Background in e-learning developments
The approach that has been most widely adopted to date in e-learning starts with learning needs, defines those needs in terms of learning objectives and then designs resources to meet those objectives. These digital resources (sometimes supplemented with printed materials) are normally used sequentially, very often culminating in some form of summative assessment. The intention is that these resources will be used by most learners in a 'self-learning' mode. It is an approach that has grown out of good practice within the continuum of developments in open and distance learning. Over the years, experience has shown that most learners find self-learning very difficult and there has been a growth in expectations for additional support to be provided where needed; this is usually provided in the form of remote tutor support.
Within this approach, common practices include setting out the learning objective, providing information and illustrations, perhaps some automated self assessment to check the information has been correctly understood, there may be some practice activity and some e-learning programmes offer some form of help or communication to support those having difficulties or who have questions. Further learner support may be offered by a tutor who can remotely view formative assessment exercises and give feedback and guidance. At a further stage, which stretches the approach even further, the remote tutor may engage the learners collectively in some additional activities. Some resources have very high levels of 'interactivity' and richer and richer media to try to maintain the engagement of the learner.
This approach starts with content and adds support. The dominant characteristics of this approach are that resources are stand-alone (ie they can be used by the learner entirely alone for self-managed learning) and that the learner is not expected to use or require other resources. While this approach has some great advantages (not least, the ability to meet the needs of the types of learners it was originally intended to serve - those seeking open and distance learning), it does have a number of weaknesses. The fact that there is a need to keep adding support (of a variable nature, depending on the learner) suggests the difficulty of creating resources that operate in a stand-alone mode. High attrition rates, which providers attempt to compensate with extra support, suggest that most learners cannot or are unwilling to learn completely independently and do not find the learning experience sufficiently engaging when alone.
This model of e-learning grew out of open and distance learning on the one hand and early Computer Based Training (CBT) approaches on the other. The background and history of developments (and quite different traditions) in open and distance learning has been set out excellently in the work of eminent authors such as Sir John Daniels1 (former Vice Chancellor of the Open University) and an explanation goes beyond the scope of this ICCA pilot report.
...continue to background (p2)
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