styles. The associated implication of increased workload requires proactive and effective management. Alongside this, eLearning threatens the fundamental structure of the university itself, as research forecasts that institutions cannot retain their traditional structure, in facilities and delivery via formal lectures and class based activity. It is clear that universities must change to accommodate demand and in response to new competition from global, giant corporate and virtual universities, however the problems associated with the change must be fully understood and taken into account prior to the transition taking place. Whilst the benefits of eLearning are highly prophesised, the many implications of implementing an eLearning programme require careful consideration. Getting it ‘right’ the first time will ensure long term success in a highly competitive market. Most, if not all the UK university sector are utilising technology to develop what they consider to be eLearning. Many of these implementations are costly and yet superficial, in terms of learner engagement and activity. They provide a content repository and in many cases limited active learner participation. For many students this results in endless reading of screen based text. When staff are ‘forced’ down the eLearning route as a consequence of management directives and mission statements the creation of sound pedagogic practice is often flawed or missing completely and activities constructed service the technology rather than student or learner progression or association.

Virtual education in universities: a technological imperative

Many educational journals have debated the issue of the “virtual university”. As technology is improving and evolving, such “virtuality” becomes a reality. The forecasts are that, in the not too distant future, it will be possible for courses to be completed solely by the use of the World Wide Web or Internet. These “virtual classrooms” will take the place of the solid buildings where students currently attend lectures, at set times in set rooms. The information will be gathered at the students convenience and assignments will be handed in via this medium. There is potentially an advantage for everyone involved, from the reduced building resource costs to the availability of teaching support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Whilst many of these studies identify the benefits of technology in education there are dissenting voices from many other quarters. However there are also arguments identifying the disadvantages to the technology based delivery systems proposed. Either way, there are going to be radical changes in the methods which students will use to tackle the workload involved in studying towards a degree. This paper will explore both sides of the argument. The main contention of this paper is that technology undoubtedly will offer many benefits for the learner, however, the pitfalls need careful consideration in the design of the learning environment. This paper uses examples from educational institutions across different cultures.

A study of social-learning networks of students studying an on-line programme

The paper reports the findings of a research project exploring the socio-learning environment of students studying an online programme. The findings point to the key areas of conflict between the developed online teaching and learning systems and the socio-learning environment of the learners. The main contention of the paper is that whilst current frameworks provide useful insights into the socio-learning environments of the learners, many important aspects have not been fully explored. The findings support and build on current studies which propose that the level of online interaction received by students is indicative of the success of the learning process. Furthermore, the differing levels of interaction help learners to consolidate their knowledge by communication with academic support groups, tutors, family and friends. The findings are reported using social network theory, specifically addressing four levels of relationships. The first level relationships consider the learning relationships between the academic tutors and the learners. The second level relationships explore the interaction between the learners and other parts of the institutions, such as learning centre staff and pastoral care counsellors. The third level relationships are between the different learners and the fourth level relationships are between learners and the outer community, such as friends and family members.

Pedagogy vs. Technocentrism in Virtual Universities.

WITH THE CONTINUED ADVANCES in information technology and associated communication comes the interconnectivity of all businesses and all industries. Either by default or association, this process will have an effect on the traditional education system. The information age has encouraged the ubiquity of a seemingly endless supply of information that is there just waiting to be internalized by students who have the ability and the inclination to interrogate the vast range of information systems available.Futurists suggest that all facets of education will change. Virtual education, online teaching, global universities, demise of traditional teaching methods are just some of the terms used to describe this euphoria. Much has been written about new models of teaching and learning emerging, driven by accessible new media. Associated with these writings claims that the role of the teacher and trainer is becoming one of a facilitator of learning discovery are not uncommon.This paper will consider the relationship between pedagogy and technology in driving the changes to the education process in the 21st Century, and what outcomes will determine the efficacy of these new learning environments.