It is an exciting time for online education. Lately, there has been breathless talk of a "revolution" and massive "disruption," largely based on Massively Open Online Course (MOOC) models pioneered by universities such as MIT and Stanford, and headline-grabbing start-up companies such as Udacity and Coursera. Meanwhile,…

This study was carried out in order to improve the understanding and learning of participants enrolled in face-to-face training programs, and to enhance their learning and retention of content through multimedia materials. A qualitative study was conducted to inquire about the perception of the participants and instructors of an Administrative…

Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are being utilised at a rapidly increasing rate, especially in distance education (DE). As a medium of instruction they allow the presenter to simultaneously interact with numerous students at different centres across the country. This study is unique in the sense that a collaborative learning community is created…

As universities respond to rapid changes in course delivery methods, economic shortfalls, and a re-examination of who their students are, continuing education (CE) units find themselves with an opportunity to influence significantly the direction of the response. Continuing education has long led the way in reaching out to previously unserved or…

Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, is currently the only post-secondary institution in that province to offer a part-time Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BScN) program for Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) through a blended learning model. This program represents a "bridge" from the nurse's college diploma and offers a…

The careers profession in England is facing unprecedented challenges. Initiatives to improve service delivery while keeping costs low are attractive and online training holds the promise of high impact at low cost. The present study employs a qualitative methodology to evaluate a series of online "webinars" conducted with 15 careers…

This book presents the current advances and emerging trends in digital technologies for learning and education through a number of invited chapters on key research areas. It addresses information and communications technology (ICT) in a global context, reporting on emerging trends and issues in four areas -- basic education, technical and…

This article explores videoconferencing in the context of local learning centres in Sweden. The practice is described as a "learning space" in which adult learners construct socio-spatial relations. The study goes beyond a sociological apprehension of actors and opposes the idea of the material as neutral, passive and conformed by…

This case study surveys the growing use of open and distance learning approaches to the provision of support, education and training to health workers over the past few decades. It classifies such uses under four headings, providing brief descriptions from the literature of a few examples of each group. In conclusion, it identifies key lessons…

For the forty-fourth time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented online and onsite during the annual AECT Convention. Volume 1 contains papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. Papers dealing with…

This study is aimed to explore the social nature of membership in an online community of practice (NETwork, Nurturing Elementary Teachers' work) whose purpose is to support pre-service and in-service teachers with a collaborative virtual space for learning how to teach. Path analysis was employed to explore the relationships among social…

The integration of some form of online learning in higher education and its adoption in distance and continuing education has increased exponentially in the last decade. This growth has been consistent in different parts of the world, although its implementation in mainstream educational systems varies according to the economic development of the…

Teachers' continuing professional development, that is an essential part of their professional career, is the subject of constant demand of them and of each educational reform interest. The rapid growth of technology and the choices of teaching and learning that it provides give possibilities for synchronous and asynchronous methods of distance…

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine teaching and learning in virtual worlds such as "Second Life" (SL). This research is designed to address the following questions: What are the pedagogical practices in virtual worlds? What are the strengths and weaknesses of these practices? How do these practices change at different course levels?…

Distance learning applications in nutrition education have evolved together with communication technology. Distance delivery is transforming the culture of professional health education by expanding access to learners, introducing novel teaching and learning methods, as well as shifting the paradigm of how instructors and students interact. The…