The role of e-teaching in e-learning

Jacquelin McDonald
Learning and Teaching Support Unit
The University of Southern Queensland

Interaction has long been a defining and critical component of the educational process, and it has been suggested that asynchronous interaction may provide an ideal environment for learning. Promoting interaction requires rethinking of traditional learning and teaching roles, informed by research into learning and teaching activities, and the outcomes of such interaction. This paper presents the findings of doctoral research that used a grounded theory approach to generate insights into how participants interacted in an asynchronous, text–based discussion environment. A brief review of the impact of existing management structures on the introduction of learning is provided. The paper then presents the findings that emerged from the study and reflects on the teaching role that challenges some existing conceptions of a diminished role for teachers.

Keywords: computer mediated communication, teaching, learning, distance education