Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT), Australian Government
IADIS
Global Learn (AACE)
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)
ascilite Conference
Australian‑American Fulbright Commission / University of Georgia
Associate Professor of Education, University of Wollongong
Academic, School of Communication and Multimedia, Edith Cowan University
Fulbright Scholar (Visiting Scholar), University of Georgia
Jan Herrington is an Australian educational technology researcher best known for advancing the theory and practice of authentic learning and authentic e‑learning. Over more than two decades in higher education, she has designed and studied technology‑enhanced learning environments that embed authentic tasks, collaboration, reflection, and integrated assessment. Her work spans instructional design, online and mobile learning, and design‑based research, with extensive collaborations with Ron Oliver and Thomas C. Reeves. She is the co‑author of the Routledge book “A Guide to Authentic e‑Learning” and co‑editor of “Authentic Learning Environments in Higher Education.” Herrington is Emeritus Professor of Education at Murdoch University and previously held academic appointments at the University of Wollongong and Edith Cowan University. She was a Fulbright Scholar (2002) at the University of Georgia and has received multiple recognitions including the AECT Outstanding Book of the Year (2010).
A design framework for technology‑enhanced learning centered on authentic contexts and tasks, multiple perspectives, access to expert performance, collaborative knowledge construction, reflection, articulation, coaching/scaffolding, and integrated assessment. Often summarized as nine design elements guiding the creation of authentic e‑learning environments.
Journal of Computing in Higher Education • Journal
This article critiques media‑comparison and delivery‑focused studies and argues that educational design research (design experiments/development research) is a more socially responsible approach for studying technology in higher education. The authors outline incentives for research on computing’s impact, discuss the social relevance of such research, describe key characteristics of design research, and recommend wider adoption of this approach to generate usable knowledge that improves learning environments and practice.
Journal of Computing in Higher Education • Journal
Grounded in constructivist theory and advances in technology, the article argues that complex authentic activities can form the core of web‑based courses, not just serve as practice for skills taught by traditional methods. It synthesizes theory, research, and development supporting authenticity, and offers guidelines and examples for designing rich tasks with integrated assessment, multiple perspectives, collaboration, and sustained inquiry, discussing implications for teachers, students, and designers.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology • Journal
Authentic activities in online learning offer many benefits but also present challenges. Drawing on studies of authentic tasks, the authors discuss students’ initial reluctance and the need for a willing suspension of disbelief to engage with complex scenarios. The paper proposes ten characteristics of authentic activities to guide selection and analysis of online units, reviews relevant literature, outlines the research approach, and reports early findings about patterns of engagement and design implications for supporting student immersion and sustained participation.
Educational Technology Research and Development • Journal
The paper addresses a shift from behaviorist to constructivist approaches and argues that situated learning can promote authentic learning in higher education. In a three‑part study, the authors (1) identify critical characteristics of situated learning from the literature; (2) operationalize these characteristics in a multimedia program and classroom implementation conditions; and (3) examine preservice teachers’ perceptions when using the environment. Findings indicate that an authentic context, tasks, access to expert performance, collaboration, reflection, articulation, coaching/scaffolding, multiple perspectives, and integrated assessment can be designed into technology‑enhanced environments to support deeper learning.
• Book
This book presents a comprehensive model for designing and facilitating authentic e‑learning. Drawing on research and case studies, the authors articulate nine design elements (e.g., authentic context and tasks, access to expert performance, collaboration, reflection, articulation, coaching and scaffolding, multiple perspectives, and integrated assessment) and show how they can be enacted in online environments. Practical guidelines and examples illustrate how authentic tasks can foster deep engagement and meaningful outcomes in higher education and professional learning.