An initial e-learning experience: Student teacher's perspectives in Hong Kong

This paper reports a lesson learned from an initial attempt of incorporating ICT into ordinary module teaching of Chinese linguistics in a teacher education programme. In the teaching and learning process, student teachers were found strongly motivated by online exercises but were not interested in using other online facilities. Feedback from the module participants on the reasons underlying the behaviour patterns identified were collected through focus group interviews at different stages of the module. Findings indicate that poor computer literacy in Chinese, frequent contact with other participants and the lecturer and learning styles all hindered the participants from responding to online discussion and sharing. To optimize the use of e-learning facilities in supporting the study of the same module, the participants suggested that more sensible and authentic online activities are needed. Educators interested in adopting e-learning need to plan and structure more tactically in establishing a context for deep online learning. Copyright © 2004 The Association for Advancement of Computing in Education.