Mark Nichols has authored a series of monographs introducing key e-learning concepts.  

• E-Learning in Context
• Designing for E-learning
• Education and Faculty

The monographs are a great starting point if you are trying to learn the basics of E-Learning

He has generously made them available as PDF’s under the Creative Common License.   They will soon be available on the National Centre for Tertiary Excellence (NZ) websites.

Note:  You do have to sign-in to download them from the E-Learning Council website.