Mobile devices are rapidly becoming a very popular and convenient means of delivering and consuming learning content worldwide. The rise in popularity is due in part to the technological advancements that mobile devices have made in recent years, along with developments in the online learning platforms and spaces that support mobile learning.…

e-Learning systems nowadays become vital for many universities in developing countries. They are useful for increasing educational quality and providing students with high-quality learning resources. However, how to attract students to use e-learning systems and how to improve their learning outcomes through e-learning are still difficult…

Ubiquitous learning and the use of ubiquitous learning environments heralds a new era in higher education. Ubiquitous learning environments enhance context-aware and seamless learning experiences available from any location at any time. They support smooth interaction between authentic and digital learning resources and provide personalized…

The use of practical laboratories is a key in engineering education in order to provide our students with the resources needed to acquire practical skills. This is specially true in the case of distance education, where no physical interactions between lecturers and students take place, so virtual or remote laboratories must be used. UNED has…

For 15 years, the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) has conducted research on information technology (IT) and higher education's most important end users, undergraduate students. This year's report includes inclusion of the perspectives of students with learning and physical disabilities on how their institutions respond to their…

In an effort to enhance the learning process in higher education, a new model for Competition-Based Learning (CBL) is presented. The new model utilizes two well-known learning models, namely, the Project-Based Learning (PBL) and competitions. The new model is also applied in a networked environment with emphasis on collective learning as well as…

The move from a walled garden type Learning Management Systems (LMS) to open environments (like Facebook) forces us to adapt new teaching ways. This article offers a brief review of the use of Facebook groups in learning, describes the experience of using Facebook groups in an academic institute, explains the considerations for choosing the type…

Learning management systems traditionally provide structures to guide online learners to achieve their learning goals. Web 2.0 technology empowers learners to create, share, and organize their personal learning environments in open network environments; and allows learners to engage in social networking and collaborating activities. Advanced…

The eleventh annual EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey shows some very familiar themes among the top-ten IT issues of strategic importance to technology leaders in higher education. Indeed, all ten of the issues from the 2009 survey are back, albeit in a slightly different order. In addition, Strategic Planning returns as an issue of renewed…

Universities can offer eLearning 2.0 tools and services to learners while obtaining clear benefits from releasing the control over some learning content. This means a shift from the institution centred and monolithic model of traditional virtual learning environments (VLEs) to a more heterogeneous and open model. This article tries to plot an…

This article presents the top-ten IT-related issues in terms of strategic importance to the institution, as revealed by the tenth annual EDUCAUSE Current Issues Survey. These IT-related issues include: (1) Funding IT; (2) Administrative/ERP Information Systems; (3) Security; (4) Infrastructure/Cyberinfrastructure; (5) Teaching and Learning with…

Describes Remote and Adaptive Educational Environment (RAPSODY-EX), a learning support environment for collaborative distance learning. Discusses components of collaborative learning and the computer infrastructure supporting access to information for leaner decision making. (Contains 23 references.) (SK)

Discusses the emphasis in schools on using new technologies for education, particularly integrated learning systems and networked electronic learning environments, and suggests that more emphasis needs to be placed on educational goals first to lead to an educational theory of technology rather than theorizing educational technology. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the use of an asynchronous learning network (ALN) for information and software systems design courses at Drexel University (Pennsylvania). Results indicate that ALN-based education is cost-effective; that students on and off campus find the ALN more convenient and a superb learning environment; and that organization of materials is…

Students, teachers, and authors need to access multimedia documents over heterogeneous networks. The efficient handling of time-dependent multimedia information such as audio and video in distributed systems requires considerable network and computing resources. The term Quality of Service (QoS) refers collectively to the specifications of these…