How Do We Know E-Learning Works? Or Does it?

Abstract

E-learning is an accepted and commonly used component in tertiary education. However, success would appear to remain variable. Effective e-learning is a concept which sometimes eludes even the most reputable of online educators. It is an issue which plagues both the corporate and education fields and which is frequently aggravated by the numerous, often contradictory, studies on the subject. This article seeks to yield the merits of these studies in order to decipher some of the better means of effectively evaluating, designing and managing e-learning programmes and to accurately envisage what the future may hold for the development of online education in the tertiary education sector. It attempts to merge the experiences of the business and education sectors into an effective approach to be used in the design of such programmes and to present guidelines concerning the future of e-learning in tertiary education. E-Learning: a new paradigm for learning in the tertiary education sectorThe impact of new technologies in the education sector has led to the rise of new terms, such as, digital pedagogy, techno-literacy, distributed learning and networked learning to name a few. A key advantage technology presents to the education sector is its ability to be more easily distributed to a wider student cohort in a more interactive form than has been previously available. E-learning is now an accepted component of tertiary education and is no longer limited to external students. It has transformed itself into an integrated component that has given rise to a new paradigm for learning in this sector. However, has e-learning been a worthy addition to tertiary pedagogy? Can it facilitate effective learning strategies? More importantly, is it worthy of the time and expenditure needed for it to be fully implemented in the tertiary sector? As highlighted by analyst Greg Cappelli, universities and other post-secondary institutions are far from being characterised by the 'idealistic notion of operating outside the daily financial grind of revenues, expenses and budgets' (Pittinsky, 2003, p. 41). The tertiary education sector today is a complex business and, like others, is cost-sensitive and eager to utilise the latest technologies to help streamline its operations. With this in mind, many educators have turned to online e-learning in the hope of incorporating a more costeffective means of education. Contrary to popular opinion, however, e-learning can often lead to a rise in costs -in the short term at least. Nevertheless, online e-learning does help widen the scope of education and can prove to be a vital asset, provided, of course, that it is effective. It also has the potential to transform traditional learning scenarios into more flexible learning that promotes lifelong learning (Martinez-Torres et al, 2006). The promotion and facilitation of lifelong learning should be a goal of post-secondary education, and e-learning enables these scenarios to be created and maintained more easily.This concept of effective e-learni...

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