S4.2.1

=E-learning design and (re)development plans are guided by technology support costs to the organisation, staff and students. =

Evidence
Kvavik and Caruso (2005) consider training to be an ongoing requirement as technology advances and changes, ‘[w]e cannot assume that students are prepared to take advantage of these technologies in the absence of planned, systematic, and just-in-time training that is based on a recognized level of required skills’ (p. 19).

One of the incentives fuelling interest in e-learning is the expectation of reduction in the cost of education (Usoro & Abid 2008). This must actually be assessed. This is particularly so when Green (1994) notes that rapid expansion in student numbers may be in tension with public expenditure worries.

Possible problems surrounding e-learning identified by Alexander & McKenzie (1998) are overly ambitious desired outcomes given the budget of projects and time constraints.

According to Kirschner et al., (2004), there can be significant difference between intentions for support and users perceptions of them. They describe an iterative model for designing for e-learning that attends to six steps, including learner competencies, interactions, and tasks, towards ‘determining how computer support can be best applied’ (p. 31). The model pays close attention to actual and particular learner needs, including: how best to address and support those needs, the learner’s perceptions of the support provided, how the support is actually used, and how effective the support is for actual learning achievement: ‘We might be tempted to say that this is “the proof of the pudding”’ (p. 30).

Salmon’s (2000) 5 Step Model similarly proposes a staged approach to supporting learners’ technology needs that begins by helping with setting up and accessing the system, sending and receiving messages, searching and personalizing software, conferencing, and links to other systems (pp. 25-37). Salmon notes the importance of providing encouragement and motivating learners by helping them to understand how efficiencies of integrated e-learning course are beneficial: ‘It is a great mistake to assume that any participant will want to divert hours and hours to online conferences without good reason’ (p. 27).

Attwell (2006) describes the context that managers of e-learning are operating in: ‘Managers… are having to make decisions about the introduction and use of e-learning when e-learning itself is still in a stage of rapid evolution and instability. Major paradigm shifts are taking place in the pedagogical thinking underpinning e-learning, new ideas and policies are emerging on how e-learning should be developed and financed and there are continuing advances in information and communication technologies. It is in this context that managers are having to make decisions about investing in e-learning and one in which the consequences of making the wrong decisions are increasingly costly’ (p. 40). Also, due to the initial costs of implementing e-learning programs it is important to conduct ongoing evaluation. There are also surprisingly few return on investment studies.