For educators, students and learning institutions, online education offers great prospects; remote access, internationalisation, quality assurance, flexible delivery, yet there is little evidence that Australian design schools are embracing the potential of online learning. Given the progressive teaching practices of many design schools, the resistance to new educational opportunities is surprising.
This paper proposes that the biggest hurdle for design education online is the technology: the Learning Management System/s (LMS). Based on the experience of design students and staff using WebCT (the world’s most popular LMS), significant inadequacies are identified. In response to the issues raised, new design solutions and related theories are explored. It is the view of this paper that a vibrant and vital communication in our virtual classrooms requires the same communication freedoms allowed in the physical classroom. It will be argued that a LMS that goes beyond practical, administrative functions and promotes an active online community in a graphically engaging environment will better serve the pedagogical, cultural and ethical interests of design education.