In this paper we consider the implications of moving from a paper-based
delivery of study support materials to electronic delivery. The paper is
based on telephone interviews with 60 students who had received a range of
study support materials from a series of ‘student toolkits’,
which are
printed resource booklets for students of the UK Open University. McLoughlin
(2002) sees the integration of electronic delivery at the primary, secondary
and tertiary education levels as requiring an extension to current concepts
of scaffolding. The extension we propose in this paper is the need to establish
study skills plus the ways and means to seek support in a resource-based
environment. However, there is a delicate balance between increased provision
and overloaded provision in resource-based learning.