Abstract
Telelearning relates to "making connections among people and resources, via communication technologies, for learning-related purposes". Telelearning as a general term includes asynchronous learning activities; in all cases efficiency is an important construct. Efficiency is defined as the relation between costs and effects/quality. An educational system is said to be "efficient" when an optimum balance is found between minimizing the costs and maximizing the effects/quality. This balance is often difficult to obtain, for an example, when the opportunity for direct contact between tutor and tutee through telecommunications facilities can lead not only to beneficial learning and social effects but also to a large amount of messages and a huge time investment by tutors/tutees, leading to an uncontrollable rise in costs. Measuring the effect/quality of telelearning has its own methodological problems and therefore it is difficult to come up with viable and reliable data. How to deal with the efficiency problem is illustrated in the article based upon literature research and data from a recent project executed in the context of the telematics research program of the European Union.
Highlights
To determine the efficiency of an educational/training system the costs, which are based upon the inputs and the process, have to be related to the effects, which are based upon the outputs and the outcomes
In order to investigate the efficiency of telelearning the effects and the costs have to be examined in each of the various scenarios of telelearning that are taken as examples
Some conclusions can be formulated: 1. There are no precise indications about the effects nor about the costs of telelearning, and about the efficiency of telelearning
Summary
Efficiency and effectiveness are often mentioned as reasons and criteria for solutions of educational and training problems. There is a general "feeling" that introducing communication and information technologies (CIT) in education and training improves efficiency. Basing attitudes on "feelings" rather than facts is common in society. A prominent member of the Dutch Auditor General's Office said that many policies are not based on facts but on "general opinions" [1]. Do we have to accept such an approach? With respect to this paper we will discuss this issue further. We need a more precise description about what is meant by efficiency and how efficiency can be measured
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