The development of the e-learning project at Bergamo University in Northern Italy aims to offer its students a support to their classroom lecturers, with the intention of improving their learning experience to enhance teaching that is more active and collaborative. The project has been in place since 2000 and has steadily been growing throughout the University since then. Previous studies into the University?s student population have demonstrated that they tend to live locally and desire some face to face contact with the lecturer.

However as times change so do other necessities. More use of ICT, greater student numbers, more demands on time all mean that the staff at the University felt that it was important to offer something different to traditional classroom lectures in order to enhance their student's educational experience. Thus the e-learning project within the University has tended towards the blended e-learning model.

Quality issues are always paramount when delivering University courses and the University felt that it was vital to assess lecturer experience in the e-learning field in order to establish what their particular needs are, especially with a view to quality control and the use of resources. It was decided to undertake a research project into staff perception of the effectiveness of blended learning in order to ascertain exactly how lecturers view this new method of communication and whether they feel that the extra materials provided by them in an online environment influenced the students in any way. In effect how useful is an online environment when the bulk of the course is delivered face to face?

Do lecturers feel that the support mechanisms they need are enough to establish and deliver materials through an online environment?

What are the implications for the resources invested into e-learning for the university?