The pressures upon students from employers are greater than ever. Demands for a highly skilled workforce in a digitalized economy mean that higher education institutions need to do more to prepare their student bodies for this new way of working. The geographical boundaries set by traditional on-campus courses prevent most universities from allowing online students to engage in community service. Online service-learning responds to this limitation by initiating the transfer of in-person community service to the online environment. E-service learning addresses the growing demand for flexible online courses and programs. Anchored in research and supported by eight years of successful implantation, this book presents an award-winning e-service-learning model which allows students to enhance their employability with real work experience. Faculty can go beyond theory while building their service requirements, and may use e-service-learning to offer real world applications and hands-on experience. Clients benefit from pro bono services, and universities are able to fulfill their strategic goals, serve the community-at-large, and grow their online programs by offering students a unique online course experience. This book advocates a model and instructions for faculty to successfully integrate a remote service-learning and consulting component in an online course making this an illuminating text for higher education researchers and leaders alike.

Engaging the Online Learner This updated edition includes an innovative framework the Phases of Engagement that helps learners become more involved as knowledge generators and cofacilitators of a course. The book also provides specific ideas for tested activities (collected from experienced online instructors across the nation) that can go a long way to improving online learning. Engaging the Online Learner offers the tools and information needed to: * Convert classroom activities to an online environment * Assess the learning that occurs as a result of collaborative activities * Phase in activities that promote engagement among online learners * Build peer interaction through peer partnerships and team activities * Create authentic activities and implement games and simulations Praise for Engaging the Online Learner "The Phases of Engagement framework provides a road map for creating community at each phase of an online course. This book is an invaluable guide to innovative practices for online learning." Judith V. Boettcher, coauthor of The Online Teaching Survival Guide "Engagement is the heart of online learning. The authors have developed an encyclopedia of tried-and-true learner engagement activities that are authentic and ready to use." Donald P. Ely, professor emeritus, instructional design, development and evaluation in the School of Education, Syracuse University

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book describes the history, structure and institutions of open and distance education in six countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the UK and the US. It discusses how open and distance education is evolving in a digital age to reflect the needs and circumstances of national higher education systems in these countries, and explores the similarities and differences between the ways in which they are organized and structured. It is the first book to make such comparisons and draw conclusions about the nature of open and distance education in the context of various national higher education systems. In a digital era with growing use of online education as well as open and distance education, this book is particularly useful for policy-makers and senior administrators who want to learn about organizing and expanding open and distance education provision. It is also a valuable reference for researchers, academics and students interested in understanding the different approaches to open and distance education.

Combining Biblical truths and scientific facts, The Things God Made is an inspirational and informative picture book retelling of the creation story from the book of Genesis. Take your child on a journey from nothingness to abundance and life, and discover the greatness of God's creation through stunning art and incredible factual information about our amazing universe. The Things God Made captures God's great joy as a creator and inspires curious kids to learn more about the wonderful world we live in and appreciate all the things God made. The Things God Made: Tells the creation story both from a Scriptural and scientific perspective Is perfect for ages 4-8 as well as anyone interested in how our world works Incorporates easy-to-understand educational call-outs with engaging, easy-to-read storytelling Allows for further discussion about both creation and the wonder of the natural world Is a perfect educational resource for home, homeschoolers, and Christian school and Sunday school classrooms ? The Things God Made features: Call out boxes giving additional information about each stage of creation Interior feature depicting the full glory of God's creation, with a list of animals for kids to search for and find Supplemental information allowing parents and educators to dive deeper into the subject with their young readers

Managing Online Learning is a comprehensive guide to planning and executing effective online learning programs. Featuring contributions from experienced professionals across operations in university and corporate settings, this all-in-one resource provides leaders and administrators with informed strategies for supporting learners' and instructors' evolving needs, implementing and evaluating pedagogically sound technologies, projecting revenue-generating models, and anticipating future scaling challenges. These highly applied chapters cover essential topics such as unit design, management of staff and finances, student engagement, user experience and interface, data analytics, and more.

This book constitutes the thoroughly revised selected papers of the workshops of the 14th International Conference of Web Based Learning, ICWL 2015, held in Guangzhou, China, in November 2015. This volume comprises papers of three workshops: 1. The 5th International Symposium on Knowledge Management and E-Learning, KMEL 2015 2. The first International Workshop on User Modeling for Web Based Learning, IWUM 2015 3. The International Workshop on Learning Analytics

The Handbook of Distance Education, 4th Edition is a comprehensive compendium of research in the field of distance education. The volume is divided into four sections covering the historical and theoretical foundations of distance education, attributes of teaching and learning using technology, management and administration, and different audiences and providers. Throughout, leading scholars address future research needs and directions based on current research, established practices, and recent changes to implementation, pedagogy, and policy.

Reconceptualizing Libraries brings together cases and models developed by experts in the information and learning sciences to identify the potential for libraries to adapt and transform in the wake of new technologies for connected learning and discovery. Chapter authors explore the ways that the increased interest in the design research methods, digital media emphases, and technological infrastructure of the learning sciences can foster new collaborations and formats for education within physical library spaces. Models and case studies from a variety of library contexts demonstrate how library professionals can act as change agents and design partners and how patrons can engage with these evolving experiences. This is a timely and innovative volume for understanding how physical libraries can incorporate and thrive as educational resources using new developments in technology and in the learning sciences.

Learning Analytics in Higher Education provides a foundational understanding of how learning analytics is defined, what barriers and opportunities exist, and how it can be used to improve practice, including strategic planning, course development, teaching pedagogy, and student assessment. Well-known contributors provide empirical, theoretical, and practical perspectives on the current use and future potential of learning analytics for student learning and data-driven decision-making, ways to effectively evaluate and research learning analytics, integration of learning analytics into practice, organizational barriers and opportunities for harnessing Big Data to create and support use of these tools, and ethical considerations related to privacy and consent. Designed to give readers a practical and theoretical foundation in learning analytics and how data can support student success in higher education, this book is a valuable resource for scholars and administrators.

In The Berenstain Bears Face Up to Bullying, everyone knows Too-Tall Grizzly and his gang are a bunch of bullies. But it turns out that even bullies can be bullied. One gang member, Skuzz, is the group's official victim, and during a trip to Farmer Ben's orchard the gang tries to swipe some apples from his trees. Too-Tall makes Skuzz climb high into the branches to get the juicy fruit. The entire gang makes fun of Skuzz when he loses his grip and hangs down, dangling, yelling for help. The whole scene is witnessed by Mrs. Ben and the cubs. Mrs. Ben swoops in and shares with them the lessons Joseph learned from his brothers and once things settle down, they all enjoy a nice big piece of apple pie.

Technology is currently playing a vital role in revolutionizing education systems and progressing academia into the digital age. Technological methods including data mining and machine learning are assisting with the discovery of new techniques for improving learning environments in regions across the world. As the educational landscape continues to rapidly transform, researchers and administrators need to stay up to date on the latest advancements in order to elevate the quality of teaching in their specific institutions. Machine Learning Approaches for Improvising Modern Learning Systems provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of technological enhancements in educational environments and the popularization of contemporary learning methods in developing countries. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as game-based learning, intelligent tutoring systems, and course modelling, this book is ideally designed for researchers, scholars, administrators, policymakers, students, practitioners, and educators seeking current research on the digital transformation of educational institutions.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 13th World Conference on Mobile and Contextual Learning, mLearn 2014, held in Istanbul, Turkey, in November 2014. The 20 revised full papers and 17 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 65 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on technologies and interaction; tablets and ebook readers; learning and teaching inside and outside the classroom; learning design and design implications; evaluation and review studies; development and national perspectives; inquiry-based learning and science applications; work-based learning; theory; language learning; learner perspectives.

The unfortunate reputation of online education today is one of little or no effort on the professor's part and little or no learning on the student's part. A missing element in much online education is the kind of mutual engagement between student and instructor that provides not only a higher level of learning but also lasting character formation within the student. Character Formation in Online Education stems from author Joanne Jung's years of experience teaching online courses with the aim of improving the teaching environment for professors and the learning environment for students. By replicating, customizing, and incorporating the best and most effective practices of what a great professor does in on-campus classes, reimagined for an online delivery system, Jung shows how a higher level of learning and transformation can be achieved through online learning communities. Handy and practical, this user-friendly book provides guidance, helpful tools, and effective suggestions for growing learning communities in online courses that are marked by character growth in students-the kind of growth that is central to the mission of Christian higher education.

Equally grounded in the research and the practical applications developed by the authors over a number of years, this book shows how virtual learning environments could represent the future of higher education. As academics begin to use environments such as Second Life to reach a broader student audience, this volume offers the distance-learning community (administrators, faculty, and students) a different, yet successful, approach to delivering content over the Internet through 3D virtual learning environments that have the potential to transform higher education. Covering a broad spectrum of frameworks, from commercial multiplayer video games to online learning, the book shows just how powerful these environments can be in the arena of education, and concludes that data-driven practice will ensure almost universal take-up, even among those currently unwilling to use V-learning. The authors provide numerous practical examples of distance learning in its current state of development, as well as making informed predictions about how future environments might evolve. This much-needed book is right at the cutting edge of its subject, and comes at a time when research in both educational gaming and distance learning are converging.