A prescriptive study of early trends in implementing e-learning in the UK Higher Education Sector

Abstract

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are widely implemented in the UK Higher Education (HE) sector and many institutions are engaged in implementing e-learning. The drivers for this rapid technological change consist of a combination of persistent external pressures and the enticing prospect of improvements. This paper examines whether the benefits of e-learning have materialised and how this relates to organisational change, policies and strategies. Post-Fordist models of management and prescriptive approaches to implementing technological change provide the theoretical framework. This qualitative investigation focuses on the significance in the implementation process of institutional policies, staff incentives for development, quality control processes, inter-departmental collaboration, the need to re-evaluate teaching methodologies, and the importance of feedback mechanisms.