Conclusions

In this final chapter, the overall outcomes of the research presented in this book will be drawn together in the form of proposed lessons for higher education. The success of the virtual learning environment (VLE) in ways that were unintended, and that served to support missions in the first instance rather than changing them, has much to tell us at a critical point where there is renewed interest and some renewed investment in online learning. Assumptions about technologies, and how they can be used in campus-based higher education institutions, have surfaced once more. To avoid repeated cycles of disappointment it is vital to address these assumptions. The lessons proposed seek to recognise the importance of mediation as a two-way process, support the need to identify what Objects motivate different activities in higher education, and to integrate our approaches to academic professional development. In addressing these challenges, it will be argued, we stand a much better chance of getting the return on investment that we want and, more importantly, an education system that can contribute to achieving better learning experiences and greater equality of access.