University lecturers failing to embrace full potential of e-learning

New research reveals universities are slow to adopt e-learning solutions

Saarbrücken/Sevenoaks, 20 May 2009 – An independent study launched today by e-learning and advanced content solutions provider, IMC (UK) Learning Ltd, revealed that although three quarters (74%) of universities have virtual learning environments (VLE)  to support teaching and learning, only 14% of lecturers publish their recorded lectures on them.  

The survey, entitled ‘Examining e-learning in higher education: perceptions and reality’, asked 125 academic and operational staff in universities, business schools and university colleges their views on e-learning, how it is currently used within universities and the perceptions of its benefits and shortfalls.
The research found that even though a large percentage said their university had a VLE, very few use it to its full effect. Only 16% of the whole sample recorded their lectures, with 14% publishing these to a VLE for students to access at a later date. In addition, only three in ten (29%) of those who use e-learning frequently/always add questions or documents to their lectures and only 15% frequently/always post-edit lectures and content, despite 48% acknowledging that e-learning is popular with students.

Dr Dirk Thissen, managing director at IMC (UK) Learning comments: “Using e-learning to support face-to-face courses can enhance the learning experience of students. Producing content by recording lectures and post-editing or adding documents and questions will add value to the material and can be used to populate a VLE effectively.”

When asked which elements of e-learning respondents found the most useful, three in ten (31%) commented on the automatic synchronisation of recorded data, with the same number stating the combination of video, audio and annotation. Slightly fewer (29%) highlighted the variety of output formats. Smaller numbers pointed to ‘one-click’ publishing to a VLE (19%) and full text search in published recordings (17%) as useful when recording lectures.  

Thissen continues: “It is clear from the high number of universities that have a VLE that e-learning is on the agenda at higher education institutions. The issue is how much e-learning is used by lecturers as part of their teaching and learning programmes.

“From the research, the popularity of e-learning among students and academics is clear to see. Despite this academic staff do not necessarily recognise the productivity and cost saving benefits of e-learning. Rapid authoring tools provide lecturers with a means to record, edit and add documents to their lectures quickly and easily in order to enhance the learning experience of their students.”