What is Authentic e-Learning?

Any discussion of authentic e-learning must begin with an explanation of what we mean by authentic learning. It could be argued that learning can be authentic, as we define it, without utilising any e-element. Littlejohn and Pegler (2007) noted that “e-learning is commonly taken to mean the use of computers and the internet for learning” (p. 16). With this in mind, however, it is almost impossible to conceive of any authentic learning endeavour in higher education today that does not take advantage of the affordances of computers and the internet. In our view, authentic learning is best executed with powerful computer-based, participatory tools-this is e-learning at its best.