The Role and Application of Learning Theories in the Virtual University

This chapter uses a case study to explore the role and application of learning theories in the virtual university. In the wake of Covid-19, there is an identified need for learning design to be theoretically informed and evidence-based. For students, the ability to find and critically reflect on knowledge and information is a key skill in contemporary digital environments, as is the ability to act on that knowledge and apply it. In this chapter, we argue that this requires self-directed and self-regulated learning which needs to be explicitly taught and/or designed into learning activities. To do this effectively requires strong evidence-based and theoretical underpinnings. Overall, the findings in the case study presented in this chapter show the importance of ongoing, planned, and structured collaboration between discipline-based lecturers and educational experts. It is important in the virtual university to place the design of theoretically informed and justified technology-enabled learning activities at the heart of its learning and teaching practice that will engage learners.