DEFINING E-LEARNING: A RESEARCH ON ITS CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This paper aims to present some of the findings of the "e-learning conceptual framework" research project conducted at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). E-learning is a quite brand new concept that has not a widely agreement on its meaning. Depending on the backgrounds and the kind of experiences carried out, people tend to define it in several different ways. The main objective of this project was to build an "umbrella" definition that could be accepted by the majority of the scientific community and could also set boundaries to our activity at the eLearn Center of the UOC. In order to achieve this objective we preceded to the following research activities: a) Literature review of the e-learning concept in peer reviewed journals, web pages and books published after 2005; b) Organization and content analysis of four focus groups, with the participation of academics and professionals of the Open University of Catalonia and c) Application of the "Delphi" method with questionnaires sent to recognized experts in the field of education and technology in order to gather their perceptions about the e-learning concept, aiming at a final consensus. The research provided us a valuable definition which let us go further with identifying and analysing different models, in which e-learning is developed.