E-LEARNING: FACILITATING LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Many predict that the biggest growth in the Internet, and the area that will prove to be one of the biggest agents of change, will be on-line learning, or e-learning. Recent surveys show that 50 % of all corporate training is being done through technology. We are seeing similar trends in certain parts of Universities and other educational institutions. However, application of e-learning in Information Systems (IS) teaching or research is limited. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide an overview of e-learning to encourage and facilitate IS professionals’ teaching and research efforts. The ultimate question is: Can technology really facilitate learning? If “yes”, how do we use technology effectively to help activate and challenge our learners? To answer these questions, this tutorial: 1. Provides a technology map of e-learning technology that can be used to support learning in a classroom or from a distance; 2. Outlines key research issues in e-learning focusing on those where IS research can add value; 3. Shares best practices for implementing and using technology effectively in IS learning situations; and 4. Discusses how instructor roles and skills need to change to be effective in technology-supporte