Zemsky,+R+2004

=Thwarted Innovation - What Happened to e-learning and Why= by Robert Zemsky and William F. Massy copyright © 2004 by The Learning Alliance at the University of Pennsyvlania



Thwarted Innovation is a major new study from the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Thomson Corporation, which answers the question: “Why did the boom in e-learning go bust?” Researchers Robert Zemsky and William F. Massy used e-learning Weatherstations at campuses across the country to decipher precisely what happened and why. In the end, they trumped three of e-learning’s most troubling assumptions:


 * 1) If we build it they will come—not so;
 * 2) The kids will take to e-learning like ducks to water—not quite
 * 3) E-learning will force a change in the way we teach—not by a long shot

3... only higher education’s bureaucratic processes have proved more immutable to fundamental change. Even when they use e-learning products and devices, most faculty still teach as they were taught—that is, they stand in the front of a classroom providing lectures intended to supply the basic knowledge the students need. Hence, we see the success of course management systems and PowerPoint— software packages that focus on the distribution of materials rather than on teaching itself. What is Thwarted Innovation’s conclusion? E-learning will become pervasive only when faculty change how they teach—not before.

Thwarted Innovation refocuses the debate over the success or failure of e-learning because it has: • Tracked the changing attitudes about and perceptions of e-learning by faculty and technical staff over 18 months across a wide sample of colleges and universities each with substantial investments in e-learning. •Mapped the changing supply of e-learning providers and products