If “outcomes” is understood to include wider social, cognitive and affective effects, then it is possible to say that e-learning affordances have a positive effect on outcomes. The nature of the existing evidence indicates that, when good teaching occurs in tandem with appropriate e-learning technologies, then students are more likely to benefit and be able to work and learn in ways that feel more natural to them. The studies in this field also point to a greater focus on specific tools, rather than the teaching and learning processes by which they are successfully used.
As for the practices that maximize the benefits of e-learning, pedagogies which privilege collaboration, communication, sharing, problem-solving and risk-taking appear to lead to greater student engagement and sustained concentration – elements which are key aspects of achievement. These mainly co-constructive pedagogical practices appear to develop even when teachers have not deliberately included such approaches; this may be because they fit with students’ preferred ways of using these technologies. The preponderance of social networking in young people’s technological lives may also contribute to this way of learning. And while many students are digital natives in the sense of being “at home” with technology, they nevertheless are new to using these same tools in an educative way and beyond social or immediate purposes.
It is still the role of the teacher to connect these tools purposefully and to teach students to benefit from using these universal tools for learning. A key component of effective learning is the development of critical thinking and metacognition. These go hand in hand with effective literacy practices in schools, and integrating key components of programs realized in order to create the best possible conditions for students’ learning. These points also accentuate the importance of the “C” in ICT: communication (of ideas, concepts, methods, practices, knowledge) is a fundamental component of the types of pedagogies that link closely to fixed, integrated uses of e-learning, and link to positive achievement outcomes for students over time.