There can be few UK universities that have not given serious thought in recent years to introducing elements of online learning to their curricula.

Yet implementation of online learning in the education sector remains relatively low.

A 2004 survey by the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education found that, within responding UK universities, fewer than 3 per cent of courses were being delivered in a predominantly online mode. As much as 75 per cent had no substantial online elements.

Some hesitation may be seen as a consequence of the failure of the ill-fated UK e-University (UKeU) venture.

The collapse of the initiative, following substantial public investment, reinforced fears in the education sector – and elsewhere – that online learning may have little to offer.

But such a conclusion would be unfortunate, especially as there is widespread agreement that UKeU was a business failure rather than a failure of the concept of online learning itself.

UKeU has demonstrated to elearning researchers and practitioners that successful online learning demands a focus on the learning rather than the online part of the equation.

And it is the strategies that define teaching, rather than expensive technological systems, that are the key to success.

At the lowest level, elearning might simply mean delivering course materials via the internet – something that is increasingly becoming normal university practice.

But on its own, distance learning offers little to improve the education experience, even if the teaching materials include relatively sophisticated computer-assisted elements.

Programmes that do little more than use the internet as a medium for individual learning are likely to reinforce the perception of elearning as an isolating and alienating mode of study, appropriate only for lonely computer geeks.

But active online learning focuses on the use of the internet as a medium for communication, rather than delivery.

The aim is to find a mode that is analogous to classroom-based learning, in which students and teachers participate actively.

Studying via internet communication releases students and teachers from the need to meet at a specific place and time.

The approach offers clear advantages for individuals who, for personal, family or health-related reasons, are unable to commit to a timetable of on-campus study that might also require relocation.

Distance learning also opens the possibility for people to engage in active, participatory higher-education programmes while in full-time employment.

Such opportunities make online learning a particularly attractive option for professional career development.

Students and teachers can interact in real time through internet meeting rooms. This offers geographic flexibility, but is sensitive to equipment and communication failure. It also demands participation at specific times, which is problematic for many potential users.

Alternatively, asynchronous virtual classrooms allow students and teachers to communicate over an extended timeframe, in which each participant can find their own time to contribute.

The key to successful elearning is the use of technology for communication, dialogue and collaboration.

Collaboration, it has been said, may be the single most important concept for online networked learning.

The format of a virtual classroom places teamwork and co-operation at the forefront, perhaps more so than in classroom-based learning, where students might listen quietly and take notes, but avoid engagement with their colleagues.

It may be that as we learn how to run online courses successfully, we can take the lessons back to the university campus to inform and augment classroom programmes.

Thankfully, there is much to suggest that UK universities are moving in the right direction.

The Joint Information Systems Committee’s online learning programme is funding projects that focus not just on the technology of elearning but, more importantly, on practice and pedagogy.

There are a few examples of successful programmes of online learning, but perhaps more are needed now to demonstrate to the academic community the future potential of the approach.

Paul Leng is professor of elearning in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Liverpool, and director of the university’s e-Learning Unit