What constitutes effective e-learning practices in Education, and in partcular the Adult Education sector?

To answer the statement "What constitutes effective e-learning practices in Education, and in particular the Adult Education sector" lets look at a study conducted in Austria, which centred around student expectations and experiences in e-learning Paechter, Maier & Macher (2009) found that there were two aspects which contributed strongly to learning achievement and course satisfaction were student achievement goals and the Instructor. Furthermore,  Paechter et al. (2009) found that the the instructor takes up the role as a counsellor and facilitator in learning and importantly the "instructor does not become less important in e-learning" (p.7). Thus, the Instructor is very important according to learners in this study for enabling the acquisition of "knowledge, skills, and competencies and for course satisfaction" (p.7).





Retrieved April 24, 2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6FvJ6jMGHU Daphne Koller, What we're learning from online education


Daphne Koller, (listed in the 2013 Times 100: The world's most influential people) here explains her vision and direction as a co-founder of Coursera, an online course centre which shares the 'best content from the best universities for free'. The methodology of the coursera delivery, coorelates with research on what constitutes effective e-learning practices. She explains that there are ample opportuities for  learners to engage in communities of practice, virtually online or learners can organise group face to face meetings. The courses also prompt learners to engage with the content, by presenting questions at intervals which contrast with the traditional lecture model at universities, which may be less interactive.

References

Paechter, M., et al. Students' expectations of, and experiences in e-learning: Their relation to learning achievements and course satisfaction. Computers & Education (2009), doi: 101.1016/j.compedu.2009.08.005

Pflichter, F. (2006). Weiterentwicklung Im blended learning-Bereich aus Sicht des bm:bwk. In ForumNeueMedien Austria (Ed.), (italics) Usability im learning & eLearning Strategien (pp. 112-115). St. Poelten: Verlag Forum Neue Median