Paper short abstract:

In the transforming European educational landscape, e-learning is often considered a universal solution. This paper critically discusses, by analysing an e-learning project at the University of Vienna, how e-learning can be integrated into anthropological teaching and learning practices.

Paper long abstract:

Due to the transforming educational landscape in Europe, e-learning is often considered as panacea for handling increasing student numbers or for supporting stressed out teachers. This paper discusses how e-learning can be integrated into anthropological teaching and learning practices.

First, it showcases the conceptual framework of the e-learning project "Strategies for Networked Learning", currently conducted at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Vienna. This project aims to develop strategies to include selected e-learning instruments, methods, and technologies in the most useful and efficient way into the teaching and learning of undergraduate social anthropology students.

Furthermore, the paper presents the case study of a survey carried out within the scope of the e-learning project to systematically analyse students' changing attitudes towards e-learning during a particular lecture (Studies of Myths), which made use of different e-learning elements. Within this course the students were provided with the official e-learning platform of the University of Vienna (WebCT Vista) and a Wiki system, specifically developed for the course. Whereas the e-learning platform provided students with diverse kinds of learning material and opportunities to interact with each other and the teachers, the Wiki system allows for the collaborative creation of analytical texts.

Finally, the paper takes a look into the (possible) future of networked e-learning within social anthropology on a European scale.