ABSTRACT
As a result of the creation of the World Wide Web on the eve of the 21st century, growing numbers of higher education users have begun to ‘do things online’. It is probably fair to say that the Web has now permeated most areas of higher education. Some observers see this new phenomenon as far more than just another technology whim in education, and new philosophical concepts of higher education are emerging, such as the ‘e-campus’ and ‘elearning’. Such interpretations of the online learning phenomenon are not surprising, as today’s so-called ‘knowledge society’ seems to be intrinsically connected to the Web. The concepts of lifelong learning, access and participation, the globalization of education and the knowledge economy in the British educational context, also seem closely tied to the idea of Web based access and delivery (eg DfEE, 1999; DfEE, 2000; HEFCE, 2000; MacLeod, 2000; Moores, 2000).
