Analyzing the collective experiences of staff from a variety of departments within organizations of higher and further education, this study demonstrates how flexible learning strategies have been adopted to face new challenges.
Flexibility and Pedagogy in Higher Education examines the practical application of flexibility in learning through the creation and development of online learning communities. It provides best practice examples for educators looking to use innovative pedagogies to develop flexible learning experiences.
Students’ Experiences of e-learning in Higher Education helps higher education instructors and university managers understand how e-learning relates to, and can be integrated with, other student experiences of learning. Grounded in relevant international research, the book is distinctive in that it foregrounds students’ experiences of learning, emphasizing the importance of how students interpret the challenges set before them, along with their conceptions of learning and their approaches to learning. The way students interpret task requirements greatly affects learning outcomes, and those interpretations are in turn influenced by how students read the larger environment in which they study. The authors argue that a systemic understanding is necessary for the effective design and management of modern learning environments, whether lectures, seminars, laboratories or private study. This ecological understanding must also acknowledge, though, the agency of learners as active interpreters of their environment and its culture, values and challenges. Students’ Experiences of e-learning in Higher Education reports research outcomes that locate e-learning within the broader ecology of higher education and: Offers a holistic treatment of e-learning in higher education, reflecting the need for integrating e-learning and other aspects of the student learning experience Reports research on students’ experiences with e-learning conducted by authors in the United States, Europe, and Australia Synthesizes key themes in recent international research and summarizes their implications for teachers and managers.
"This book uses a flexible learning framework to explain the best ways of creating a meaningful learning environment. This framework consists of eight factors - institutional, management, technological, pedagogical, ethical, interface design, resource support, and evaluation;a systematic understanding of these factors creates successful flexible learning environments"--Provided by publisher.
Published in association with the Commonwealth of Learning Open and distance learning has expanded dramatically in recent years across the world, across the spectrum of subject areas, and across educational levels. This book takes a detailed look at the state of the art of open and distance learning in higher education, and presents a fascinating picture of a world and its educational culture in transition. This edited collection contains authoritative analyses of key issues together with current accounts of practice in each region of the world. It includes *open and distance learning in relation to internationalisation, lifelong learning and flexible learning *costs of distance education *the impact of telecommunications *applications of open and distance learning in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. It draws together experts in the field from all over the world, and has a truly international perspective on the phenomenon of open and distance learning. Its unparalleled breadth of coverage makes it an indispensable work of reference for experts and newcomers alike.
This book presents a collection of different researches and results on "e-learning". The chapters cover the deficiencies, requirements, advantages and disadvantages of e-learning and distance learning. So, the authors reported their research and analysis results on "e-learning" according to their areas of expertise.
Flexibility has become a watchword in modern education, but its implementation is by no means a straightforward matter. Flexible and Distance Learning in Higher Education sheds light on the often taken-for-granted assumptions that inform daily practice and examines the institutional dynamics that help and hinder efforts toward flexibility. Contributors to the volume were asked to reflect critically on a series of questions, including: - What precisely is flexible learning? - Who or what is driving the flexibility agenda, and for whose benefit? And who or what is resisting it? - What challenges must be overcome in order to achieve flexibility, and what are some of the compromises it can entail? International in scope, with authors from North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, and Japan, Flexible and Distance Learning in Higher Education offers a wealth of theoretical insights and practical experience that will be invaluable to anyone seeking to extend the reach of higher education.
This book addresses the multiple components that are important for successful implementation of IT in education, including supporting student learning with technology.
This groundbreaking book offers a down-to-earth resource for the practical application of blended learning in higher education as well as a comprehensive examination of the topic. Well-grounded in research, Blended Learning in Higher Education clearly demonstrates how the blended learning approach embraces the traditional values of face-to-face teaching and integrates the best practices of online learning. This approach has proven to both enhance and expand the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning in higher education across disciplines. In this much-needed book, authors D. Randy Garrison and Norman D. Vaughan present the foundational research, theoretical framework, scenarios, principles, and practical guidelines for the redesign and transformation of the higher education curriculum. Blended Learning in Higher Education Outlines seven blended learning redesign principles Explains the professional development issues essential to the implementation of blended learning designs Presents six illustrative scenarios of blended learning design Contains practical guidelines to blended learning redesign Describes techniques and tools for engaging students
Blended synchronous learning - where remote students participate in face-to-face classes by means of rich-media synchronous technologies such as video conferencing, web conferencing and virtual worlds - is an emerging phenomenon in education. More and more teachers are attempting to teach in this challenging mode, but without any systematic research evidence to help guide their blended synchronous learning practices. The Blended Synchronous Learning Handbook is a definitive resource that addresses this issue. It includes a Blended Synchronous Learning Design Framework that offers pedagogical, technological and logistical recommendations for teachers attempting to design and implement blended synchronous learning lessons. It also includes a Rich-Media Synchronous Technology Capabilities Framework to support the selection of technologies for different types of learning activities, as well as a review of relevant literature, a summary of the Blended Synchronous Learning Scoping Study, detailed reports of seven blended synchronous learning case studies, and an in-depth cross case analysis to underpin the recommendations that are drawn.