Learning, memorisation and understanding among distance learners in the South Pacific

The relationship between learning and understanding and the meaning of memorisation were explored with distance learners at the University of the South Pacific using semi-structured interviews. Several conceptions of learning, similar to those previously described in the literature, were identified. Understanding was found to be central to the studentsʹ experience of learning and could be described using the metaphor of depth. Two meanings of ‘memorisation’ were identified from the context of the interviews, one with understanding and one without. The consequences of the findings for learning through distance education are briefly considered.