Engaging learners: the development of effective e-learning applications for students of the built environment

Dowdle, DL

Abstract

E-learning does not appear to have been as widely adopted by academics within the built environment discipline as one might have expected. The literature review and research presented in this paper put forward an argument for the introduction of e-learning within built environment programmes taught both in the UK and internationally. This paper presents findings from a comprehensive literature review to revisit exactly what learning means and examines the activities required to achieve effective learning via disparate delivery mechanisms. The benefits of multimedia rich e-learning are highlighted and a guidance and audit tool for achieving ‘effective’ e-learning is presented for use by built environment lecturers and learning technologists. The tool has been designed to encourage and enable academics to develop/introduce e-learning to their teaching. A small research project is presented in which an e-learning application was presented to students for evaluation and reflection. The results suggest that students are very keen to be exposed to e-learning in a ‘blended learning’ environment.

Citation

Dowdle, D. (2006). Engaging learners: the development of effective e-learning applications for students of the built environment. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 2(1-2), 31-48

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2006
• Deposit Date: Sep 19, 2007
• Journal: Architectural Engineering and Design Management
• Print ISSN: 1745-2007
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 31-48