The Digitally Enhanced Learning (DEL) Continuum

Campus-based learning & teaching

Electronically supported learning & teaching

Blended learning

eLearning

Campus-based learning & teaching is the traditional form of educational delivery that most of us are familiar with. Schools, colleges and universities were designed and built around these activities.

Technology may still be used to deliver learning and teaching, for example data projection of digitally produced presentation material. This use of technology does not fundamentally shift the design of campus spaces, but rather is used within the restrictions of the traditional build.

The technology does not greatly affect the design and delivery of curricula either, but is an adjunct to traditional learning and teaching methods.

There is no criticism implied here. Some subjects and disciplines are better suited to a campus-based delivery, and the majority of learning and teaching takes place in this format.

There is growing pressure to reconsider traditional formats as we move into a more digital age, and institutions are having to provide an increasing level of support for students who bring their own digital devices onto campus.

Institutions may have invested in technology such as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) in order to support learning and teaching. In reality LMS & VLE are used more for administrative support. Students might find their timetables, campus information, information about the faculty, and some lecture notes or presentations.

In this scenario the underlying curriculum has not changed much, and most teaching is still campus-based.

Where the VLE is used to augment classroom activities it is likely to be in the format of 'electronic homework'.

The Higher Education market share for Learning Management Systems (LMS) has been looked at and tracked for as long as they have been used in colleges and universities.

• Blackboard and Moodle’s market shares seem to be declining.
• Canvas is definitely on the rise. It’s being selected in a quarter of colleges and universities in the USA.
• Brightspace is improving its market share.
• Moodlerooms, Sakai and Pearson are maintaining their market shares.
• Homegrown systems are no longer in the top 10 options considered.

A blended learning approach is a coherently designed learning approach that is applied to a range of learning activities, ranging from a topic, a module, a course or a curriculum.

A blended learning approach at module level consists of some sessions of traditional learning types and other sessions online. The key to this approach is that the different types of learning & teaching are blended seamlessly so that a module is not fragmented into bits of classroom teaching and bits of online teaching.

Blended learning is more commonly used at the level of individual learning and teaching sessions, where the beginning of the session, the main content, or the concluding elements might be online or on campus.

The animation below explains this in more detail.

In some situations, the move to blended learning has inspired educators to redefine traditional roles. The word “facilitator” has emerged as an alternative to “teacher,” bringing with it a slightly different focus. The facilitator places an emphasis on empowering students with the skills and knowledge required to make the most of the online material and independent study time, guiding students toward the most meaningful experience possible.

It is self-evident that eLearning is computer mediated since there is no other way of conferring the networking required for this type of learning and teaching. However, that is not to say that eLearning technology cannot be mixed with face-to-face interactions as blended learning, or that eLearning technologies cannot be used in a classroom environment where the learners are in physical proximity, although some authors argue that classrooms are no longer valid venues for learning and teaching and that all learning and teaching should be computer based.

Although eLearning is computer mediated it can be used in different ways and in different settings, depending on the needs of the learning and teaching taking place. That is computer mediation can lead to interactions that occur synchronously or asynchronously, and that learners can be proximate or dispersed.

An emerging view is that of Engagement which has taken the Constructivist approach and applied it directly to eLearning. In this, all learning activities involve active cognitive processes such as creating, problem-solving, resourcing, decision-making and evaluation.

As the delivery of learning & teaching moves along the continuum from campus-based to eLearning, there is a greater dependence on technology, and the technology being used becomes more complex. There are clear cost implications in setting up, maintaining and supporting this technology, including support for staff wanting to incorporate technology into their programmes.

As the complexity of the technology increases, and the pedagogical underpinning changes, there is a greater requirement for digital literacies. This applies to both staff and students. Although students may be of a generation that uses digital technology they will not necessarily have the digital literacies to succeed academically or in their chosen career.