In most sub-Sahara African countries, distance education is delivered using print materials complemented by a few face-to-face sessions. The approach is associated with a myriad of challenges some of which can be addressed by appropriately selected e-learning technologies based on the context in which they need to be used. This study was designed…

Much has been written about why university faculty choose to refrain or participate in online instruction (Beaudoin, 1990; Bower, 2001; Clark, 1993; Dillon & Walsh, 1992; McKenzie, 2000; McKinnon, 1998; Paulson, 2002; Rockwell, Scheuer, Fritz, & Marx, 1999; Schifter, 2002; Wilson, 1998). Missing from the empirical knowledge base, however, are…

This study addressed the implications of delivering weekly, interactive, web-based lectures and web-based cyber-office hours to college students enrolled in an advanced, undergraduate course. These web-based lectures and office hours were available to all enrolled students (240), providing them the opportunity to meet, at the same time, at a…

This paper builds on a case study on e-learning in Sri Lanka with focus on students underlying beliefs about how one learns. E-learning programs are most often set up with the assumption that students should think, act and learn independently and with underlying values of constructivism and learner-centred learning. For students used to…

Distance education has dramatically increased the educational opportunities for underserved populations. This is evidenced by the fairly recent proliferation and success of online universities, and it is happening in spite of criticism of e-learning and online degree programs among academia and the popular press. As a result, many institutions,…

This article discusses the multi-faceted challenges experienced by professionals embarking on professional development online. It is argued that the barriers to successful completion identified in the literature reflect the complex, overlapping, and not always supportive social systems in which professional learners are embedded. A…

Four cases relating to the efforts of e-learning teams in valuing adult learners in their e-learning solutions were examined to better understand how e-learning teams value their adult learners within corporate settings. Two questions guided the analysis of the cases, they are: (1) What is the nature of the e-learning solutions in these cases? (2)…

This article highlights the processes and best practices adopted by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore in implementing their mission-critical e-learning services for a population of 28,000 students and 1,100 faculty members. The various phases of this rapid growth in e-learning from the initial genesis in achieving mass buy-in by…

This article is a formative evaluation of a course in which a blended learning environment was created and a good balance in dimensions of blended learning was sought. Blended learning is defined as the total mix of pedagogical methods, using a combination of different learning strategies, both with and without the use of technology. The…

Currently, many students have had experience with both face-to-face and online classes. We asked such students at 46 different universities in the United States to evaluate the pedagogical characteristics of their most recently completed face-to-face class and their most recently completed online class. The results show that students rate online…

For a variety of reasons, a rapidly increasing number of institutions of higher education have started to offer degrees and other educational programs fully online. Most institutions aim their online programs at mature part-time students. The assumption is that the increased convenience and flexibility that online programs offer and the fact that…

This study used quantitative measures to gather data from online students to analyze the effects of perceptions about teacher verbal immediacy and classroom community on students' level of satisfaction, perceived learning, and online discussion frequency. Using convenience sampling, 214 students were recruited from undergraduate and graduate…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of short-term distributed online training events using an adapted version of the compressed evaluation form developed by Wisher and Curnow (1998). Evaluating online distributed training events provides insight into course effectiveness, the contribution of prior knowledge to learning, and…

The purpose of this article was to investigate the factors that affect the dropout of adult learners in e-learning through an in-depth literature review. Although many studies related to e-learning have been conducted in the field of adult education or human resource development, relatively little concern has been given to why adult learners drop…

Organisational investments in information technologies have increased significantly in the past few decades. All around the globe and in Malaysia particularly, a number of educational institutions are experimenting with e-learning. Adopting the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the technology acceptance model (TAM) this article tries to…