Using Giddens' theory of structuration as a theoretical framework, this paper outlines how five prominent United Kingdom universities aimed to integrate top-down and bottom-up approaches to the adoption and diffusion of e-learning. The aim of this paper is to examine the major challenges that arise from the convergence of bottom-up perspectives…

English in Action (EIA) is an ongoing teacher education project which places mobile technology at the centre of its action. Most of the studies carried out focused on the changes EIA brought in teachers' classroom actions. Along with this, they also explored the classroom to observe whether the input given during training program is implemented in…

This paper explored the journey of three academics as they moved from face-to-face teaching to online teaching over a period of twenty months. From the findings of this study, it is recommended that for an academic to make an effective transition they need to be supported effectively to embrace the changes to their role and to their practice and…

In the age of our mobile learning, an impending onus is placed on educational institutions to embrace this technological innovation that is widely accepted, used, and available globally. The clear societal value of mobile technology as a productivity tool for engagement, creation, and collaboration has generated a new need for education to revisit…

This paper explores the challenges faced by teachers and educators in the online classroom, especially in light of existing learner differences among students stemming from intelligence, socioeconomic status (SES), culture, gender, among other factors. The author examines the characteristics of the online classroom and looks at learner differences…

The purpose of this study was to determine what a panel of 15 experts would identify as critical factors affecting student retention in online courses that will serve as implications for educational leaders to guide their student retention strategies, online organizational structures, institutional policies, and online instructional activities. A…

Today's students are often called "digital-age learners"--reflecting their technological savvy and free-agent approach to learning. With their iPods, iPhones, computer games, social media pages, and text messaging, these digital-age students have access to resources and knowledge beyond traditional school structures and practices. These…

This paper is a discussion about the basic preparatory steps and necessary competencies for making the transition from a traditional face-to-face to a full online teaching and learning, and it is intended to highlight the required pedagogical roles of an online instructor using an interactive computer-enhanced asynchronous information…

How to plan an open and distance learning (ODL) unit in higher education is not clearly described in the literature. A number of ODL facilities at residential universities have not been successful because of a lack of planning or because of failure to ensure that all the different systems for ODL delivery were in place and functioning. This paper…

Nearly 30% of higher education students now take at least one online course in which the instructor and students are physically separated and electronic means are used to facilitate the learning experience. "Anytime, anywhere" is a powerful draw that prompts students to seek online learning experiences. Yet with an attrition rate between 10 and…

To improve the quality of learning, pedagogues have prescribed different pedagogical approaches (constructivist, cognitivist...). However, the effective implementation of the majority of these approaches has not been possible only after the advent of new forms of learning (E_learning, M-learning...). These forms are closely related to…

Higher education in Iran is confronting with several challenges; some of them are increasing demand for education and insufficiency of current programs to meet the growing needs, emerging information age and the necessity of achieving information literacy, and extending educational justice. It is assumed that a high performance e-learning system…

The University of Botswana (UB) is undergoing transformative changes in response to internal and external influences in higher education. These include attempts to transition towards institution-wide deployment of on-line learning strategies to enhance the educational experience. An external review consultancy commissioned in 2007, recommended…

This paper sets out to explore the paradigm shift in learning culture brought about by the advent of online learning in the mostly print-based ODL system at the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA). It delves into the perceptions of learners and MCA staff involved in a range of undergraduate to Master's programmes forming part of the Pan African…

Technology and change are so closely related that the use of the word innovation seems synonymous with technology in many contexts, including that of higher education. This paper contends that university culture and existing capability constrain such innovation and to a large extent determine the nature and extent of organisational change. In the…