JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

Abstract

This thesis deals with the history and contemporary developments of distance education, e-learning, m-learning, and the possible future developments of these three, often interchangeably used concepts. In addition, particular observation will be applied to xAPI, (or experienceAPI), an online learning framework developed by the ADL Initiative and the United States Department of Defense. The method applied was a literary review, with some parts from known journals and others from commonly known media establishments as well as primary sources in the form of materials supplied by the first hand publisher/s.

The results of the literary review indicate a need for further study of the field and the theories associated with it, both in the field of information processing science and epedagogics. There is a significant drive for digitalizing the learning process, but the tools are almost as many as the actors in the field.