A course design question for self-paced courses includes whether or not technological measures should be used in course design to force students to follow the sequence intended by the course author. This study examined learner behavior to understand whether the sequence of student assignment submissions in a self-paced distance course is related…

This paper reports on a study that examined teachers' perspectives on learner centredness in a distance learning context. Data collection relied on semi-structured interviews conducted with 42 Canadian high school teachers. Teachers' perspectives were analysed then categorized according to the four dimensions of a research validated framework of…

Research findings in recent years provide compelling evidence of the importance of encouraging student control over the learning process as a whole. The socially based tools and technologies of the Web 2.0 movement are capable of supporting informal conversation, reflexive dialogue and collaborative content generation, enabling access to a wide…

Taking advantage of the continuously improving, web-based learning systems plays an important role for self-learning, especially in the case of working people. Nevertheless, learning systems do not generally adapt to learners' profiles. Learners have to spend a lot of time before reaching the learning goal that is compatible with their knowledge…

The third in a series defining the field of distance education and its related concepts, this article focuses on flexible education, a term closely associated with open education. Discussion includes flexibility, autonomy and learner control; individualizing instruction; and management of instruction and instructional management software. (AEF)

Suggests that distance education advocates and critics alike should learn that responding to learners' needs for independent learning is a fundamental principle. Discusses learner autonomy; new admirers of distance education; lack of sensitivity to individual learning differences and the increased use of streaming media; and the position of Dr.…

Examines vital design issues pertaining to the "Online Self-Test," a simple solution for dealing with concerns about lack of time and lack of motivation in distance education. Presents experiences gained during the implementation of the Online Self-Test Center for Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik, India, and…

This paper deals with the design of an integrated system for Web-based distance education (ISWBDE). At the highest level, this system can be dissected into two sub-systems: an integrated course authoring system (ICAS) and an integrated course delivery system (ICDS). The ICAS is designed to help with, or automate the creation and management of…

Focuses on instructional and learning systems in distance education. Highlights include: learner-centeredness of distance education; instructor's role; relevant content to individual needs; balancing roles of instructors and learners; personalizing instruction; ramifications for instructional and learning system design; and architecture of dynamic…

Presenting a higher education case study from Mexico: "Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey" (ITESM-CCM) College, Mexico city campus, describing faculty best and worst practices using a blended learning approach in e-learning and face-to-face instruction. The article comments on conceptual definitions of blended…

Faculty, administrators and support staff are reinventing formal education at the University of Central Florida (UCF) through the World Wide Web and instructional design. Campus services and degree programs are being re-engineered and invented to extend flexible educational opportunities to serve diverse students and faculty. Preliminary research…

This book is based on training sessions conducted by the author that focused on key issues in the design of self-instructional materials, including an awareness of the distinctive features of self-instructional materials, characteristics of the target audience, and coming to grips with the resources and constraints within which one must work.…

In the Information Society of the new millennium, the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming essential for the rapid dissemination of information. In this context, Open and Distance Learning (ODL) will have a growing role in effectively training people to have active roles in society. However, modern learners have a…

The goal of the Carnegie Mellon Online project is to build an infrastructure for delivery of courses via the World Wide Web. The project aims to deliver educational content and to assess student competency in support of courses across the Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania) curriculum and beyond, thereby providing an asynchronous,…

This monograph in the Urban Diversity Series describes the The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)initiative, relates it to research dealing with instruction generally and computer-mediated instruction specifically, and discusses its implications for education. ADL was undertaken to make instructional material universally accessible primarily, but…