An examination of the prevailing learning models and pedagogies in art and design education, provides for an understanding of possible obstacles or points of consensus with learning theories and models associated with elearning. As I progress through this chapter, my temporary summary identifies a significant lacuna in art and design education.

[Extract from my drafts]In contrast to the plethora of sources on the historical evolution of art and design education in England, the literature on the respective evolution of educational models and theory is minimal. It is through the examination of the historical debates on content and structure of curricula that we deduct the changes and transformations of pedagogies, as well as the internal critiques and debates on teaching and learning in studio-based disciplines.

An additional objective for this chapter, is to identify areas of comparison with the learning theories associated with elearning from the previous chapter, and to detect overlaps and differences, i.e. between the prevailing learning theories in elearning and those of Art and Design. This comparison is timely in light of recent debates on what is design education and designer in the context of the global economy and the wide-spread use of ICTs (Swann & Young, 2000; AIGA/NASAD, 2004).- November 2007
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It is very tempting to engage in an extensive critique of a recent report commissioned by the Art Design Media Subject Centre – Higher Education Academy (ADM-HEA), titled 'Distributed e-learning in Art, Design, Media: an investigation into current practice.'

Part of the 'muddle' in this report is the elearning definition the authors adopted. As long as a medium involves ICTs then it somehow attracts the 'e' prefix. ‘Learning facilitated and supported by the use of information and communications technology,' is the uncritical acceptance of the term which is far too wide and amorphous.

[Extract from my drafts]: Some definitions of electronic learning (elearning) are general and encompass learning activities mediated through a variety of ICTs, ranging from networked synchronous and asynchronous online applications, to self-standing and non-networked electronic resources. (Littlejohn and Higgison, 2003: JISC, 2004, DfES, 2003) Indicative of such definitions is the following statement by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE): ‘…our strategy should not focus solely or even primarily on the use of technologies in distance learning… The definition of e-learning should be sufficiently broad to encompass the many uses of ICT that individual universities and colleges decide to adopt in their learning and teaching missions.’ (HEFCE, 2005, p.7) Other definitions exclude self-standing and non-networked electronic resources, and deal exclusively with learning through the combination of online applications and networked capabilities mediated through a variety of ICTs. (Battezzati, Coulon, Gray, Mansouri & Ryan, 2004: Garrison & Anderson, 2003). This distinction is not semantic but rather of substance. Although self-standing and non-networked electronic resources are known to contribute to learning, it is the core element of networking that redefines possibilities and options towards new and – it is argued – improved learning experiences. Thus the term should not be bundled with all uses of ICTs. Not surprisingly, the ‘elearning’ is ignored altogether by some authors, in preference for a more prescriptive term indicating the emphasis upon the networked aspects mediated by ICTs...

And so the authors of the report on 'distributed' self-standing ICTs proceed to provide - in part of their report - a list of multimedia software that entails 'e'learning... including Microsoft's PowerPoint. Such inclusive lists bring us into borderline situations which tolerate the use of PowerPoint as an effective 'e'learning tool. Once upon a time we used to project slides...

The purpose of this site is to share and diseminate my studies and research in elearning in art and design. Most of the content grew out of my doctoral studies in educational research at Lancaster University, and my interest in elearning came about through my interest in interactive multimedia.

Various aspects of the research, short writings, summary, literature review, methodology, structure and process.

If you teach in Higher Education Art and Design disciplines that are studio-based (Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Photography, Textiles, Ceramics, etc), you can contribute to this research by completing the online questionnaire.

Conference papers, presentations, papers published, projects.

Online learning sources on Art and Design subjects, designed and developed by my students. These sites require Flash and/or Shockwave.

Contact information, your feedback.

I find I have far too many bookmarks that are not organised in any order. When I re-visit them some are 'dead' and others remain 'goldmines'. This is a short list, not exhaustive but updated regularly.