Even in higher education, the traditional perception of learning is a face to face environment; while distance education is typically thought of as its alternative. However, the continuous expansion of technology has altered this point of view as a more flexible option of education, not an alternative. Global Challenges and Perspectives in Blended and Distance Learning highlights the perspectives, challenges, and current practices within higher and distance education around the world. This reference source brings together a unique view of global research essential for academics, managers and leaders, researchers, and practitioners for a timely view of research themes in higher education and distance education.

In a contemporary media-rich society, distance education is becoming increasingly indistinguishable from mainstream traditional methods. Contemporary students, too, have greater need than ever before for education that caters to their specific needs and hectic schedules. Outlooks and Opportunities in Blended and Distance Learning investigates the impact of the digital age on various methods of distance education, such as e-learning, virtual learning, online learning, and m-learning. Researchers, educators, and students currently engaged in or looking to implement distance education principles in their own practices will find a seminal reference collection exploring new methods of offering flexibility, accessibility, and freedom to students with a variety of educational backgrounds, situations, and needs.

This book showcases contemporary examples of three-dimensional virtual world use for Internet and web-mediated tertiary education from across the globe that cut across a range of disciplinary contexts and settings. By doing so, it seeks to promote scholarly dialogue as well as to assist the development and dissemination of good practice and best practices in the field. While there have been a number of other volumes published on virtual worlds and learning, many were written prior to the existence of mature applications and thus consist largely of early proof-of-concept reports; a number of practical or "how-to" guides for teachers considering using virtual worlds in their teaching have also been produced that have to do with either the technology or learning design. In general, much of what is available in the area is "show and tell" and does not engage deeply with theory or with key researchable questions and issues. This book is unique in the way it combines analysis and discussion of recent theoretical and empirical research with descriptive accounts and evaluations of exemplary and innovative discipline-based applications, all of which are focused on factors influencing the successful uptake and use of virtual worlds in online learning at universities and colleges. The book is a useful resource for educators with an interest in virtual worlds, irrespective of their level of experience and/or proficiency. The collection of exemplars presented will not only expose newcomers to the potential and possibilities of the technology but will also alert them to the problems and pitfalls of whose existence they need to be mindful of as they make their foray into the educational virtual worlds arena. Potential solutions and mitigating strategies for many of the common problems are suggested as well. For those who are more seasoned virtual world users, they will benefit from the evidence-based perspectives offered and from opportunities to situate their practice within the scholarly knowledge base, comparing their own experiences with those of others and learning from the stories, vignettes, insights, and reflections being shared. Novices and veterans alike will find the book valuable in helping them manufacture a sustainable business case to put forth to their managers and in their quests to champion investment in virtual worlds at their institutions.

This book presents a collection of papers from RMIT's annual learning and teaching conference, Transformations in Tertiary Education: The Scholarship of Engagement at RMIT. It discusses innovative curricula and assessments, examines transformative student experiences and showcases examples of curricular and extra-curricular activities to promote and develop intercultural awareness and competence. The book showcases high-quality, innovative papers on promising new directions in tertiary education, representing the breadth and depth of teaching and learning at a leading global Australian university. Authors from Australian and offshore campuses address compelling questions related to curricula, technology, and assessment. Further, they employ a variety of methodological approaches to illustrate 21st century global perspectives on learning and teaching. Readers will be introduced to the complex interrelationships between scholarship and practice, innovative learning design and learning outcomes, and the shifting scholarship roles of the university, the teacher and the learner.