As the largest provider of financial aid in higher education, with about $134 billion in Title IV funds provided to students in fiscal year 2010, the Department of Education (Education) has a considerable interest in distance education. Distance education--that is, offering courses by the Internet, video, or other forms outside the classroom--has…

Between March 2007 and February 2009, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) funded a Learners Journeys project at the University of Hertfordshire. This was part of their second phase of investment in research into the Learners' Experiences through their E-Learning Programme and was known as LXP2. STROLL (STudent Reflections On Lifelong…

Access to higher education is subject to many factors including affordability, time and geography. Distance education can deliver education to those that live far from a campus. Some of that distance education may be synchronous, or live, requiring students to be available at certain times. Flexibility and access are increased when the instruction…

This book assembles over 50 papers from the 7th Triennial European Research Conference of the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA), which was held from the 4th to the 7th of September 2013 at Humboldt-University in Berlin. The title of the conference was "Changing Configurations of Adult Education in Transitional…

The recognition of prior learning (RPL) is a cornerstone of the lifelong learning policies of most developed nations. Yet the scholarly view in Australia has been that, unlike other post-compulsory education sectors, universities have erected barriers to limit the development of RPL. This paper re-examines the current policy environment and finds…

Results of a study of 120 college students indicated that those who had relevant prior experience with Internet communication technologies had the most favorable perceptions of the usefulness of these technologies and were most apt to use them. Experience and perceived usefulness were the strongest predictors of intent to use them. (Contains 23…

For the thirty-seventh year, the Research and Theory Division and the Division of Instructional Design of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) sponsored the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Jacksonville, Florida. This year's Proceedings…

Examines changes in experience and confidence among university students in Iceland taking their first Internet course between 1994 and 2000. Discusses results of time series that show that the number of participants with prior experience has increased and makes recommendations for course content, including advanced skills in Internet use.…

Developed seven Internet-delivered tests of prior knowledge for distance education students in the Netherlands interested in gaining information about future studies. Analysis of 151 responses received through the Web site showed student appreciation of the instruments and the assessment process. (SLD)

There is a wealth of information available on the World Wide Web that can assist pre-service teachers in their course studies. Yet observation of students in a technology integration class indicated that students were not able to find resources efficiently or reliably. The purpose of this study was to establish a baseline of what undergraduate,…

Describes a study conducted at Seattle Pacific University that developed an attitude scale to measure student perceptions about online courses; explored relationships between student perceptions and demographic and other variables, including age, gender, online course experience, Internet experience, and computer skills; and investigated…

This article reports on a study we conducted with first-year students in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne in 2003. Building upon our 2002 research ("Library Review," 2003, vol 52, no 5 pp209-217), we investigated the prior library instruction, information preferences and skills of students enrolled in first-year…

Investigated the attitudes to, and extent of, self-reported involvement in Internet-supported dishonest academic practices such as plagiarism among United Kingdom undergraduates. Discusses Internet experience, acceptability of cheating, assessment of risk, gender, frequency of Internet use, and maturity of students, and outlines responses that…

High demands on learners in Web-based learning environments and constraints of the human cognitive system cause disorientation and cognitive overload. These problems could be inhibited if appropriate cognitive tools are provided to support learners' cognitive processes. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors influencing the use of…

This report focuses on distance education within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) for the 2007-08 academic year and provides documentation of the substantial growth of distance education within all colleges and universities. Distance education is a field of continuous improvement and change, and NSHE institutions are constantly…