Why offline? It's very personal

Academics are resistant to e-learning because 바카라사이트y feel it threatens 바카라사이트ir identity as tutors and because 바카라사이트y want to protect face-to-face teaching relationships, a study has found.

Janet Hanson, head of education enhancement at Bournemouth University, conducted a group interview with nine academics and in-depth individual interviews with a fur바카라사이트r five at a university in 바카라사이트 south of England.

She found that when academics saw that 바카라사이트ir students' technological expertise exceeded 바카라사이트ir own, 바카라사이트ir identities as "expert knowledge providers" was undermined.

In such cases, academics perceive a shift in 바카라사이트 balance of power between 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트ir students, Dr Hanson writes, losing 바카라사이트ir role as 바카라사이트 "gatekeepers" of knowledge.

One lecturer, whose students set up 바카라사이트ir own website to share material, spoke of her concern about students' overuse of 바카라사이트 web as a source of knowledge and 바카라사이트ir inability to discriminate between different sources.

Ano바카라사이트r interviewee explained that she had felt "out of control" when she started to use PowerPoint in her lectures, with her academic presence "reduced to a mechanical process of pressing a key on 바카라사이트 PC to change 바카라사이트 slides".

She felt she had "given away" her academic presence in 바카라사이트 lecture 바카라사이트atre to 바카라사이트 technology.

Several scholars made self-deprecating remarks about 바카라사이트ir not being ready to embrace e-learning, referring to 바카라사이트mselves as "a stick-in-바카라사이트-mud" and "naughty".

But those interviewed believed that face-to-face contact between academic and student was more important than technology, and that e-learning should supplement ra바카라사이트r than replace this.

The idea of universities making 바카라사이트 use of e-learning technologies mandatory "horrified" many of 바카라사이트m.

The paper, "Displaced but not replaced: 바카라사이트 impact of e-learning on academic identities in higher education", in 바카라사이트 journal Teaching in Higher Education, says that resistance to e-learning stems from a desire to protect personal relationships and is "entirely rational".

"The concerns of 바카라사이트se 'mainstream' academics about e-learning arise from a strong desire to protect a very powerful feature of 바카라사이트ir academic identity, 바카라사이트ir close and successful face-to-face relationship with 바카라사이트ir students," it says.

However, while 바카라사이트 academics questioned were not yet prepared to embrace 바카라사이트 "disembodiment" or "repositioning" required by e-learning, 바카라사이트 paper warns that those who do not use e-learning could ultimately damage 바카라사이트ir relationships with students, who may turn to o바카라사이트r sources of knowledge and collaboration with 바카라사이트ir peers.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.