Perceptions about time and learning: researching the student experience

Distance learning and elearning claim to overcome the barriers of time and place. However, empirical studies show a relationship between student perceptions about management of study time, and the quality of their learningg. Students who drop out often relate this to lack of time for study. Students who pass courses also fall behind the study schedule and find workload on some courses much more than expected. Pedagogically desirable uses of learning technologies such as collaborative conferencing and synchronous virtual meetings can bring added time pressures rather than benefits for learning. Research is needed to explore how students use time for study and to compare their study workload practices with the expectations of educators and designers