VLE (Virtual Learning Environments) are rapidly falling short to meet the demands of a networked society. Web 2.0 and social networks are proving to offer a more personalized, open environment for students to learn formally as they are already doing informally. With the irruption of social media into society, and therefore, education, many voices…

With rapid emergence to the birth of the knowledge era, an active and interactive learning environment is fundamental to any teaching and learning process. Over time, negative implications of traditional learning environment are mounting, and measures must be taken to challenge it. With extensive research on available learning tools, it has become…

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…

As lifelong learning grows in popularity, few comprehensive pictures of the phenomenon have emerged. The "Routledge International Handbook of Lifelong Learning" provides a disciplined and complete overview of lifelong learning internationally. The theoretical structure puts the learner at the centre and the book emanates from there,…

This article explores Web 2.0 in interactive learning environments. Specifically, the article examines Web 2.0 as an interactive learning platform that holds potential, but is also limited by learning styles and cultural value preferences. The article explores the issue of control from both teacher and learner perspectives, and in particular the…

Examines how learning orientation (meta-level learner-difference profiles) accounts for significant variance, effects, and interactions in a Web learning environment. Results demonstrate useful ways to differentiate the audience before designing solutions and environments that carefully consider the impact of emotions and intentions on learning.…

Describes some of the dimensions of the "e-cology" of Internet-based "e-Learning" in higher education. Discusses e-Learning service and operating dimensions; higher education's challenge to balance virtual and traditional educational delivery; instructor-led and instructor-less learning; the roles of content and instructor in instructor-led…

Throughout the paper, the issues of individual differences in web-based learning, also known as online instruction, online training or distance education were examined and implications for designing distance education were discussed. Although the main purpose was to identify differences in learners' characteristics such as cognitive, affective,…

This article presents the results of a longitudinal study on the perceptions of a Web-enhanced learning environment by a group of beginning-level students of Italian. A Website was specially designed and implemented as a complement to the existing syllabus, in order to enhance interactivity, variety, and authenticity of materials and tasks, as…

Presents the main design issues of a distance learning course on Business on the Internet. The instructional design is based on a learner-centered strategy which allows learners to construct their own knowledge while solving real business problems and transferring their knowledge to other learners. (AEF)

The use of hypermedia in education is supported by cognitive flexibility theory which indicates transfer of knowledge to real-world settings is improved when that material is learned in a case-based, associative network emphasizing complexity and links to related information. Hypermedia is further assumed to benefit education, because it resembles…

The assumption tested here is whether the introduction of enhanced communication technologies in the form of high-speed broadband connectivity has removed or ameliorated any of the barriers to efficient and effective teaching and learning. Evidence is presented of how enhanced communication technologies have facilitated self-regulated learning.…

This paper examines how online distance education acts to democratize access to, and suit the ontologies of, Mauritian women who seek to empower themselves for development. Data from semi-structured interviews of 30 middle class couples are presented in this paper. Interviews and analyses are premised on a feminist perspective and conducted within…

The development of key competencies through higher education is of increasing interest in government, industry, and academics. The contributors to this collection of research analyses and case studies focus on the competencies associated with self-motivated autonomous lifelong learning. Examining a variety of issues from a British perspective, the…

Central Queensland University in Australia has developed an orientation program to introduce first-year university students to interactive teaching technologies. The program, called Passport to Flexible Learning, was organized in the form of workshops that run concurrently over a 5-day period during the university's orientation week. During the…