With the technology revolution, the importance of creating a sense of community in the learning environment is as significant as ever. This article shares the lessons learned in developing and teaching a multicultural counseling course via distance and distributed education. The authors discuss strategies for integrating and fostering a sense of…

Examines theoretical and conceptual issues around promoting the growth of virtual learning communities and considers issues around using communication technologies in formal and informal learning environments. Highlights include: the theoretical context of community; categories for examining virtual learning communities; emphases of virtual…

This document contains a wide assortment of papers and promotional materials concerning the Big Sky Telegraph, a Montana-based telecommunications network serving rural economic development organizations. Funded by the US West Foundation and Western Montana College, Big Sky was created to stimulate grassroots innovation in rural education,…

This paper addresses issues relevant to international development programming, particularly with reference to distance education programming in indigenous communities of the Canadian north. A major issue in international programming is the role of the community. Without the participation of indigenous peoples as partners in program design and…

This paper explores the emerging relationship between distance education and sustainable development. After ranging through the literature on sustainable community development, this essay concludes that above all it must be unified: it must combine the traditional economic criteria for success (profits and employment) with a fusing of community…

Noting that the demands and expectations of parents worldwide have shifted tremendously over the last 20 years, and that parents' ability to fulfill their parental roles will affect their communities as well as their own children, this booklet examines programming for parents that is designed to support young children's development, and discusses…

Research on social capital and functional communities provides much needed information on the relationship between rural schools and their communities, and its impact on community viability. Schools are critical to the social and economic viability of rural communities; research suggests that social capital in rural areas has decreased…

This article examines open-distance learning in Nigeria and the role it plays in personal, community, and national development. Following consultation with existing literature, a qualitative survey was conducted using questionnaires, interviews, and participatory experience. Although particular emphasis was paid to the Nigerian context, the…

This paper addresses the role of distance education as a means for increasing curricular offerings of small and rural secondary schools. Treating distance education as a "technology" risks repeating the same cycle of false hopes and expectations that has historically accompanied the introduction of technology into education. Instead,…

This study explores current education, training, and employment issues and opportunities for rural youth in Australia, and suggests ways in which relevant education, training, and employment options and prospects can be generated for rural youth. Specifically, this study documents the ways that economic and social changes in rural communities have…