Abstract:
Information Technology is playing a more and more important role in our everyday lives, and is being used increasingly in teaching and learning. For decades there have been theoretical explorations and considerable research efforts supporting a change in teaching and learning from the traditional paradigm of passive transfer of knowledge, towards a notion of teaching and learning which emphasises such notions as student-centred learning, active learning, student empowerment and higher levels of learning outcomes. Research has argued that the use of information technology offers much in relation to achieving the new paradigms of learning. This paper will examine the application of the research and theoretical explorations of the new paradigms of learning in relation to information technology use. A critical analysis of hypermedia-based on-line learning systems has been undertaken, with the results indicating that the application of previous research and theory has been inadequate in achieving enhanced learning outcomes. Adoption of information technology use has been driven by initial excitement, novelty and hopes of greater efficiency rather than careful and considered application of research towards pedagogically sound and enhanced teaching and learning. The paper concludes with a model for the application of relevant learning theory to hypermedia-based learning systems.