e-Learning Artefacts: Are They Based on Learning Theory?

Abstract

With the advent of e-learning, educators and designers of learning resources should view technology as a tool and a medium, but not as the message. This paper poses the rhetorical question as to whether e-learning artefacts and variants are based on sound learning theory. It traces the evolution of e-learning and describes characteristics that indicate underlying theoretical biases in traditional educational software, as well as in online courses and web-based instruction. The paper introduces a synthesis of contemporary learning theory, the Hexa-C Metamodel (De Villiers, 2002, 2003), whose six elements can playa role in the design and development of e-learning environments and instructional systems, and which can also be used in evaluating educational applications from a learning theory perspective.