Of all notable critics of e-learning methodologies, Roger Schank comes across as the ultimate cynic. In fact, he doesn't just criticise methodologies; Schank's complaints are about all of e-learning, about which he's been writing for a decade.

Schank, a psychologist and computer scientist, is also the author of Designing World-Class E-Learning. In an online video, he says creating e-learning content from existing courses is like making a movie by filming a play. Real movies are quite different from filmed plays, he notes.

The analogy seems too extreme to be constructive. So do other comments of his—like "much of what is called e-learning is a complete waste of time" (because it uses computers to deliver something that already exists). But looking without prejudice, there's a pointer here to something we all know (and tend to forget): Don't rate the technology above what's really important, that is, the learning.