Study Visit to USA and Canada, September 2002
e-Learning Theme Report Background The objectives for this theme were to investigate current approaches and attitudes to e-learning in the US and Canada and to give an overview of e-learning development in the UK to the institutions visited. Particular areas of enquiry included: !" e-learning technologies and pedagogies !" the use of VLEs and MLEs !" ‘blended’ or mixed mode learning !" e-learning in conventional and distance learning institutions !" the effect on student learning of electronic modes of delivery !" the management and economics of e-learning !" e-learning futures Methods included: !" structured interviews with key academics, educational technologists, administrators and students !" seminars for interested groups with presentations on the UK and North American scenes !" individual desk research in libraries and on the web This report is an attempt to summarise the main themes from a very large amount of data collected during the course of the visit. Inevitably it does not do justice to the full range of provision we encountered but the bibliography and web links below should facilitate further enquiry. The institutions and organisations visited were diverse and comprised those identified by colleagues in North America and some identified by members of the visit team either prior to or during the visit. They represented a range from prestigious ‘premier (although not Ivy) league’ state and private universities to small local colleges and from specialist providers to national bodies. It is important to emphasise that none was selected specifically because of its reputation as a centre of excellence in e-learning. This is not to say that no exemplary practice was observed but rather that the institutions serve as representative of the general state of e-learning practice in North America. In this respect we did not feel that we were encountering anything technologically or pedagogically superior to e-learning systems and practices we have encountered in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. There was a strong feeling among all four theme groups that higher education in the USA and Canada is becoming increasingly IT driven, with changing modes of delivery and different cost structures. One of the key forces in the marketplace is that ‘for profit’ institutions are changing their focus from teaching to learning, using part-time teachers, convenience, with strong marketing and content based on students’ needs. There is also a slow down in the US economy with reductions in state funding for postsecondary education. In Canada there is a drive to expand participation in HE, as in the UK, and this is also bringing new and potentially more cost-