...not quite yet. Despite the government heralding a virtual learning revolution, Caroline Ingram says the use of IT in education is still in its infancy

How will students learn in the future? If we were to believe everything touted by the British government and its various agencies, we would be downloading research papers to their fridge doors and using our mobile phones to run tutorials. A more practical vision for how electronic resources and different styles of learning can be brought together is what is needed.

Various scenarios have been described to indicate perceptions of how students might access material in the future, often enlisting various mobile devices in stark contrast to the traditional trawl through library stacks and dusty shelves for reading materials. If technology is used well, students can blend learning experiences from different sources, traditional and online; used badly, it is likely to confuse them.

The UK's nationally funded Joint Information Systems Committee achieves economies of scale by offering common services to the entire ÖйúAƬ community. Jisc also makes a variety of electronic resources and research data available. At present these are accessed through a complicated net of services and collections, all quite accessible if you know where to go. With students coming from a wider variety of backgrounds than before, there is evidence to suggest that this confused landscape of resources is not suitable. New students will expect and need to be provided with a more supportive learning experience.

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We are still at the beginning of a process that has the potential to change the way in which people learn and to create new opportunities to learn. The introduction of virtual learning environments and associated collections of digital materials is expanding the amount of quality assured material that students in ÖйúAƬ have immediate access to. This is quite separate from the mass of information they can search for on the internet.

However, this access is not the key to a good education, as Diana Laurillard, pro vice-chancellor for learning technologies and teaching at the Open University, says. "It is as absurd to try to solve the problems of education by giving people access to information as it would be to solve the housing problem by giving people access to bricks."

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Virtual learning environments can incorporate a range of communication and interactive tools, creating more opportunities for students to direct their own learning. These tools also potentially allow teachers to communicate more effectively with students, creating a collaborative online community. This overcomes the difficulty of achieving adequate support for students in institutions and supplies feedback and personal contact.

The national development of learning materials and useful subject-based and interdisciplinary collections has created a valuable resource that is underused. Jisc is having to think creatively about ways in which it can increase embedding of its collections in learning and teaching. What has emerged is that there are many ways in which this can be achieved. One of the most simple is for Jisc to raise awareness of its collections and of their "quality assured" nature.

The Exchange for Learning (X4L) is an imaginative scheme funded to enhance the use of computer-based learning materials developed by the ÖйúAƬ community in the UK. At present, many digital resources such as image collections, databases and tutorial materials are being developed for use in individual courses. These materials could be reused across the sector, saving time on common development of useful tools. In time, students and tutors should be able to create and publish portfolios of digital resources for use by the rest of the community. In this way good practice will be shared.

Efficient use of the technology and learning materials has the potential to create truly effective learning environments for students and teachers. Jisc aims to meet the needs of learners and teachers. It does this through investment in innovative technology and its application rather than taking a lead in pedagogy and skills training.

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That said, some of the best-received investment recently has been for the development of information skills, or information literacy. The Virtual Training Suite is a set of online tutorials designed to help students, lecturers and researchers improve their internet information skills. You can work in your own time at your own pace - there is no monitoring of your failure or success. The subject-based tutorials take about an hour each to complete, and include quizzes and interactive exercises to lighten the learning experience.

With all this development what can the student realistically expect over the next few years? Jisc hopes that with targeted marketing, lecturers will understand better what quality assured resources are available to supplement their existing teaching practises. They should, by efficient use of institution-wide software, be able to cut time spent on repetitive administrative tasks. Students, instead of being faced with a bewildering array of online and paper-based resources, should be directed to the information they need, allowing more time for interpretation, reflection and critical analysis.

However, there will need to be training for this to be achieved. Teachers need to be able to assess when technology is the appropriate tool for a particular task and when it is not. Teachers will also need to work with students to agree and manage personalised learning programmes, including the provision of support and guidance. This change in the role of teachers will also need to be balanced by the provision of staff development in institutions.

Caroline Ingram is Distributed National Electronic Resource programme manager, Learning and Teaching, at the Joint Information Systems Committee.
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