EducatorsOnlineExchange Past Issues

<< Previous Issue | Next Issue >>

Date: September 08, 2005

Thwarted Innovation: What Happened to e-learning and Why
by Chip Donohue

Robert Zemsky and Willam Massey have written a "must read" report for The Weatherstation Project of The Learning Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania. The report, "Thwarted Innovation: What Happened to e-learning and Why," explores the question: "Why did the boom in e-learning go bust?" The authors have challenged three key assumptions that have driven e-learning development in recent years:

• if we build it they will come

• the kids will take to e-learning like ducks to water

• e-learning will force a change in the way we teach

The authors believe that "e-learning took off before people really knew how to use it." They have come to the conclusion that, "e-learning will become pervasive only when faculty change how they teach -- not before."

To access the report, go to http://www.thelearningalliance.info/Docs/Jun2004/ThwartedInnovation.pdf