MedEdPublish (Nov 2016)
The value and impact of eLearning or Technology enhanced learning from one perspective of a Digital Scholar
Abstract
The aim of this short article is to reflect on the value and impact of eLearning or Technology enhanced learning (TeL) from one perspective of a Digital Scholar. It will make and elaborate on three observations. Firstly, that the popularity of online digital content can be easily measured, and is a strong indicator that viewers find it interesting, engaging, and useful. This is particularly so when there are many alternatives available, so that the choice of specific content by student cohorts is a useful and strong indicator for its utility. Secondly, that the digital work and artefacts that students, and professionals in training produce, that can be collected and made available online, is a useful, and strong indicator of actual learning. This is an extension of the idea that digital teaching makes what we actually teach with and assess on, as well as our teaching process easily visible. Similarly, collecting representative samples of a student's work, or a professional's in training output, allows one to easily see the effect of actual learning and ongoing professional development. Lastly, features of digital scholarship will be described, with a reflection on its relationship to traditional educational scholarship. Online teaching with attention paid to showcasing content, the educational process, and educational outcomes, coupled with online metrics and analytics can be used to demonstrate both the quantity and quality of our educational efforts; as well as form the basis for educational and digital scholarship, through documentation, dissemination and academic discourse.
