The challenge of teaching different kind of learners in higher education has increased. The students differ from each others both in prior knowledge and in learning. It is now widely understood from research that knowledge is constructed through the learner's experience of learning. Thus students' prior knowledge is important information both for teacher when facilitating the course and for student him/herself during the course. The differences in learning and learning abilities might be explained in terms of the differences in environmental, emotional, personal and biological factors among individuals. Learning style is a term used for examining and understanding these individual learning differences, and research in the area focuses on examining the different perspectives of how the mind operates (Entwistle 1988; Schmeck 1988). The effect of learning style on academic performance was found to be significant (e.g. Davidson, Savenye and Orr 1992; Ross and Schulz 1999; Ross, Drysdale & Schulz 2003). However learning styles or strategies are not constant. It might be said that adjusting learning styles based upon the demands of the course students are enrolled in, is one dimension of general academic abilities. Considering the principals of effective teaching and learning, the differences between students should be perceived as a starting point for teaching. Web based learning offers a good opportunity for differentiating ways of learning. It has been shown that students can learn equally well in either delivery format, regardless in learning style, provided the course is developed around adult learning theory and sound instructional design guidelines (Aragon, Johnson & Shaik 2002). As far much of the material students have to learn in web-based environments is presented in written form, most commonly in texts and readings. Reading and remembering information from text can be one of the most challenging aspects of learning (Kintsch 1986). Most studies reported that prior knowledge and interest exert independent effects on text learning (e.g., Alexander, Kulikowich, & Schulze1994). When planning and facilitating a web-based course, it is meaningful to know, how to support for different learners (categorized by learning styles) on text learning. So far the aim of the study is to examine, is there any significant difference, - between different learners in exploiting guidance for active reading and effective learning from text - between different learners and the progress of their learning, when using the method of active reading In the beginning of the web-based course, the students were asked to fill the questionnaire to find out the characteristics of their learning style as well as write an essay to find out the level of their prior knowledge. There were 58 students, who have education as their major, in taking part for the advanced level course in education. The course was web-based, where the material was mainly text (some tables and figures were included). Using the hypertext and links, the material was differentiated for levels, which students were supposed to choose the one suitable for him/her. The text was structured by principals of active reading and effective learning from text based on ideas by Marton (1988) and Kairavuori (1996). Because self-explaining is an effective meta-cognitive strategy that can help learners develop deeper understanding of the material they study, there were a learning diary included in the web-based course. The students were asked to make into it both notes they like, considering their learning (comments, abstracts, questions etc.) and some tasks. Thus it worked as a learning log, where the teacher could examine some guidelines for learning process of each student. There were also some numeric data in the course log (amount of access to the course, timing etc.) that was found useful in examining the learning process and practices of each student. The data will be analysed during the spring term 2004 and based on the results some recommendations will be made for how instructors can accommodate the needs of learning styles when facilitating web-based courses. References: Alexander, P. A., Kulikowich, J. M., & Schulze, S. K. 1994. The Influence of Topic Knowledge, Domain Knowledge, and Interest on the Comprehension of Scientific Exposition. Learning and Individual Differences, 6, 379-397. Aragon, S., Johnson, S. & Shaik, N. 2002. The Influence of Learning Style preferences on Students Success in Online Versus Face-to-Face Environments. The American Journal of Distance Education 16(4), 227-244. Davidson, G., Savenye, W. & Orr, K. 1992. How do learning styles relate to performance in a computer application course? Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 24(3), 349-358. Entwistle, N. 1988. Motivational Factors in Students' Approaches to Learning. In In R. Schmeck (ed.) Learning strategies and learning styles. New York: Plenum Press, 21-51. Kairavuori, S. 1996. Hauki on kala - Asiatekstista oppiminen peruskoulun seitsemannella luokalla. Helsingin yliopiston opettajankoulutuslaitos, tutkimuksia 166. Hakapaino Oy, Helsinki. Kintsch, W. 1986. Learning from Text. Cognition and Instruction 3(2), 87-108. Marton, F. (1988) Describing and improving learning. In R. Schmeck (ed.) Learning strategies and learning styles. New York: Plenum Press, 53- 82. Ross, J., Drysdale, M. & Schulz, R. 2003. Cognitive Learning Styles and Academic Performance in Two Postsecondary Computer Application Courses. Journal of Research on Computing in Education 33(4), 400-413. Ross, J.& Schulz, R. 1999. Can computer-aided instruction accommodate all learners equally? British Journal of Educational Technology, 31, 5- 24. Schmeck, R. 1988. Strategies and styles of learning: an integration of various perspectives. In R. Schmeck (ed.) Learning strategies and learning styles. New York: Plenum Press, 317 - 348.