Techniques for Fostering Collaboration in Online Learning Communities: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives provides a focused assessment of the peculiarities of online collaborative learning processes by looking at the strategies, methods, and techniques used to support and enhance debate and exchange among peers. Offering an extensive discussion of the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of learning processes, this work reviews issues from both a theoretical and practical viewpoint and includes methodological contributions as well as perspectives on real experiences.

As classrooms fill with a generation of learners seeking to interact with their course materials in an increasingly experiential way, the demand for instructional technology as a supplement to, or replacement for, traditional in-class instruction has soared. Models for Improving and Optimizing Online and Blended Learning in Higher Education examines the benefits and costs associated with the utilization of technology-mediated instructional environments. Recognizing that instructional technology could offer alternative means of communication for understanding, this collection of scholarly chapters seeks to forward the discussion on technology tool optimization for academicians, researchers, librarians, students, practitioners, professionals, engineers, and managers.

This book focuses on online pedagogy and the challenges and opportunities incumbent in the transformation of a face-to-face college course. It is intended as a resource and support for new online teachers - a source of ideas and strategies from a variety of disciplinary perspectives as well as pedagogical perspectives - and for those experienced in the online environment. The book meets the needs of faculty new to online teaching by providing them a wide variety of perspectives on the online transition - e.g. pedagogical, multidisciplinary, class size and level - by faculty with varying degrees of previous experience who have recently made the transition from face-to-face to online. Their advice and recollections offer a fresh, contemporary perspective on the subject. For administrators and faculty experienced with online instruction, the collection works as a resource for ideas intended to sustain the vibrancy and efficacy of the online environment. Taking Your Course Online includes the experiences of a cohort of faculty that responded to a University - wide call for faculty interested in developing online courses for summer session. This group participated in a series of workshops that addressed various aspects of developing online courses and online pedagogy. All of the authors taught their new online course over a subsequent 10-week summer session, and many of them have done so subsequently as well. Their experiences have great currency in the ever-changing world of online teaching. Because the collection represents the work of teachers exposed to best practices and many discussions concerning rigor, assessment, and accountability, it provides support for the viability of online teaching/learning in an environment frequently plagued by doubts about its effectiveness. Practitioners using this book will learn how to turn their face-to-face course into an online course successfully, understand best practices for transitioning courses/online teaching, minimize errors and avoid pitfalls in the transition process, and maximize learning. Faculty development professionals can use this book as a resource to teach faculty from a wide range of disciplines how to transition from the actual to the virtual classroom. Administrators such as deans and program chairs will gain useful insights into ways to think about taking entire programs online, as well as how to guide faculty in their development of pedagogical skills pertinent to online learning.

From the family that brought you the Lena in the Spotlight series and the popular For Girls Like You magazine comes Amber's Song, book three in the Daniels Sisters series. This realistic fiction story of family, friendship, and the challenges that so many young girls face each day growing up will appeal to girls 8-12 looking to express their talents and individuality alongside their faith. In this fun, relatable, and inspiring story, Amber and her sisters Ashton and Ansley head to Christian summer camp at Camp Caracara. With high hopes, the twins meet their cabinmates Gio-an old friend from back home in Texas-and Maxine, a new friend with some challenges to overcome. Amber will have to work hard to practice kindness and patience as she handles teasing from her own sisters and her old and new friends while navigating camp. Amber's Song: Features diverse characters Is an engaging read for girls ages 8-12 Is an addition to the Faithgirlz brand Is a perfect birthday gift from parents and grandparents to tween girls, and is great for Spring Break and summer vacation reading Is written by girls for girls If you enjoy?Amber's Song,?check out books one and two in the Daniels Sisters series of middle grade fiction: Ansley's Big Bake Off Ashton's Dancing Dreams

Distance learning is becoming increasingly prevalent in educational settings around the world as it provides more flexibility and access to classes for students and educators alike. While online classrooms are proving to be popular, there is a significant gap in the personalization and humanization of these courses. The Handbook of Research on Humanizing the Distance Learning Experience features empirical research on promoting the personalization of online learning courses through presence, emotionality, and interactivity within digital classrooms. Highlighting best practices and evaluating student perceptions on distance learning, this handbook will appeal to researchers, educators, course designers, professionals, and administrators.

Pedagogy and andragogy are often treated as separate fields, despite their similarities and shared goal of stimulating learning in individuals to the fullest degree possible. Pedagogical and Andragogical Teaching and Learning with Information Communication Technologies displays that teachers can further their art by considering both pedagogy and andragogy in light of the each other, specifically in the modern classroom. Information Communication Technologies are ubiquitous in today's learning institutions and this book provides an important platform for the furthering of the modern instructional paradigm. To truly advance into future possibilities opened by technology, teachers are required to allow for learning without the constraints of traditional attitudes toward time, space, age and experience. This book shows how to blend and learn from the revolution taking place in educational institutions across the world.

This book chronicles a 10-year introduction of blended learning into the delivery at a leading technological university, with a longstanding tradition of technology-enabled teaching and learning, and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Hence, both teachers and students were familiar with the idea of online courses. Despite this, the longitudinal experiment did not proceed as expected. Though few technical problems, it required behavioural changes from teachers and learners, thus unearthing a host of socio-technical issues, challenges, and conundrums. With the undercurrent of design ideals such as "tech for good", any industrial sector must examine whether digital platforms are credible substitutes or at best complementary. In this era of Industry 4.0, higher education, like any other industry, should not be about the creative destruction of what we value in universities, but their digital transformation. The book concludes with an agenda for large, repeatable Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) to validate digital platforms that could fulfil the aspirations of the key stakeholder groups - students, faculty, and regulators as well as delving into the role of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as surrogates for "fees-free" higher education and whether the design of such a HiEd 4.0 platform is even a credible proposition. Specifically, the book examines the data-driven evidence within a design-based research methodology to present outcomes of two alternative instructional designs evaluated - traditional lecturing and blended learning. Based on the research findings and statistical analysis, it concludes that the inexorable shift to online delivery of education must be guided by informed educational management and innovation.

Advances in technology continue to alter the ways in which we conduct our lives, from the private sphere to how we interact with others in public. As these innovations become more integrated into modern society, their applications become increasingly relevant in various facets of life. The Handbook of Research on Wearable and Mobile Technologies in Education is an authoritative reference source on the development and implementation of wearables within learning and training environments, emphasizing the valuable resources offered by these advances. Focusing on technical considerations, lessons learned, and real-world examples, this book is ideally designed for instructors, researchers, upper-level students, and policy makers interested in the effectiveness of wearable applications.

Members of today s online educational settings are often isolated which can prohibit the sharing of ideas and best practices among individuals working and learning as a collective group. Promoting collaboration across various disciplines and departments fosters professional development activities, as well as creates strong connections to the entire online community. Building Online Communities in Higher Education Institutions: Creating Collaborative Experience cultivates knowledge on topics pertaining to the improvement of communication and collaboration in online learning communities. Advancing the current scope of research in this field, this book is designed for use by faculty, students, researchers, practitioners, and college administrators interested in strengthening communication and collaboration in virtual settings."

Though educational methods such as distance and e-learning have addressed our modern, knowledge-based society's requirement for innovative approaches to performing educational activities, room for improvement still exists.Artificial Intelligence Applications in Distance Education seeks to examine the efforts made to bridge the gap between student and educator with computer applications. Through an in-depth discussion of applications employed to overcome the problems encountered during educational processes, this premier reference collection aims to enhance teachers' and students' educational experiences and improve their knowledge of the literature and the latest developments in educational technologies.

Blended learning has gained significant attention recently by educational leaders, practitioners, and researchers. i2Flex, a variation of blended learning, is based on the premise that certain non-interactive teaching activities, such as lecturing, can take place by students without teachers' direct involvement. Classroom time can then be used for educational activities that fully exploit teacher-student and student-student interactions, allowing for meaningful personalized feedback and scaffolding on demand.Revolutionizing K-12 Blended Learning through the i2Flex Classroom Model presents a well-rounded discussion on the i2Flex model, highlighting methods for K-12 course design, delivery, and evaluation in addition to teacher performance assessment in a blended i2Flex environment. Emphasizing new methods for improving the classroom and learning experience in addition to preparing students for higher education and careers, this publication is an essential reference source for pre-service and in-service teachers, researchers, administrators, and educational technology developers.

Developing and Utilizing E-Learning Applications provides a complete investigation of new methods, technologies, and practices critical to modern educational environments. Exploring topics such as virtual worlds, learning methods, and ICTs as well as interoperability in e-learning environments, this reference provides essential knowledge for educators, practitioners, and students alike.

E-learning is a cultural artifact and thus, is embedded with the cultural preferences, learning styles, and values of the designing culture, usually western. Yet, the largest and fastest growing groups of learners are in eastern cultures. Cultural differences should not create barriers to learning, understanding, skill development, or the time and effort it takes to acquire them. Cases on Globalized and Culturally Appropriate E-Learning: Challenges and Solutions offers a multitude of cases illustrating the different challenges faced when offering e-learning to learners of other cultures and, most importantly, how they were resolved. This cutting-edge publication shares contemporary knowledge on how to adapt or develop e-learning that promotes equitable learning outcomes for targeted learners by addressing interdependent disciplines. It is a must-have reference source for organizations with an outsourced workforce, global trainers, educators, and faculty, instructional designers and e-learning developers, translation and localization experts, international development agencies, open courseware advocates, and promoters of reusable learning objects.

New innovations of online learning within blended environments create a need within academia for research on best practices in teaching. ""Effective Blended Learning Practices: Evidence-Based Perspectives in ICT-Facilitated Education"" provides insight into the practice of blended learning in higher education. This unique book collects new international research into many aspects of blended learning from the perspectives of learners, teachers, designers, and professional and academic developers in various disciplines, learning communities, and universities from around the world.