01.+Introduction

=Introduction=

As a student of a strange mix of educational backgrounds, I often find it difficult to reconcile the difference in teaching methods encountered between the different fields of study that I am involved in. As a traditionally trained scientist, with a background in molecular biology and biochemistry, I performed laboratory research for over a year while teaching undergraduate practical classes, before moving into the field of interactive multimedia - a completely different way of thinking, to say the least. Now, my studies are centred around e-learning; another paradigm shift. A lot of my current work involves examination of online methods of learning, including social learning-based frameworks, learning environments and pedagogy. However, the learning experiences I am gaining through my study of interactive multimedia and e-learning are particularly disparate with those I had studying and teaching science. Granted the two fields are very different from each other but I do not feel this is enough to explain the very different teaching and learning styles I have experienced.

Therefore, this project aims to undertake a study of traditional science teaching methods and compare these to newer methods of teaching science online in e-learning environments. Given that my own experiences in science were at a tertiary level, the study will focus on tertiary science education, though may use resources from other levels of education as examples. The study has been based around a learning contract to give it structure, and will be conducted in the following ways:
 * a review of the literature
 * an examination of a selection of relevant pedagogical theories and frameworks
 * application of these frameworks to a range of case studies and examples of traditional and online teaching methods and environments
 * a critique of the application and relevance of these frameworks to the case studies
 * a reflective weblog, which can be found here.