CONCLUSION


 * CONCLUSION **

E-learning practices, as reflected in the teaching and learning activities and e-learning technology infrastructure, of New Zealand primary and tertiary institutions, and Japanese tertiary institutions, are becoming more prevalent. Government policies on e-learning have begun to reflect this trend.

However, the uptake of e-learning practices in New Zealand and Japanese tertiary educational institutions has been relatively slow. For New Zealand universities, which rely on the government for about fifty percent of their income (Ministry of Education, 2013a), the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) – which emphasises quality and innovative research – makes alternative teaching practices a less attractive proposition. For Japanese universities, a culture that emphasises traditional teacher-student roles and a physical presence in the classroom has stymied the proliferation of e-learning practices.

However, stronger global competition among higher education institutions and a rise in student enrolment and learner expectations (see Kanuka & Brooks, 2010) will likely spur a more committed adoption of e-learning practices in New Zealand and Japanese educational institutions. The growing role of online education in the United States (Allen & Seaman, 2013) also indicate that there will be more pressure on New Zealand and Japanese educational institutions, which continually seek to make it to the top of world education rankings, to have e-learning practices play a more strategic role.

The high levels of digitalisation and innovative digital practices of New Zealand and Japan, which rank 10th and 16th respectively in the Digital Economy Rankings of the Economist Intelligence Unit (2010; see Fig. 4), moving up from 11th and 22nd respectively the year before, signal the strategic importance of digital technologies and potential of e-learning in New Zealand and Japanese educational institutions. The rapidity of technological innovations mean, however, that government policy may lag. As Rowell (2010) said, "Sadly for the educational system, technology does not wait for policy. It leaps ahead on its own timetable." Hence, New Zealand and Japanese educational institutions must proactively set their own strategic e-learning directions if they are to stay at the forefront of teaching and learning practices.

