Effective online learning environments should be able to acknowledge, address and take advantage of the changes brought about through technology – particularly the immediacy of information, multimedia and online delivery mechanisms.

It is important to keep in mind that these advancements are valuable from a knowledge-centered perspective only to the extent that they are used to expand access to ‘ideas, assumptions and conceptions’ of knowledge content. Hence, one of the roles of the online teacher is to identify and structure these resources effectively in their learning environments.