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E-learning standards : Open enablers of learning or compliance strait jackets ?

E-learning standards have attracted a substantial and growing amount of attention from practitioners, institutions and governments over the past decade. Millions of dollars are being invested in a process of standardisation that, while aimed at supporting e-learning, seems to have neglected important aspects of learning that consequently appear to be at risk of being devalued. The current standards agendas of interoperability and discovery seem more closely aligned with the desire to commoditise learning and create new economic opportunities than with the needs of learners. This paper casts a critical eye over current developments and suggests closer attention to the role of standards in improving quality and supporting teachers and learners rather than constraining them. While standardisation implies a comforting sense of security, reliability and consistency, we may have to remain at least partially outside of the standards “comfort zone” if we wish to obtain real benefits from technology integration into education.