THE ROLE OF E-LEARNING A REVIEW.

John Wall 2004

INTRODUCTION AND BACGROUND
The E-Learning industry has undergone radical changes over the past five years.
From a position of strength where it was perceived as the ideal solution to almost
all learning and training needs E-Learning is now viewed with scepticism and
caution in many quarters. The purpose of this review is to investigate the
effectiveness of E-Learning in general and in a number of specific case studies
that have implemented E-Learning solutions. The results of this review will
inform the instructional design strategy for the WITW!E" blended learning pilot
pro#ect.
CHALLENGE TO EDUCATIONAL IN!TITUTION!
E-Learning has been identified by many commentators as an essential element of
the total learning pac$age offered by educational institutions. % model that can
be quite useful to illustrate the position of traditional learning and the integration
of I!T in educational institutions can be seen in figure &. This proposes '
scenarios for the future of e-learning development for educational institutions.
F"#$%& ' F$($%& D&)&lo*+&n( o, E-l&a%n"n#
(ource) cited by *evine +&,,-. from !ollis and van der Wende +&,,&.
/uch research on 0igher Educational Institutes in Europe indicates that the model
most educational bodies are adopting is 1(tretching the /ould2 often referred to
as 1blended learning2. "lended learning at its most basic level is 3the thoughtful
integration of classroom face to face learning e4periences with online
e4periences5 +6arrison and 7anu$a &,,'.. "lended learning can affect the way
people learn and can help to promote the e4periential learning e4perience and
enable or empower the learner. "lended learning may bring about ma#or changes
in the way educational material is designed8 developed and delivered to people
who want to access learning but have other constraints that affect the process of
learning +9ailing &,,&..
%ttempts to e4ploit the 16lobal !ampus2 model +where there are highly developed
programmes8 fully supported on-line8 are offered and services in a global rather
than national or local environment. have been more prevalent in the :(8 however
not always successfully +!ollis and van der Wende &,,&.. The crash of ;<:
=nline is a more recent e4ample illustrating the dangers for educational
institutions in embar$ing on a 16lobal !ampus2 pathway.
=ften it is in an eagerness to embrace technology that an understanding of the
fundamentals of learning and how it occurs is overloo$ed +0amid &,,&.. This
coupled with the 3dot-com5 crash resulted in the sharp decline of many e-learning
providers and on-line institutions.
F"#$%& 2 E-L&a%n"n# H-*& C-.l& an/ 0Do(-.o+1 .%a2h
(ource) http)www.e-learningguru.comarticleshype>?>.htm accessed >@th
Aune &,,'
Figure - illustrates dramatically the rush to mar$et and the consequent crash that
has occurred with the evolution of e-learning. In loo$ing forward to the period of
3enlightenment and productivity5 one $ey issue is what model or framewor$ will
avoid the costly lessons learned by educational organisations such as ;<: =nline
who attempted to set up a 3for profit5 wing unsuccessfully +9ublishers Wee$ly8
&,,>.B
E-LEARNING AND 3EETING THE CHALLENGE
There is no definitive agreement on what e-learning is and on terminology used
to describe the use of technology in learning +ComisDows$i &,,'.. ComisDows$i
+&,,'. found more that E, different definitions of the term. From this research
ComisDows$i developed what he terms 3structured definition of e-learning5. The
framewor$ developed is as illustrated in table >.
Table 1 Structured definition of e-learning
INDIVIDUAL !ELF !TUD4
Co+*$(&% Ba2&/
In2(%$.("on5L&a%n"n#5T&a.h"n#
6CBI5L5T7
GROU8
COLLABORATIVE
Co+*$(&% 3&/"a(&/
Co++$n".a("on
6C3C7
ONLINE !TUD4
!-n.h%ono$2
Co++$n".a("on
60REAL-TI3E17
(urfing the Internet8 accessing
websites to obtain information or
to learn +$nowledge or s$ill.
!hat rooms with+out.
video
%udioFideo
conferencing
OFFLINE !TUD4
A2-n.h%ono$2
Co++$n".a("on
60FLE9I-TI3E17
:sing stand-alone courseware
*ownloading material from the
Internet for later local study
%synchronous
communication by
email8 discussion lists
or a Learning
/anagement (ystem
(ource) ta$en from ComisDows$i &,,' page G
This framewor$ emphasises that e-learning may be either a solitary individual
activity or a collaborative group activity where both synchronous and
asynchronous communication can ta$e place or a combination of all of these.
F"#$%& : L&)&l2 o, Onl"n& U2&% E;*&%"&n.&
(ource) 6uerra and 0effernan available at
http)www.learningcircuits.org&,,'mar&,,'guerra.htm
There are a variety of technology levels8 tools8 framewor$s and architecture
systems available to the developer of an educational programme +Ismail &,,&..
6uerra and 0effernan +&,,'. developed the 6uerra (cale +see figure '.8 which
outlines the range of e-learning content that a learner can use. It is an attempt
to describe an increasingly interactive user e4perience using a > to >, scale in
which > involves simple reading te4t on a screen through to >, representing a
virtual reality scenario. Typically when budgets are restricted8 there is a tendency
to upload lecture notes in 9ower9oint8 Word or 9*F format +Wall &,,>.. While
this can aid the learning process8 the $ey question is whether this is instruction or
#ust information. It can be effective as a supplement to other classroom
instruction or as bac$ground material. 0owever8 if it is #ust information8 does
effective learning really occurB
"uch and (ena +&,,>. posed important questions when loo$ing at the benefits of
using the Internet in education. The questions they as$ed were)
> *o individuals learn differently with on-line instruction than traditional
classroom situationsB
& !an the same teaching strategies be used with on-line as traditional
methods and will they be as effectiveB
- *o individuals2 react differently to on-line instruction and how can
individual differences in learners be accommodatedB
The challenge that faces educational institutions is that in a situation where
learning is recognised as comple4 set of interrelated cognitive processes and the
evolution of I!T continues unabated developing a framewor$ to address the
lifelong learning needs of targeted learners becomes a challenge.
HOW LEARNING OCCUR!
Learning can be defined as the acquisition of $nowledge or s$ill +=4ford English
*ictionary8 >HH>.. Learning is not a simple act. The !hinese proverb8 attributed
to !onfucius +'E, ".!..8 summarises the importance of understanding the
pedagogical processes that ta$e place when learning occurs)
Tell me, and I will forget, show me, and I may
remember, involve me, and I will understand.
7ey to understanding cognitive processes is an understanding of learning
theories. Learning theories have evolved from psychological studies and have
changed in response to8 and because of8 advancing theories of cognitive
development +Ertmer and ;ewby8 >HH-.. For any type of learning to be effective8
whether it is classroom based or computer based8 it has to be built on sound
pedagogical principles. What has changed considerably in more recent times is
the evolution of I!T and how technology can be configured to incorporate the
3tell58 3show5 and 3involve5 that are prerequisites of effective learning +(it8 &,,>..
% number of pedagogies and approaches to learning are referenced in literature8
from behaviourism and constructivism in terms of learning theories8 to
e4periential and organisational learning +Ertmer and ;ewby >HH-8 7olb >H@'..
Three of the principle learning theories can be identified as behavioural8 cognitive
and constructivist +Ertmer and ;ewby8 >HH-.. In designing learning it helps to
understand the principal attributes8 strengths and wea$nesses of behaviourism8
cognitivism and constructivism.
Ta<l& 2 8%"n."*al A((%"<$(&2= !(%&n#(h2 an/ W&a>n&22&2 o, +a?o% l&a%n"n#
(h&o%"&2
L&a%n"n#
Th&o%-
8%"n."*l&
A((%"<$(&2
!(%&n#(h2 W&a>n&22&2
"ehaviourism "ased on
observable
changes in
behaviour.
"ehaviourism
focuses on a new
behavioural
pattern being
repeated until it
becomes
automatic.
The learner is
focused on a clear
goal and can
respond
automatically to the
cues of that goal.
9ilots in simulators
can be conditioned
to react to in a
particular way when
an emergency
landing is required
so that the response
becomes automatic.
The learner may find
himself or herself in a
situation where the
stimulus for the correct
response does not
occur8 therefore the
learner cannot respond.
% school child that has
been conditioned to
respond to an action by
a teacher in a particular
way is unsure as to do
when a new teacher
arrives.
!ognitivism "ased on the
thought process
behind the
behaviour.
!hanges in
behaviour are
observed8 and
used as indicators
as to what is
happening inside
the learnerIs mind.
The goal is to train
learners to do a
tas$ the same way
to enable
consistency.
Logging onto and
off of a wor$place
computer is the
same for all
employees8 it may
be important do an
e4act routine to
avoid problems.
The learner learns a
way to accomplish a
tas$8 but it may not be
the best way8 or suited
to the learner or the
situation. For e4ample8
logging onto the
Internet on one
computer may not be
the same as logging in
on another computer.
!onstructivist "ased on the
premise that we
all construct our
own perspective of
the world8 through
individual
e4periences and
schema.
"ecause the learner
is able to interpret
multiple realities8
the learner is better
able to deal with
real life situations.
If a learner can
problem solve8 they
In a situation where
conformity is essential
and divergent thin$ing
and action may cause
problems. Imagine the
problems that would
arise if every person
decided to report their
!onstructivism
focuses on
preparing the
learner to problem
solve in
ambiguous
situations.
may better apply
their e4isting
$nowledge to a
novel situation.
ta4es in their own way
- although8 there
probably are some very
3constructive5
approaches used within
the system we have.
(ource) compiled from Ertmer and ;ewby +>HH-.
Ertmer and ;ewby +>HH-. believe that the strategies promoted by different
learning theories overlap +the same strategy for a different reason.. This is
illustrated in Figure G.
F"#$%& 4 Co#n"(")& 8%o.&22"n# R&@$"%&/
(ource) Ertmer and ;ewby +>HH-.
Ertmer and ;ewby +>HH-. believe that learning theory strategies are
concentrated along different points of a continuum depending of the focus of the
learning theory - the level of cognitive processing required. Ertmer and ;ewbyIs
+>HH-. suggestion that theoretical strategies can complement the learnerIs level
of tas$ $nowledge8 allows the designer to ma$e the best use of all available
practical applications of the different learning theories. In progressing from
behaviourist to cognitive to constructivist theories the focus of instruction moves
from teaching to learning +Ertmer and ;ewby >HH-.. With this approach the
designer is able to draw from a large number of strategies to meet a variety of
learning situations.
% $ey question posed by Ertmer and ;ewby +>HH-. is how does one facilitate a
proper match between learner8 content and instructional approaches when one
considers that both the instructional strategies used and the content addressed
would vary depending on the level of a group of learners. *ifferent learners have
different cognitive processes8 learning style preferences and past e4periences that
they apply when learning ta$es place +7olb >H@'8 Ciding >HHG.. %n individual2s
learning style will affect the manner in which information is processed during
learning and thin$ing8 having a considerable effect on the learning effectiveness
and efficiency +Ciding >HHG.. 7olb +>H@'. conceptualised learning as a four-
phase process starting with concrete e4perience8 followed by reflective
observation8 then abstract conceptualisation and the active e4perimentation.
7olb +>H@'. observed that learners do not engage with each step of the process
but rather have a particular affinity for certain aspects of the cycle +(ena and
"uch &,,>.. 7olb +>H@'. identified individual differences in the process along &
a4es8 on a vertical a4is representing how an individual prefers to apprehend
information and a horiDontal a4is denoting a preference for how an individual
processes information. 7olb +>H@'. classified these as four preferences or
learning styles that learners have and he referred to these as accommodators8
divergers8 convergers and assimilators.
F"#$%& A ol<B2 E;*&%"&n("al L&a%n"n# C"%.l&
(ource) "uch and (ena +&,,>.
Later wor$ by others including "uch and (ena +&,,>. and (vinic$i and *i4on
+>HHE. identified possible instructional strategies that could be used in both
classroom and on-line situations to accommodate the learning characteristics of
the different learning styles. These are summarised in table -.
Ta<l& : L&a%n"n# !(-l&2 .ha%a.(&%"2(".2= (%a"(2 an/ "n2(%$.("onal 2(%a(&#"&2
L&a%n"n#
2(-l&
L&a%n"n#
Cha%a.(&%"2(".
D&2.%"*("on 8o22"<l&
In2(%$.("onal
!(%a(&#"&2
%ccommodator !oncrete
e4perience and
active
e4perimentation
6reatest strength is
doing things
/ore of a ris$ ta$er
9rocess information
actively
9erforms well when
required to react to
immediate
circumstances
(olves problems
intuitively
=ften as$ question
1what ifB2
(imulations
=bservations
E4amples
Laboratories
*ivergers !oncrete
e4perience and
reflective
observation
(trong in
imaginative ability
%pprehend
information through
concrete e4perience
6ood at
generating ideas
and seeing things
from different
perspectives
Interested in
people
"road cultural
interests
Laboratories and
observations
(imulations
"rainstorming
Chetorical
questions and
log entries
%ssimilators %bstract
conceptualisation
and reflective
observation
%ccurate and
organised
information
(trong ability
to create theoretical
models
E4cels in
inductive reasoning
!oncerned with
abstract concepts
rather than people
*o not en#oy
active participation
Li$e problem
solving and
conducting
e4periments
(olving
problems
!onducting
e4periments
*emonstrations
% logical step-
by-step Internet
tutorial
%n Internet
demonstration
allowing
reflection on the
original
information
!onvergers %bstract
conceptualisation
and active
e4perimentation
;ot ris$ ta$ers
9refer to learn
in an environment
that allows fail safe
Learn by trail
and error
(trong in
=n-line
information
presented via a
well defined
systematic and
theoretical
tutorial
practical application
of ideas
!an focus on
hypo-deductive
reasoning on
specific problems
:nemotional
9refer to
process material
actively
0ave narrow
interests
!ompletion of a
case study with
singular answers
and immediate
feedbac$ on-line
(ource) compiled from 7olb +>H@'. (vinic$i and *i4on +>HHE. "uch and (ena
+&,,>. and www.infed.org accessed &>
st
Aune &,,'
0aving identified that there are different technologies and different learning styles
for different learners the challenge is to configure technology to deliver learning
in an effective manner. Two case studies with which the author has first hand
e4perience with are outlined to illustrate the use of e-learning to deliver learning.
In addition8 some potential pitfalls are reviewed.
CA!E !TUDIE!
a. 3a2(&% o, !."&n.& "n In(&%na("onal Con2(%$.("on 3ana#&+&n(.
The /asters course in International !onstruction /anagement is a one year full
time programme. (tudents spend the first semester of the course at ;ottingham
Trent :niversity +;T:. before moving to the Waterford Institute of Technology
+WIT. for the second semester. (tudents then spend the third semester of the
course at the Fachhochschule 7arlsruhe +F07%.8 6ermany. In the academic year
&,,& - &,,- there were && participants on the programme. *ue to
circumstances beyond the control of the students8 J participants remained at ;T:
after !hristmas &,,& instead of moving to WIT. The development of this
situation was not anticipated and all involved only became aware of this situation
at the beginning of *ecember &,,&. The result was that the programme had to
be offered to the J students that remained at ;T: in parallel with the >E students
that came to WIT.
The solution developed between WIT and ;T: consisted of using of using a
Fideoconference unit in I9 streaming mode +Wall and 0urst &,,'.. In support of
this technical solution8 notes were provided to the students in advance of the
lectures. The overall consensus of both the staff and the students involved with
the programme was that the solution wor$ed reasonably well within the
constraints.
=perationally there were certain aspects that could have been improved upon
+Wall and 0urst8 &,,'. including better positioning of camera8 bac$up facility in
the event of Internet problems and an improved audio capture system. 0owever
given the nature of the solution devised a $ey issue identified was that for the
students who were accessing the programme remotely was that no survey of the
learning style preferences of the students accessing the programme remotely was
carried out and 1a one siDe fits all2 approach was used as the instructors primary
focus was on the students in the classroom. In addition while material was put
online it was #ust the notes in 9*F format only8 which is poor learner support.
<. C&%(",".a(& "n Lo#"2(".2
In &,,> the !hartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and /ultimedia
Instructional *esign Ltd. came together to develop a new programme that is
offered to practitioners in the logistics industry K Certificate in Logistics. This
partnership involved /ultimedia Instructional *esign developing appro4imately -,
hours of e-learning content that is delivered on a !* C=/. The !hartered
Institute of Logistics and Transport developed all support material8 administered
the programme8 mar$et the course and administered e4ams. This industry
accredited Certificate in Logistics was launched in =ctober &,,& by the Irish
/inister for Transport.
To date over >&, participants have underta$en the programme. 0owever
disappointingly8 only one individual has successfully completed the programme
with eight other individuals in the process of submitting assignments. 9reliminary
research into reasons for the low completion of the programme include8 lac$ of
online support8 little recognition of variations in learning styles8 a 1one siDe fits all2
approach and the lac$ of opportunity for collaborative learning. The option of
using instructor lead training in con#unction with the distance learning material is
currently being e4plored by Waterford Institute of Technology and this
programme will be offered in the academic year &,,'-&,,E in an attempt to
overcome some of the reasons for low completion rates of the programme.
+7earney8 &,,'.
CONCLU!ION
This review has identified the following points that must be considered prior to
designing any E-Learning programme.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that pure E-Learning programmes
do not wor$ whereas there is significant evidence to suggest that blended
learning programmes are much more li$ely to be successful.
Information is not instruction.
Instruction must be based on sound pedagogical principles.
Individuals have different learning style preferences8 different cognitive
processes and different past e4periences.
*ifferent learning situations require different learning strategies.
Learners require direction and focus.
% one-siDe fits all approach to E-Learning has been shown to be
ineffective.
BIBLIOGRA8H4
"ridges %lan L 6rierson 0ilary The use of Internet Technologies in Delivering
Architectural CD !onstruction Information Technology &,,, ta$ing the industry
into the &>st !entury Folume > &,,, pp >-G - >''
"rosnan 7evin and "urgess Cobin !. !eb based continuing "rofessional
develo"ment # a learning architecture a""roach Aournal of Wor$place learning
Folume >E ;umber > &,,- pp&'- --
"uch 7im and (ena !hris Accommodating Diverse Learning $tyles in the Design
and Delivery of %n&line Learning '("eriences International Aournal of Engineering
Education &,,> Folume >J Issue > ppH--H@
!ompagnia Collaborative software in the construction industry +&,,-. available to
download at http)cobweb.businesscollaborator.compubenglish.cgi,GG>@>,GB
opMrdb?add?recordLtemplateM>,EEEH,&
!ollis8 ". and van der Wende8 /.NEds.8 &,,&O. )odels of Technology and Change
in *igher 'ducation+ An international com"arative survey on the current and
future uses of ICT in *igher 'ducation. !entre for 0igher Education 9olicy8
Twente :niversity8 ;etherlands. http)www.utwente.nlchepspublications.
accessed >Hth /ay &,,'
!onstruction Industry !ouncil ,uilt 'nvironment rofessional $ervices $-ills
$urvey .//01.//2 $urvey 3esults &,,' report available at
http)www.cic.org.u$servicespublications!I!.shtml accessed &,th /ay &,,'
*evine8 Aim Introducing eLearning+ $trategy to Actuality+ The '("erience at IADT
Irish Learning Technology %ssociation !onference &,,- Waterford8 Ireland paper
available at http)www.ilta.netEdTech&,,-inde4.html
*ublin L. and !ross A. Im"lementing eLearning+ getting the most from your
elearning investment !onference 9roceedings %(T* International !onference
&,,-
Egan8 (ir /ichael 3ethin-ing Construction The 3e"ort of the Construction Tas-
4orce to the De"uty rime )inister, 5ohn rescott, on the sco"e for im"roving the
6uality and efficiency of 78 construction +>HH@. *epartment of the Environment8
Transport and the Cegions London
Ellis Cobert8 Thorpe Tony and Wood 6erard '&learning for "ro9ect management
9roceedings of the Institution of !ivil Engineers %ugust &,,- Folume >EG Issue -
pp >-J K >'>
Ertmer 9.%. and ;ewby8 T.A. ,ehaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism+
Com"aring Critical 4eatures from and Instructional Design ers"ective
9erformance Improvement Puarterly Folume G Issue ' >HH-pp E,-J&
Forfas The Demand and $u""ly of 'ngineers and 'ngineering Technicians E4pert
6roup on Future ($ills ;eeds Ceport To the Tanaiste8 and /inister for Enterprise8
Trade and Employment and the /inister for Education and (cience &,,-
6arrison *. Candy and 7anu$a 0eather ,lended learning+ 7ncovering its
transformative "otential in higher education Internet and 0igher Education
Folume J Issue & &nd Puarter &,,' pp HE->,E
6uerra Tim and 0effernan *an The :uerra $cale paper available to download at
http)www.learningcircuits.org&,,'mar&,,'guerra.htm accessed Jth /ay
&,,'
0amid %Dma %bdul e&learning Is it the e or the Learning that matters; The
Internet and 0igher Education Folume '. &,,& pp->>-->G
Ismail Aohan The design of an e&learning system ,eyond the hy"e Internet and
0igher Education &,,& Folume ' pp-&H---G
7earney Aim8 Education /anager of the !hartered Institute of Logistics and
Transport8 (ummary of Interview conducted &&
nd
/arch &,,'
7lein *onald and Ware /ar$ '&Learning+ new o""ortunities in continuing
"rofessional develo"ment Learned 9ublishing Folume >G ;o. > Aanuary &,,-.
pp-'-'G
7olb *avid %. '("eriential Learning+ '("erience as the $ource of Learning and
Develo"ment 9rentice 0all Englewood !liffs8 ;A >H@'
Latham (ir /ichael Construction The Team 5oint 3eview of rocurement and
Constractual Arrangements in the 7nited 8ingdom Construction Industry >HH'
0/(=
Wall A. Delivering 'ffective '&Learning +*ec. &,,>. pp>H K &> 0C* Ireland.
=4ford English *ictionary >HH> Third Edition
9ailing /arcus '&learning+ is it really the best thing since sliced bread; Industrial
and !ommercial Training Folume -' ;umber ' &,,& pp>E>->EE.
9ublishers Wee$ly <=7 online 4olds Folume &'@ ;o. E, pp>' &,,>
Ciding Cichard Learning $tyles and Technology&,ased Training :niversity of
"irmingham >HHG *epartment of Education and Employment :7
ComisDows$i %le4ander A. *ow>s the '&learning ,aby; 4actors Leading to $uccess
or 4ailure of an 'ducation Technology Innovation Education Technology Aan-Feb
&,,' ppE '@
(it 7. 0. 4acilitating the $hift from ?Tell )e? to ?Involve me? in :'3 &,,> %rticle
available at :CL) http)www.cdtl.nus.edu.sglin$nov&,,>teach&.htm access
date) &'th %pril &,,'
(vinic$i /.*. and *i4on ;./. The 8olb model modified for classroom activities
!ollege Teaching Folume -' ;umber ' >HHE pp>'>->'G
Wall A. and 0urst %. Delivering Training $imultaneously in a Classroom and
3emotely on a ,udget -,th-->st /arch &,,' >st International (!CI (ymposium
pp'HJ-E,G
Wang !atherine L. and %hmed 9ervaiD 7. %rganisational Learning+ A critical
3eview The Learning =rganisation Folume >, Issue> &,,- pp @->@
Wearne8 (tephen rofessional engineers? needs for managerial s-ills and
e("ertise 9roceeding of the Institution of !ivil Engineers February &,,' Folume
>EJ ;o. > pp''-'@
Wil$ie Cobert and 6iddings Cobert Constructing the 4uture The !ay 4orward for
*igher 'ducation in Construction !hartered Institute of "uilders &,,-
http)www.infed.orgbibliob-e4plrn.htm accessed &>
st
Aune &,,'
http)www.iei.ieEducationEducation.pasp accessed >Hth Aune &,,'
http)www.scs.iecareerDonecpdwhatis.asp accessed &>st Aune &,,'
http)www.riba.orggoCI"%/ember!9*?'HE.html accessed &&nd Aune &,,'
http)www.riai.iecpd?public>.html accessed &&nd Aune &,,'
http)www.ice.org.u$ice4traice4tra?continuous.asp accessed &&nd Aune &,,'
http)www.irishconstruction.com accessed &,
th
/ay &,,'
http)www.cif.ie accessed &,
th
/ay &,,'
http)www.the#ournalnews.comnewsroom,@>&,&>&online.html accessed &-rd
Aune &,,'