Demonstrating the ability to think critically is a common requirement of Higher Education (HE) assessments, bridging disciplines and forming a significant part of the feedback given to students. Despite its prominence, more can be learned about how different learner modes influence the propensity to use critical thinking. This article reports on…

Development and maintenance of online distance learning Masters courses in a higher education institute Medical School Graduate School involves the interaction of an e-learning team with subject specialists, all of whom are time poor. To allow course development to proceed smoothly it must be a managed process. Challenges were revealed during an…

Background and Purpose: There are misconceptions among clinicians and educational bodies that online courses would not suit clinically orientated medical education, where bedside management and direct contact with real patients is the key to the learning process. Whereas, the proponents of online education believe that a well-designed and properly…

This paper examines how the process of engaging simultaneously in study and work--through online distance-based study--affects students' capacity to apply their learning in and for the workplace. The paper takes as its starting point the importance of extending notions of "educational effectiveness" beyond course-based attainment to…

Evidence suggests that Second Life (SL) is well received by those studying at a distance; however, little has been done to evaluate how a structured orientation session may affect students' use and perception of SL. Consequently, this study explored orientation timing and its effect on a group of students registered in a part-time distance…

Distance learners often rely on written feedback for learning and for motivation. But feedback that is "given" to learners and that relies on praise to motivate does not engage learners in the process of self-development. We propose that an ipsative approach to assessment and feedback based on a comparison with a learner's previous…

Online distance learners are in a particularly complex relationship with the educational institutions they belong to (Bayne, Gallagher, & Lamb, 2012). For part-time distance students, arrivals and departures can be multiple and invisible as students take courses, take breaks, move into independent study phases of a programme, find work or…

We report on a case study of high Japanese student failure rates in an online MBA programme. Drawing on interviews, and reviews of exam and assignment scripts we frame the problems faced by these students in terms of a "language as social practice" approach and highlight the students' failure to understand the specific language games…

With an ever increasing array of technologies offering potential for the delivery of educational e-content and support of online communication and interaction, distance learning has an opportunity to make the transition to authentic online learning and teaching as never before. However, it seems that institutions are only slowly exploiting this…

This paper reports on an action research study investigating the use of online learning activities or "e-tivities" to enhance the learning and assessment experience of students on a distance master's programme. The study suggests that to be successfully integrated in a programme, such activities need to be carefully aligned with learning…

Introduction: Online distance learning (e-learning) is now an established method for providing higher education, in the UK and across the world. The focus has largely been on developing the technology, and less attention has been given to developing evidence-informed course provision. Thus the effectiveness of this teaching approach, and its…

This paper reports on a case study into the contribution of podcasting to the curriculum transformation of two distance-taught master's programmes. Both programmes attract work-based Occupational Psychology practitioners, most of whom are in full-time employment. Challenges faced by the course team included adding flexibility to the curricula,…

This paper addresses the lack of formalised methodology for analysing learner interaction data created in conversations on audiographic platforms. First the author shows the importance of conversations in language learning and the need for researchers to understand how users learn from these interactions. Then the author establishes that…

We report on the incorporation of e-book readers into the delivery of two distance-taught master's programmes in Occupational Psychology (OP) and one in Education at the University of Leicester, UK. The programmes attract work-based practitioners in OP and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, respectively. Challenges in curriculum…

With the development of new digital technologies and their gradual introduction into the language classroom, the Internet enables students to reach out beyond the confines of traditional teaching and learning settings, allowing previously non-existent access to foreign languages and cultures. On the one hand, the web allows learners to find…