International Advances in Education: Global Initiatives for Equity and Social Justice is an international research monograph series that contributes to the body of inclusive educational policies and practices focused on: empowering society's most vulnerable groups; raising the ethical consciousness of those in positions of authority; and encouraging all to take up the mantle of global equity in educational opportunity, economic freedom and human dignity. Each themed volume in this series draws on the research and innovative practices of investigators, academics, educators, politicians, administrators, and community organizers around the globe. This volume consists of three sections; each centered on an aspect of gender equity in the context of education. The chapters are drawn from a wide range of countries including: Australia, China, Gambia, India, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Slovenia, Swaziland, Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, The United States, and Turkey addressing issues of gender equity, citizenship education, egalitarianism in sexual orientation, and strategies to combat human trafficking. The 15 chapters document both the progress and challenges facing those who strive for gender equity in access to education, the portrayal of women in curricula, and the acceptance of diverse sexual orientations within differing country contexts and provide an overview of promising policies, practices and replicable successful programs.

Distance learning and remote learning have been developing options within the eLearning and talent training realms for over two decades, yet distance learning has become a significant reality within the past few months, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has forever impacted the K-12, higher education, and adult training and talent development workforce solutions. Within the rapid shift into remote and distance learning environments, the curricular design and instructional design are understood as necessary. However, there is a need to understand aspects around social learning within eLearning environments. It is important to understand the opportunity of moving towards transformative social learning environmental engagement and experiences within distance and remote learning environments to improve the ability to understand social learning in eLearning environments. eLearning Engagement in a Transformative Social Learning Environment focuses on supporting and enhancing remote and distance learning (eLearning) instructional experiences, discusses the strategic role of social learning within eLearning environments, and enhances levels of engagement, transformative learning, and talent attainment environments. This book provides insights and support towards policies and procedures within instructional and training decision making around social learning needs and support. The chapters will explore social learning opportunities and support, modeling social learning engagement, communities of practice, and instructional processes of eLearning. The intended audience is teachers, curriculum developers, instructional designers, professionals, researchers, practitioners, and students working in the field of teaching, training, and talent development.

The world of education has undergone major changes within the last year that have pushed online instruction to the forefront of learning. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has become paramount to the continued and uninterrupted teaching of students and has forced students and teachers alike to adjust to an online learning environment. Though some have already returned to the traditional classroom, or plan to very soon, others have begun to appreciate the value of online education - initiatives that had previously been discussed but never acted upon as they have been in the past year. With plenty of positive and negative aspects, online learning is a complex issue with numerous factors to consider. It is an issue that must be studied and examined in order to improve in the future. Curriculum Development and Online Instruction for the 21st Century examines the issues and difficulties of online teaching and learning, as well as potential solutions and best practices. This book includes an examination on the value of teaching fully via the internet as well as the challenges inherent in the training of teachers to teach in online environments. While addressing key elements of remote learning, such as keeping student data safe, as well as methods in which to engage students, this book covers topics that include assessment tools, teaching deaf students, web technology, and standardized curricula. Ideal for K-12 teachers, college faculty, curriculum developers, instructional designers, educational software developers, administrators, academicians, researchers, and students, this book provides a thorough overview of online education and the benefits and issues that accompany it.

The evolution of information technologies, mobile devices, and social media as well as the needs of students, workers, and academics have experienced rapid changes in the past several years. This complex and dynamic reality requires new forms of delivery of learning content to students, the building of special learning environments, and new teaching methodologies for academics. Opening Up Education for Inclusivity Across Digital Economies and Societies is an essential reference source that aims to foster the international exchange of academic insights and approaches in order to broaden visibility in the development of technology for education, establish an international platform for interactions on information technology and application in education, accelerate innovation in education technology, and analyze the latest achievements and progress in new and emerging information technology for education with a special focus on higher education institutions. The book addresses applications of technology use and digital competence development in education systems around the world including both specific uses in classrooms and broader uses in national and regional policies. The book is ideally designed for educators, administrators, policymakers, managers, politicians, and academicians.

Educators are finding that communication and interaction are at the core of a successful web-based classroom. This interactivity fosters community, which contributes to effective and meaningful learning. Positive online communities and the communication therein encourage students to interact with others' views which not only grows one's empathy, but is an integral part of constructivist learning theories. Because of this, the most important role of an educator in an online class is one that ensures student interactivity and engagement. Creating Teacher Immediacy in Online Learning Environments addresses the most effective models and strategies for nurturing teacher immediacy in web-based and virtual learning environments. A number of innovative methods for building an authentic, personalized online learning experience are outlined and discussed at length within this publication, providing solutions for pre-service as well as in-service educators. This book is a valuable compilation of research for course designers, faculty, students of education, administration, software designers, and higher education researchers.

Higher learning has seen an increase in web-based distance education programs, which coincides with advancements made in educational technologies. As these programs are on the rise, it becomes increasingly more important to ensure that instructional designers are prepared to accommodate the needs of these academic institutions. Developing a culture of collaboration through the optimization of instructional design methods is part of the profession's identity but has gotten overshadowed by the pressures of thinking of courses as products. Optimizing Instructional Design Methods in Higher Education is an essential reference source that discusses the importance of collaboration, training, and the use of new and existing models in supporting instructional designers to formalize and optimize curriculum development in higher education. It covers the importance of adapting, adjusting, and re-evaluating models based on learner needs in relation to both the process of learning and outcomes. Featuring research on topics such as human resource development, academic programs, and faculty development, this book is ideally designed for educators, academicians, researchers, and administrators seeking coverage to support design thinking and innovation that encourages student learning.

Keeping students engaged and receptive to learning can, at times, be a challenge. However, by implementing new pedagogical methods and tools, instructors can strengthen the drive to learn among their students. Fostering Effective Student Communication in Online Graduate Courses is a pivotal reference source for the latest research findings on the novel techniques and strategies for nurturing communication between students and faculty in virtual learning environments. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant areas such as collaborative work, academic advising, and student retention, this publication is an ideal resource for educators across all disciplines and levels, as well as educational administrators.

As more classes move to online instruction, there is a need for research that shows the effectiveness of synchronous learning. Educators must guide students on how to use these new learning tools and become aware of the research trends and opportunities within these developing online and hybrid courses. Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education provides evidence-based practice on incorporating synchronous teaching tools and practice within online courses to enhance content mastery and community development. Additionally, the book presents a strong theoretical overview of the topic and allows readers to develop a more nuanced understanding of the benefits and constraints of synchronous learning. Covering topics such as game learning, online communication, and professional development, it is designed for online instructors, instructional designers, administrators, students, and researchers and educators in higher education, as well as corporate, military, and government sectors.

Teaching and Learning at a Distance is written for introductory distance education courses for preservice or in-service teachers, and for training programs that discuss teaching distant learners or managing distance education systems. This text provides readers with the basic information needed to be knowledgeable distance educators and leaders of distance education programs. The teacher or trainer who uses this book will be able to distinguish between appropriate uses of distance education. In this text we take the following themes: The first theme is the definition of distance education. Before we started writing the first edition of Teaching and Learning at a Distance we carefully reviewed the literature to determine the definition that would be at the foundation of our writing. This definition is based on the work of Desmond Keegan, but is unique to this book. This definition of distance education has been adopted by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and by the Encyclopedia Britannica. The second theme of the book was the importance of research to the development of the contents of the book. The best practices presented in Teaching and Learning at a Distance are validated by scientific evidence. Certainly there are "rules of thumb", but we have always attempted to only include recommendations that can be supported by research. The third theme of Teaching and Learning at a distance is derived from Richard Clark's famous quote published in the Review of Educational Research that states that media are mere vehicles that do not directly influence achievement. Clark's controversial work is discussed in the book, but is also fundamental to the book's advocacy for distance education - in other words, we authors did not make the claim that education delivered at a distance was inherently better than other ways people learn. Distance delivered instruction is not a "magical" approach that makes learners achieve more. The fourth theme of the book is equivalency theory. Here we presented the concept that instruction should be provided to learners that is equivalent rather than identical to what might be delivered in a traditional environment. Equivalency theory helps the instructional designer approach the development of instruction for each learner without attempting to duplicate what happens in a face to face classroom. The final theme for Teaching and Learning at a Distance is the idea that the book should be comprehensive - that it should cover as much of the various ways instruction is made available to distant learners as is possible. It should be a single source of information about the field.

Recent technological advances have opened new platforms for learning and teaching. By utilizing virtual spaces, more educational opportunities are created for students who cannot attend a physical classroom environment. Integrating an Awareness of Selfhood and Society into Virtual Learning is a pivotal reference source that discusses the latest scholarly perspectives on creating meaningful learning and sensory engagement in virtual learning spaces, and examines how selfhood is expressed in these environments. Highlighting emerging topics in education, such as gender considerations, leadership development, and situated learning, this book is ideally designed for professionals, practitioners, graduate students, and academics interested in the role of virtual reality in learning contexts.

The growing interest in transnational cooperation in education across borders has different implications for developed and developing countries. It is true that globalization affects all societies, but not at the same speed and magnitude. Supporting Multiculturalism in Open and Distance Learning Spaces is a critical scholarly resource that examines cultural issues and challenges in distance education arising from the convergence of theoretical, administrative, instructional, communicational, and technological dimensions of global education. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as cultural diversity, interaction in distance education, and culturally sensitive intuitional design, this book is geared towards school administrators, universities and colleges, policy makers, organizations, and researchers.