Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) is the practice of using technology to extend the scope of your teaching. It should be an essential part of your teaching repertoire. TEL may be based within a VLE like Moodle or Blackboard, using the functions provided, or it may utilize a range of different technologies and platforms. TEL is a development from older terms such as online learning, e-learning or computer-assisted learning.

TEL has evident advantages in creating interactive and engaging learning and teaching environments for distance learners. It can be used in all kinds of learning and teaching opportunities, complementing and extending face-toface delivery by providing access to more material, enabling interactivity and creating collaborative virtual spaces. Good TEL broadens the scope of your work, and can be used in classroom environments as well as the more customary remote, asynchronous learning events.

Allow plenty of time to design and plan your learning materials. It will be just as time-consuming and labour-intensive as preparing for face-to-face teaching and should be approached with the same underlying principles in mind: auditing your learners, having flexible plans with clear aims and learning outcomes, delivering interesting and innovative teaching inputs and activities, designing appropriate assessments and gathering feedback to enhance reflection. What will be different from face-to-face teaching are the ways that you will design your teaching/information inputs and the range of opportunities available for assessment and interaction.

Salmon (2004, 26) describes a five-stage model of teaching and learning online. This is a very helpful starting point when planning TEL as it suggests what you need to do to get it to work properly. The stages are:

Try using this five-stage model to assess how effectively you have planned your TEL.

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