Enabling eLiteracy: providing non-technical support for online learners

As web-based technologies have changed teaching and learning and the support of learning, what it means to be literate has also changed. Reading and writing are now only part of what people have to learn in order to communicate in a technology driven society. A new concept of literacy has emerged that is variously described as e-literacy, digital literacy, silicone literacies, technological literacies, and multi-literacies. This paper offers a synthesis of the literature relating to literacy, e-literacy and e-learning. It discusses current definitions of literacy and e-literacy and applies them to the context of e-learning. This analysis was undertaken as part of a Learning and Teaching Fellowship project within Learning Services at Edge Hill University. The purpose was to identify a range of practical support solutions to enable learners become more e-literate. This paper describes the findings of the analytical first stage of the project and the early second stage: identifying asynchronous discussion as an area of focus and supporting novice e-learners by modelling good practice.