Page 234 - International Perspectives on Effective Teaching and Learning in Digital Education

Manuel Lillo-Crespo

− Distance learning simply means that educators and students are in a
different location. It doesn’t mean the instruction is necessarily delive-
red online. Distance learning has existed for a long time, way before the
advent of the Internet.
− E-learning means electronic learning. An interactive learning applicati-
on on a tablet not connected to the Internet would be considered an
e-learning application, even though it is not online. In fact, in e-lear-
ning, communication is entirely optional. An in-app curriculum could
be crafted in advance, with content being dripped whenever a learner
progresses to the next module, without the need for an educator to
interact with the students. E-learning also doesn’t need to be remote.
That same e-learning application could be used onsite by students in a
classroom with the help of their teacher. Again, e-learning simply focu-
ses on the digital aspect of education.
− Online learning is about learning over the Internet. However, perhaps
counter intuitively, communication is optional in online learning as well.
Video lectures could be recorded and uploaded in advance, without
the option for students to connect together or ask questions to an edu-
cator. That probably would not be the optimal instructional design, but
it would still be considered online learning, as the learning experience
is delivered over the Internet. A wider definition of online learning wou-
ld even include any self-directed studies conducted online, such as lo-
oking up information on search engines, watching educational videos,
or reading blog posts about a study topic.
− The most recent incorporation of these technology-enhanced learning
approaches is virtual learning, which was propelled to the forefront of
education during the pandemic. In a virtual classroom, the teacher and
the students join the class at the same time, which helps facilitate real-
-time interactions. Similarly to the traditional classroom, virtual classro-
oms offer a synchronous experience by allowing students to ask qu-
estions and interact with their teachers and their peers. The same way
a traditional classroom is usually part of a school, a virtual classroom
is often part of a wider virtual learning environment, which can include
additional resources, such as study material, schedules, assessments,
and ways to reach out to members of the school staff outside of class.

Nowadays the challenge is mainly focused on integrating the culturally
sensitive and congruent perspective – also understood as culturally compe-
tent – into the digital health initiatives. In the following lines we are clari-

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