The term "flexible education" is now firmly entrenched within Australian higher education discourse, yet the term is a contested one imbued with a multiplicity of meanings. This paper describes a process designed to elucidate how the idea of flexible education can be translated into teaching models that are informed by the specific…

The R2D2 method--read, reflect, display, and do--is a new model for designing and delivering distance education, and in particular, online learning. Such a model is especially important to address the diverse preferences of online learners of varied generations and varied Internet familiarity. Four quadrants can be utilized separately or as part…

This paper describes the design of an adaptive user model and its implementation in an advanced Web-based Virtual University environment that encompasses combined and synchronized adaptation between educational material and well-known communication facilities. The Virtual University environment has been implemented to support a postgraduate…

Describes efforts in providing a holistic environment for trainee teachers at the National Institute of Education (Singapore) to learn "hands-on" about using technology in classroom instruction. Results from an evaluation survey indicated the majority of trainees reacted positively towards the module and the instructional objectives of…

This article proposes a categorization model for online distance education environments, based on two different aspects: interaction and content. The proposed categorization, which was based on the experience acquired in developing, implementing, and operating different remote training courses, is aimed at providing evidence to help educational…

Standardization initiatives in the field of learning technologies have produced standards for the interoperability of learning environments and learning management systems. Learning resources based on these standards can be reused, recombined, and adapted to the user. However, these standards follow a content-oriented approach; the process of…

Proposes a particular educational configuration based on computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology, the Learnet. Describes the three components of the Learnet model--social dimension, technological dimension, and educational dimension--and summarizes the features of each. Identifies and tabulates the variables of the Learnet model, and…

Reports on a study that examined which of the available simulators could be used by the U.S. Army Armor School (Fort Knox, Kentucky) for instructional purposes and determined actual usage of large-scale simulation networking (SIMNET) by examining usage logs maintained by SIMNET operators. The appendices list Armor School courses and simulators.…

This paper argues that research findings from the study of teaching could be very useful in enhancing knowledge and tools for the design of both conventional and intelligent instructional software. It also suggests that if the ways in which teachers effectively conduct instruction are different and in certain ways better than other media, and if…

In the context that a general systems approach to the development and maintenance of optimal learning conditions is a point of view rather than a doctrine, two empirical examples are given. To illustrate the desirability of the systems-like approach in studying the nature of learning, the organisms chosen were representative of two widely separate…

A person-centered model of instruction has been developed for use in designing instruction in virtual, Web-based environments. This model, based on the work of Carl Rogers, attempts to address several issues raised in the literature regarding: (1) the changing role of instructors and students; (2) the broadening of the notion of learning outcomes;…

The importance of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology family in the field of Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) can not be denied. The Instructional Management Systems Project (IMS), for example, provides a learning resource XML binding specification. Considering this specification and other implementations using XML to represent…

This paper presents and discusses the evolution of a metadata-based course portal, the Open Learning Repository (OLR). Different instructional models and learning principles are integrated in order to meet different learning and teaching strategies: different metadata models (domain model, instructional model, cooperative and structural model) are…

This paper describes a domain-specific repository based on the methodology for e-learning systems development. The methodology, which is based on information engineering and object-oriented technology, is used to support navigation for courseware development, designing the curriculum of e-learning components, and e-learning resources management. A…

Introducing new software to students can be done effectively if teachers provide a brief introduction; show a finished project; build a chunk of the finished product; give student pairs the steps to complete their own chunk and coach as needed; and give students a computer-based tutorial, guiding them through the same procedure. (PEN)