October 2007 Volume 10 Number 4 - Educational Technology ...

Investigating the problem
An extensive review of conference papers, journal articles, books, web sites, industry publications, news reports and
software was conducted, highlighting the rich research record in this field. The main results of our review have been
published previously (Johnson et al, 2002). Here we can only briefly summarise those issues most relevant to our
conclusions.
“Distance learning” covers a broad range of scenarios with very different requirements – from specialised in-house
job training, through radio schools for children in isolated rural areas, to open university adult education courses. For
this project, it was necessary to focus upon a specific sector: the computer-based delivery of university-level, home
study programmes for students unable to attend normal lectures.
Computer systems, through their ability to rapidly store, manipulate and communicate multimedia information, have
the potential to provide multi-dimensional distance learning environments, which incorporate passive (teachercentred)
or active (student-centred) learning styles, group or individual work, interaction, and simulation. However,
such environments have not been fully realised at the university-level. Moreover, e-learning systems often assume
levels of computer literacy and access to reliable, high-speed technology more in line with the resources of public or
private institutions than with students studying at home or in developing countries.
All the systems in wider use at the university level were built upon the LMS model. This is a “one-size-fits-all”
approach in which teaching material is stored on a central repository and delivered page by page over the Internet to
a web browser on the learner’s computer. The learner must establish a live connection to the university server, and
then wait until the next page is downloaded before he/she can proceed to study.
The LMS’s originated as practical tools to aid university staff to author and administer their internal and external
courses e.g. WebCT (Goldberg, 1997) and Blackboard (Kubarek, 1999). A major distinction is now drawn between
LMS’s and Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS). The Brandon Hall website, for example, explains that:
"The primary objective of a learning management system is to manage learners, keeping track of their progress and
performance across all types of training activities. By contrast, a learning content management system manages
content or learning objects that are served up to the right learner at the right time" (Brandon Hall, 2005, para. 2).
From this perspective, the primary target users of an LMS are "training managers, instructors, administrators", while
for an LCMS they are "content developers, instructional designers, project managers" (ibid, para. 5). However, from
the standpoint of the usability and accessibility of the system to distance students there is no essential difference
between these models. To access learning material, the student must correctly navigate the operating system, the web
browser and the multi-page web application. None of these tasks is trivial. Needing to learn them can inhibit learning
the course content (Smulders, 2003).
Some LMS’s have been prototyped that address the accessibility issue by acting as a standalone system when an
internet connection is unavailable, including the TILE system developed at Massey University (Jesshope et al.,
2000). This hybrid model does not address the usability issues, however.
There are some good examples of one-off adaptive tutoring systems at the university-level. While offering improved
functionality over a LMS, they have proven too complex to implement to come into general use. More recent
research efforts have focussed upon incorporating adaptive elements into LMS’s and LCMS’s (e.g. Jong et al.,
2003).
It was also noted that e-learning has been most effective when integrated with on-campus teaching or research.
Attempts to replace teacher and textbook altogether and create entirely electronic virtual universities have largely
failed (Education Review, 2004).
Mobile e-learning, or “m-learning”, is a growing research area. M-learning explores ways of using mobile devices
like PDA’s and cellular phones for supporting and/or delivering some elements of teaching and learning processes,
especially with a view to drawing young people into learning (Attewell, 2004). While a cellular phone is a powerful
networked computing device its very short transmission range and restricted interface limit its potential for extending
the boundaries of e-learning into rural areas.
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