ABSTRACT
The following research begins from recognizing the primary role held by theoretical and practical knowledge in contemporary society. ICT developing and spreading all over the globe, particularly Internet, have deeply modified cognitive processes, human behaviours, the way to communicate and to access information. These socio-cultural changes have a strong influence on the processes of knowledge’s production and exchange.
The above phenomena consequently caused a radical revolution on pedagogy models and teaching/learning methods.
Based on these preliminary remarks, the aim of the present study is to discuss in detail the main issues related to the topical subject of e-learning, that is education and training performed in virtual learning environments using digital technologies.
The first part of the work provides a full description of the principal characteristics and the most relevant theories on the matter, interested in investigating the relationship existing between technology and didactics. The attention is focused particularly on sociology, communication, interaction and pedagogy studies. During the discussion, special importance is given to the principles of Constructivism, a recent theory which stresses the social dimension of learning and the cooperative processes for the construction of knowledge.
It also introduces a number of questions raised and still open in the actual debate on the subject. Some valuable strategies or solutions for the existing problems are suggested, in order to further improve the effectiveness of online learning.
After the theoretical overview, the second part introduces a more practical approach. It carries out the analysis of two different experiences of e-learning realized at the University of Pisa, with the objective of evaluating their advantages and usefulness.
Therefore, the study tends now to concentrate on academic didactics, trying to understand in which direction it is changing.
The main conclusion of the whole reflection is that it is not possible to give a single and unequivocal definition of e-learning. In fact, it is a very complex concept, that can take different features depending on the context of application and the concrete training needs.
For this reason, in evaluating the opportunity of resorting to online educative strategies it is not sufficient to take into account only the technical aspect; instead, it is necessary to consider a different number of factors at the same time.
