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The Open University (OU) is a prime example of a Higher Education institution which has had the savvy to realise the opportunity afforded through eLearning to target a specific type of learner who does not fit the traditional model of a university student (9).
As the leading model of distance learning institution, the OU is well accustomed to educating remote learners and has, through its commercial subsidiary Corous, begun offering “computer based interactive learning and training systems”(25) to organisations looking to train and equip their employees with a number of new skills(25) Despite Professor Lilliard’s assessment, eLearning now plays an integral part in the Open University’s strategy (4) and it is pivotal in their attempts to lure the corporate clients.
As far as an individual is concerned, eLearning presents the learner with the opportunity to engage in study without the need to be physically present at his/her institution and as such, is liberated from the need to attend preordained sessions or lectures (23). This emancipation of the learning process means that education is immediately made accessible to those who would otherwise find a fixed time table prohibitive or would otherwise be unable to attend the institution of their choice (26).
6. Limitations and shortcomings of eLearning
According to Macpherson, the overwhelming majority of information concerning eLearning gravitates towards its advantages (27), however the author’s experience would suggest otherwise and it has been possible to gather a considerable amount of information relating to the negative aspects of eLearning. As such, if one were to base any assumptions regarding eLearning on the strength of a single source, the result would provide a blinkered view as to the effectiveness of eLearning.
The overriding limitation cited in numerous texts dealing with eLearning appears to be the lack of face-to-face interaction between the student and the instructor (2). This lack of contact can impact on the learner’s motivation as it requires a greater degree of discipline on the part of the user, a fact that is not lost on Clark who highlights the level of commitment

needed “in a world of competing alternatives for time and attention” (2). Clark is not alone is his assertion as to the importance of face-to-face interaction, as Turban also questions the degree to which eLearning can stimulate intellectual discussion which otherwise takes place in a classroom with a human instructor (1).
In addition, eLearning cannot compensate for the social interactions that rise through conventional learning (11) and is unable to equip the learner with essential skills borne out of working within teams (11). That said, some observers such as Stone, believe that eLearning will eventually be able to overcome the social limitations that are currently all too prevalent within existing eLearning material (11). As a means of doing so, Aggarwal foresees an eLearning environment in which the learners engage in virtual team working by forming ‘computer clusters’ whereby groups of learners collectively work on an assignment/project (11), however this form of interaction and coordination has yet to be achieved in the current incarnation of eLearning in use at the ISI.
The issue of plagiarism and cheating are closely linked to the subject of eLearning as there is a difficulty in ensuring that an assessment has actually been completed by the person for whom it was originally intended (5). In addition, remote testing allows for the opportunity to research or check the answers to questions and thus the only means of restricting cheating is by limiting the time available to perform an assessment (28). Nevertheless, despite the opportunities for deception presented by eLearning, conclusive proof as to whether cheating is more prevalent in the virtual arena has yet formulated (28).
7. Types of eLearning
Instruction and learning derived by means of a networked computer can be categorised as being either synchronous or asynchronous (29). Synchronous eLearning is akin to the traditional model of classroom based, teacher led learning whereby interaction between all parties occurs in real-time. As such, a learner can engage in online conferences or can interact through chat rooms as a means of simulating the face-to-face learning experience which forms the basis of any traditional method of learning (30).

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