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…

This book, written by authors representing 12 countries and five continents, is a collection of international perspectives on distance learning and distance learning implementations in higher education. The perspectives are presented in the form of practical case studies of distance learning implementations, research studies on teaching and…

This third publication on the theme of quality in the Commonwealth of Learning Perspectives on Distance Education series widens the discussion beyond external quality assurance processes to a more generic focus on a "culture of quality." It is an extension of the earlier two publications, which came out in 1994 and 1997 and drew…

This is the first book to survey the region's use of educational media and summarise the experiences of different Commonwealth Asian countries in one collection. It includes a review of the key issues, country studies, research reviews and several case studies on harnessing technologies for distance-learning initiatives. The book is designed to…

This book charts how the tools of technology are altering ways in which higher education is being delivered and received. Divided into three sections, the book adopts a systematic and thoroughly researched approach to globalizing education. Part I examines major issues arising from the growing practice of global education. Chapter 1 considers the…

This collection of 17 essays focuses on trends and issues in higher education from an international perspective. It includes: (1) "Introduction" (Zaghloul Morsy); (2) "The Idea of the University: Changing Roles, Current Crisis, and Future Challenges" (Torsten Husen); (3) "Patterns in Higher Education Development: Towards…

This book explores the expansion of higher education in the United Kingdom during the past 50 years and the coordination of university and further and distance education. The following 12 chapters are included: "Patterns of HE/FE [Higher Education/Further Education] Collaboration" (Tony Lewis, Rob Allen); "Student and Staff…

This book contains 14 case studies, written by those involved in the teaching and training initiatives, that illustrate the use of open and distance learning strategies. The case studies, drawn from many parts of the world (but mostly British based), feature efforts in large and small companies in a variety of industries. The first part of the…

This book contains 10 chapters that analyze and synthesize the progress of open and distance education (ODE) in the developing world. Most chapters include case studies of programs in a variety of countries. "Introduction: Golden Goose or Ugly Duckling" briefly delineates the history of the field. "Nonformal Education: The Light…

This book contains the following papers on distance vocational education programs: "Vocational Education at a Distance" (Oliveira, Rumble); "An Introduction to Case Studies" (Oliveira, Rumble); "'Working on Work': Orientation on Work and the Labour Market in the Netherlands" (Bender, Bronkhorst); "Expanding…

This book examines the successes of the Open University (OU), a concept now 25 years old, in overcoming obstacles to higher education faced by nontraditional students, and particularly those faced by older women. The OU has no entry qualification, requires no tests, admits all applicants on a space-available basis, and awards a Bachelor's degree.…

This book examines lifelong learning in the Information Age and the role of higher education (HE) in providing the educational services needed by lifelong learners. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's eight chapters: (1) changes in HE (repercussions of globalization in the educational sector; competition in higher learning;…