You are going to stage an eLearning Cabaret at ONLINE EDUCA. What will that be like: a witty appeal for more fun in the online learning world or a biting statement about unending errors?

Dr. Wim Westera: I'm afraid it will neither be a plea for more fun and edutainment nor a biting criticism (who wants to be a pariah?). My objective is to break through our own professional bias and bigheadedness: it is worrisome that most visitors at Online Educa wholeheartedly believe in online education.

Outsiders might equate our conference with a religious sect loaded with ideological bias rather than a meeting of sensible academics who put things into perspective. Indeed, we -œbelieve- in our case, and we are always prepared to give a glowing speech highlighting the benefits and downplaying the problems. I would like to amplify our ability to be self-critical.

What do you see as the biggest don'ts in designing and building learning environments?

Dr. Wim Westera: Let me mention two persistent problems: first, arousing high expectations (i.e. about flexibility and cost) but failing to live up to these; second the fuzzy, ambiguous vocabulary that goes with educational design, for instance the confusing term -œblended learning-.

To look on the bright side, what works? What can you recommend?


Dr. Wim Westera: Oh please, never rely on any gurus. At the time of the introduction of film, Edison proclaimed the end of the book; TV was announced as the end of cinema, as was the Internet considered to mark the end of school. We don't need any gurus, we need to be self-critical.

Which role do Web 2.0 applications already play in higher education? What is still missing to make them really suited for learning?


Dr. Wim Westera: The Web 2.0 thing pulls the impact of technology to a higher level. So far, most applications are restricted to instrumental or substitutional use. Web 2.0 is bound to become a very important determinant for human existence, that is, it creates new ways to open up reality; it mediates our relationship with the world and it will shape our identities.

As head of a team with some sixty instructional designers, media developers, and IT developers, you can certainly tell us, what the next big thing will be.


Dr. Wim Westera: Who would know? It will probably be some pervasive technology gadget that combines smartness, ubiquity, and networking and that moulds our existence. Or we might engage some kind of regression that marks the re-establishment of traditional patterns: the book, hand-made coffee, and traditional teaching. Let's ask a guru.