Distance Learning and University Effectiveness: Changing Educational Paradigms for Online Learning addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs) as related to education. From discussing new and innovative educational paradigms and learning models resulting from ICTs to addressing future student needs and international issues, this book provides comprehensive coverage of the paradigm, teaching, technology and other changes that may be required of universities to remain in the new competitive marketplace of online learning.

Recently, there has been an increased understanding that learning occurs outside of the traditional classroom setting, particularly for adult lifelong learners. This perspective has enhanced an attentive design in the underlying technological architecture that is required for the integration of formal and informal learning environments. Synergic Integration of Formal and Informal E-Learning Environments for Adult Lifelong Learners presents a collection of issues and research from adult education professionals who define, develop, implement, and evaluate the integration of formal and informal eLearning environments for adult lifelong learners. Academics, teachers, administrators, and learning technologists will benefit from this publication s unique approach to discussing and analyzing the challenges of introducing and implementing learning technologies for adult lifelong learners."

This book aims at discussing the development of MOOCs in China in relation to MOOCs in other countries or areas. Based on the history of MOOCs, we summarize and compare the development of MOOCs in China and other countries with empirical evidence from a comprehensive investigation about MOOCs in Asian, United States, and Europe. Then we discuss about the importance of MOOCs in China and its role in the reform of higher education system, and the model of teaching and learning in China. After all, we provide suggestions about how to improve MOOCs at the national, institutional, and individual level. In this book, we analyse and present the current construction and development of MOOCs in China from four dimensions including platforms, courses, learners, colleges and universities based on huge empirical evidence from a comprehensive investigation of 14 platforms, 42 universities, 1388 MOOCs, and 22895 learners. Our investigation mainly focused on seven topics: platform construction and operation, learner groups, curriculum organization form, teaching interaction, learning evaluation model, learning support service, and courses certification and academic score system. Based on the investigation, we found there is an emerging trend of collaboration among government, universities and enterprise in the development of MOOCs in China, which provides great opportunities to build an innovative educational service system for all kinds of learners. We also discuss our findings in relation to the corresponding development of MOOCs in United States, Europe and other regions and then focus on the unique challenges that China faces, such as the lack of deep learning in MOOCs, the low information literacy and self-regulated learning abilities of MOOC learners, the lack of individualized support for MOOC learners, and so on. At last, this book summarizes the overall development of MOOCs in China and other countries and then put forward the future trends and suggestions in this field.

Institutional research (IR) is a growing, applied, and interdisciplinary area that attracts people from a variety of fields, including computer programmers, statisticians, and administrators and faculty from every discipline to work in archiving, analyzing, and reporting on all aspects of higher education information systems. Cases on Institutional Research Systems is a reference book for institutional research, appealing to novice and expert IR professionals and the administrators and policymakers that rely on their data. By presenting a variety of institutional perspectives, the book depicts the challenges and solutions to those in higher education administration, and state, federal, and even international accreditation.

Distance learning has become very popular in recent years, making evident some of the problems inherent to online classes as they are today. High attrition rates, driven in part by student isolation and low satisfaction, have plagued online courses. For an online class to succeed, it must be built upon engaging media and meaningful interaction. Increasing Productivity and Efficiency in Online Teaching provides a reference for educators in virtual classrooms and enumerates strategies to foster instructor engagement and support. Because co-construction of information, opposed to rote memorization of disseminated facts, engages students and develops critical thinking skills, online education must shift to reflect this. Drawing from learning theory, this publication focuses on the ways educators can shape their online classes to best suit their students and leave them with knowledge and course satisfaction. This book is recommended for researchers, developers, students of education, administrators, and online educators in all subject areas.

Are you a student about to enrol on a Problem-based Learning course? Or are you currently engaged in Problem-based Learning and want to get the most out of your course? Are you tutoring a course in Problem-based education? This book will help you understand this popular learning method. It enables students and teachers to experience the full potential of Problem-based Learning. Introduction to Problem-based Learning pays particular attention to the skills students need to operate within, as well as outside of Problem-based groups.

The potential of virtual world technologies to improve teaching and learning has been recognized in recent years, creating new possibilities for teaching and learning processes, with virtual environments impacting the achievement of student learning and collaboration. Learning in Metaverses: Co-Existing in Real Virtuality discusses a better way to understand this new learning universe, exploring the possibilities of new social organization through the use of avatars in virtual worlds. Examining platforms such as Web 3D, metaverse, MDV3D, ECODI, hybrid living and sharing spaces, gamification, alternate reality, mingled reality, and augmented reality to evaluate the possibilities for their implementation in education, this reference book will be of use to academics, educators, students, researchers, gamers, and professionals.

In information technology, unlike many other fields, the need to support the unique perspective of technologically advanced students and deliver technology-rich content presents unique challenges. Today's IT students need the ability to interact with their instructor in near-real time, interact with their peers and project team members, and access and manipulate technology tools in the pursuit of their educational objectives.""Handbook of Distance Learning for Real-Time and Asynchronous Information Technology Education"" delves deep into the construct of real-time, asynchronous education through information technology, pooling experiences from seasoned researchers and educators to detail their past successes and failures, discussing their techniques, hardships, and triumphs in the search for innovative and effective distance learning education for IT programs. This Premier Reference Source answers the increasing demand for a fundamental, decisive source on this cutting-edge issue facing all institutions, covering topics such as asynchronous communication, real-time instruction, multimedia content, content delivery, and distance education technologies.

The integration of emerging technologies in higher education presents a new set of challenges and opportunities for educators. With a growing need for customized lesson plans in online education, educators are rethinking the design and development of their learning environments. Utilizing Virtual and Personal Learning Environments for Optimal Learning expertly combines informative chapters and relevant case studies on the effective use of technology to enhance online education for students of varying learning styles and abilities. This publication is an essential reference source for educators, researchers, professionals, and upper-level students with an interest in leveraging digital technologies and virtual environments to enhance personalization in learning. This publication features timely research and case studies focused on online teaching and learning techniques in higher education including immersive technologies, research methodologies, and pedagogical designs.

This title enables readers to understand the key issues underpinning e-learning with a view to enabling them to use it effectively in their professional practice. This book offers education practitioners with little or no pedagogical grounding in the field of e-learning insights that will enable them to improve their professional practices in relation to the conceptualisation, design, implementation, assessment and evaluation of approaches to e-learning. The authors pay attention to the perspectives of both teachers and learners when exploring key questions including: How does technology affects pedagogy? How can technology best support learning? "Key Issues in e-Learning" avoids simplistic conceptualisations of online teaching and learning. Instead, this text draws on a wide range empirical, conceptual and theoretical evidence, and outlines practical approaches to improving practice and research.

For online learning and other forms of distance learning, time management is vital. As a recognized social asset, time constitutes a consistent and complete new approach to online higher education. Assessment and Evaluation of Time Factors in Online Teaching and Learning combines empirical and methodological research to study the role of time comprehensively from an institutional and management perspective, a technological perspective, and a pedagogical perspective. Focusing on higher education, this book is aimed at educational researchers, social science researchers, teachers, and students interested in improving the learning process and experience.

Australia is a vast sparsely populated land and from an early date this created problems in terms of providing educational facilities. As part of the solution the nation has had a long tradition of using distance education methods to provide an education for its isolated primary and secondary school students. Western Australia epitomises the problems inherent in having a large land area with a highly urbanised population and a small but scattered rural one. Initially, the State established a Correspondence School in 1918. There have been various developments since then, culminating in the establishment of the Schools of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) in 1995. Since then the staff at SIDE have investigated and developed ways of providing their students with innovative educational materials in an effort to ensure that the best possible services are provided. Despite its innovative nature, very little research has been conducted on SIDE. The research project reported in this book is one contribution to rectifying the deficit. It had three main aims. The first was to develop an understanding of the emergence of SIDE. Secondly, an understanding of the key functions of SIDE was sought. The third aim was to develop an understanding of the issues which present themselves for those working at SIDE.. Implications for policy, practice and future research in relation to the education of children in geographically remote regions through distance education are deduced, and not just in relation to the state of Western Australia, but internationally.

In today's society, educational opportunities have evolved beyond the traditional classroom setting. Most universities have implemented virtual learning environments in an effort to provide more opportunities for potential or current students seeking alternative and more affordable learning solutions. User-Centered Design Strategies for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) focuses on the best practices and effective design of student interaction within virtual learning environments. Highlighting strategies from human-computer interaction experiences and user-centered models, as well as emergent approaches and implementation techniques, this reference publication is designed for computer science students, academics, researchers, instructional designers, IT professionals, software developers, and educators interested in mobile technologies, social learning, and educational inclusion.

The globalization of education has developed alongside the advancement of technological resources. By integrating these resources into the education system, better services and opportunities are now available in online learning contexts. Developing Successful Strategies for Global Policies and Cyber Transparency in E-Learning is an essential reference source for the latest academic research on the importance of transparency within online learning environments. Featuring extensive coverage on topics relating to management models, pedagogical approaches, and technological advancements, this book is a pivotal reference source for policymakers, managers, and educators seeking current research on the impact of e-learning on a global scale.is book features timely, research-based chapters across a variety of relevant topics including informational policies, education systems, and learning models.

Immeasurable advances in our culture have led to a more knowledge-based society in recent years. This has impacted individual and organizational learning and how it is delivered and experienced. Technology plays an important role in supporting learning through various disciplines now and in the future. Dynamic Advancements in Teaching and Learning Based Technologies: New Concepts explores the technical, social, cultural, organizational, human, cognitive, and commercial impact of technology. This exciting new publication explores the impact of Web-based technology on the design, implementation and evaluation of the learning and teaching process, as well as the development of new activities, relationships, skills, and competencies for the various actors implied in such processes. It expands on the overall body of knowledge relating to multi-dimensional aspects of Web-based technologies in up to date educational contexts.

Recent technological innovation has altered the way educators approach teaching and learning. These new technologies provide countless advantages in the classroom; however, we are not yet clear on how they should be implemented. The pedagogical value of specific technology tools and the cumulative effects of technology exposure over time on student learning are two areas that need to be explored in order to better determine the effectiveness of technology as a teaching tool. Educational Technology, Teacher Knowledge, and Classroom Impact: A Research Handbook on Frameworks and Approaches provides a framework for evaluating and conducting educational technology research, sharing research on educational technology in education content areas, and proposing structures to guide, link, and build new structures with future research. This book provides essential support for compiling the resulting literature and envisioning future research directions in this area.

The COVID-19 pandemic radically and rapidly, and perhaps forever, changed the K-20 educational landscape. In March 2020, K-12 schools and institutions of higher education were forced to pivot quickly to online and remote teaching. This new paradigm resulted in many teachers, regardless of content area, being unprepared. In the field of second language teaching and learning, world language and TESOL educators require the investigation of techniques used during the global pandemic to ensure continued success in online teaching practice. The Handbook of Research on Effective Online Language Teaching in a Disruptive Environment provides strong and cogent guidance in the use of pedagogically sound methods of online language instruction. This book builds an innovative knowledge base about teaching during disruptive times in the context of K-20 language learning that is supported with empirical evidence. Covering topics such as online work engagement, reflective practice, and flipped classroom methods, this handbook serves as a powerful resource for instructors of English language arts and TESOL, TESOL professionals, pre-service teachers, professors, administrators, instructional designers, curriculum developers, students, researchers, and academicians.