Quality assurance and e-learning: blue skies and pragmatism

There is still a high degree of scepticism and concern being expressed by many that the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education remains an unproven experiment, despite the huge investments in technology and infrastructure and the high levels of interest that remains among many educators, administrators and policy-makers (for example, Cuban, 2003; Oppenheimer, 2003). The principal concern expressed by many critics of ICT in education is the lack of empirical evidence for learning enhancement, and ICT is often seen to do more harm than the good it generates as a consequence of the overheads and associated costs (for example, Oppenheimer, 2003). In higher education, where ICT in teaching and learning is probably more prominent than in any other sector, this degree of scepticism appears just as strong (for example, Romizowski, 2005). Large-scale moves to use technology to support teaching and learning have been seen to be premised on poor assumptions and inaccurate perceptions of public response. Many projects such as the UK eUniversity, NYU Online, Scottish Knowledge, Universitas 21 and Global University Alliance, which all developed around e-learning applications, have failed to realise their aims and goals, leading many to question the quality and capabilities of this form of educational delivery (Garrett, 2004). Like all forms of education, there are both good and bad examples in practical settings. The questions many people are looking to answer are: what are the necessary conditions