3. Defining Digital Education

TEL

In scholarly discussions, a diverse range of alternative terms has been used to designate various modes of educational delivery. These encompass expressions such as remote learning, distance learning, distance education, open learning, e-learning, flexible learning, hybrid learning, blended learning, web-based learning, online learning, mobile learning, virtual learning, technology-enhanced learning, and distributed learning as found in the extant literature (Zawacki-Richter & Jung, 2023).

Many different definitions of distance learning are available in the IGI dictionary showing that 
  • learning can be organized by a department or instructor using a learning management system (LMS), 
  • studying remotely, giving the freedom to learn at any convenient time, 
  • the type of learning where information and communication technology (ICT) is its main mean for content delivery, interaction and facilitation and it can be either asynchronous or synchronous.

The term Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) is used to describe the application of information and communication technologies to teaching and learning. Explicit statements about what the term is understood to mean are rare and it is not evident that a shared understanding has been developed in higher education of what constitutes an enhancement of the student learning experience (Kirkwood & Price, 2014).

Online teaching and learning are forms of open and distance education (Zawacki-Richter & Jung, 2023). Singh and Thurman (2019) provided multiple definitions of online learning based on the systematic literature review for over the last 30 years. The definitions included various elements such as technology, time, interactivity, and educational context. Thus, online learning is defined as learning experienced through the internet/online computers in a synchronous classroom where students interact with instructors and other students and are not dependent on their physical location for participating in this online learning experience (Singh & Thurman, 2019, p. 302).

E-learning is an approach to teaching and learning, representing all or part of the educational model applied, that is based on the use of electronic media and devices as tools for improving access to training, communication and interaction and that facilitates the adoption of new ways of understanding and developing learning (Sangrà et al., 2012). Even if it is not online, an interactive learning program on a tablet that is not linked to the Internet would be deemed an e-learning application. 

Terms such as blended learning (Osguthorpe & Graham, 2003), flexible learning (Collis & Moonen, 2001), or distributed learning (Lea & Nicoll, 2002) became prevalent at the beginning of the new Millennium. The experience and practice with online learning and teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic then gave rise to other terms such as remote and hybrid learning (Zawacki-Richter & Jung, 2023). 

Blended learning nowadays refers to the learning process that combines face-to-face and online interactions in such a way that both complement each other (Hrastinski, 2019). Cronje (2020) proposed that blended learning is “the appropriate use of a mix of theories, methods and technologies to optimi[s]e learning in a given context” (p. 120). 

Hybrid teaching is defined as an educational approach or delivery mode that combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online learning to create a flexible and dynamic learning environment. In hybrid teaching both on-site students and remote students attend simultaneously during synchronous (real-time) teaching and learning sessions. The aim of hybrid teaching is to leverage the advantages of both traditional and digital learning methods (Vaughan et al., 2013; Beatty, 2019; Padilla Rodriguez & Armellini, 2021).