Second language teaching approaches that were originally proposed for classroom context are used for blended learning context as well as distance learning contexts regardless of their fundamental differences in terms of applicability, accessibility, objectives, designs and theoretical bases. Such theoretical and practical incompatibilities served…

In a plural, complex, and diverse society, the school faces many challenges. Teachers must prepare their students for future professions, unthinkable nowadays, and the digital competences of teachers and students are one of the axes of an advanced school. This book presents a set of works rigorously elaborated by authors of different disciplines,…

Virtual schooling was first employed in the mid-1990s and has become a common method of distance education used in K-12 jurisdictions. The most accepted definition of a virtual school is an entity approved by a state or governing body that offers courses through distance delivery--most commonly using the Internet. While virtual schools can be…

In this paper we present eTeacher, an intelligent agent that provides personalized assistance to e-learning students. eTeacher observes a student's behavior while he/she is taking online courses and automatically builds the student's profile. This profile comprises the student's learning style and information about the student's performance, such…

Using data collected from 120 students enrolled in nine sections of an undergraduate technical communication course, this study found a number of statistically significant associations between students' learning styles, as defined by the Index of Learning Styles, and nine measures evaluating both academic performance and student preference. The…

Adaptation and personalization services in e-learning environments are considered the turning point of recent research efforts, as the "one-size-fits-all" approach has some important drawbacks, from the educational point of view. Adaptive Educational Hypermedia Systems in World Wide Web became a very active research field and the need of…

A teaching model for distance learning (DL) requires a system (a technology) and process (a way of linking resources) that makes distance learning no different than learning in the traditional classroom. The process must support a design that provides for learning, ensures maximum transfer, and is student-centered. The process must provide a…

A study of 18 diverse adult students in a Web-based interactive course resulted in the following recommendations: identify differing expectations of culturally diverse teachers and students, balance learning styles with a variety of online and face-to-face methods, form learning groups after students have had time to communicate, and support the…

Describes an experiment that looked at how adult learners made use of their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI[R]), a personality assessment tool, type to cope with the challenges of learning in an online environment. Presents results of the experiment, and draws tentative conclusions. Provides notes related to the four psychological dimensions of…

E-Learning systems that produce personalized course offerings for the learner are often expensive, both from a time and financial perspective, to develop and maintain. Learning content personalized to a learners' cognitive preferences has been shown to produce more effective learning, however many approaches to realizing this form of…

Discusses characteristics of older adult learners and the reasons that Web-based instruction provides the flexibility to meet the needs of adult learners. An examination of the literature shows that adult learners experience different constraints, motivations, and learning styles than do traditional college students, and distance-learning…

A review of research in distance education indicates that results are consistent in that there is no significant difference in achievement contributable to the delivery system. This "no significant difference" perspective represents a very narrow vision of the research actually occurring in distance education. This paper attempts to examine the…

In this study, 254 Royal Roads University School of Business learners (graduates and undergraduates) were surveyed on their online course-related reading habits and choices. Based on their responses and anecdotal comments and the data from follow-up interviews with six of the participants, learners preferred print copies of text materials for…

Designed to aid teachers who are planning classes in the telematics mode, this checklist begins by reminding them that, in this mode, students cannot see them in the conventional sense, and classes are conducted using computer, telephone, modem, and microphone links. The checklist covers the following areas of concern: (1) the planning stage,…

This study aimed to determine the factors that affect students' preferences regarding tutorial modes. A learning-habit inclinations questionnaire (LHIQ) was constructed and administered to 288 students. Factor analysis revealed four factors: "time management," "ease of access" to learning materials, "positive aspects of interaction," and "negative…