In this study, effects of instant messages that are sent on a regular basis to the distant education students on how they perceive transactional distance were investigated. These text messages are designed to have either an informative or a remindful nature. Participants were undergraduate students that were randomly assigned to four groups…

This collection explores a variety of perspectives on the student voice in UK higher education. Featuring reflections from a vice-chancellor, student representatives and interviews with the Office for Students' Student Panel, as well as sections considering disabled students, international students and mature students, the thirteen essays each…

With an increasing number of courses taught asynchronously online, it is important to explore how to implement high-impact practices in this modality. Service-learning--a high impact practice--is a course-based, credit-bearing type of experiential learning. It is important to understand instructional strategies and course design for…

The researcher designed this quantitative dissertation research to explore the perceptions of beginning nursing students toward professionalism in nursing, specific to professional values within the context of curriculum delivery for a leadership and management course in one baccalaureate nursing program. In addition, the researcher reviewed the…

Face-to-face, hybrid, blended, and online learning have all provided adult students flexibility in how they participate. However, these courses are constructed in a manner where the instructor dictates the mode of instruction. Student choice and flexibility are important for adult students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to…

The present paper addresses the practice of a new English classroom on the model of a free e-learning programme in the context of adult education in Armenia, a country where English is taught as a second foreign language. The research reviews the results and impact of an online English language learning programme initiated for those vulnerable…

Although interaction is recognised as a key element for learning, its incorporation in online courses can be challenging. The interaction equivalency theorem provides guidelines: Meaningful learning can be supported as long as one of three types of interactions (learner-content, learner-teacher and learner-learner) is present at a high level. This…

This article presents empirical research exploring adult returner students' approaches to learning via qualitative analysis of a series of semi-structured interviews. Interviewees' comments illuminate their approaches to study, their conceptualisation of information literacy, and their experiences as learners. We interpret the data through two…

An indispensable part of any curriculum design in an educational setting is the analysis of the needs of the learners involved in the context. The needs can be addressed from different perspectives. Among them, the learners' needs in terms of their perceptions toward what constitute learning/teaching and testing processes are of prominent values.…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

The Bachelor of Career Arts (BCA) degree program was initiated at Dallas Baptist College during the summer term of 1974. It is based on a certifiable competency in a chosen profession or career. Credit for life and work experiences, technical/occupational credits from the two-year colleges, and noncollege learning experiences are considered for…

This study explored the usability of learning stage data using the M. B. Baxter Magolda (1992) model for identifying and understanding differences among students and their perceptions of their academic experience at a midsize public community college. The study sought to: identify a dominant learning stage (either absolute, transitional, or…

Faced with declining attendance, poor reputation, and possible demise of their program, students in the Adult Liberal Studies (ALS) program at the University of Toledo formed an association, evaluated the program, and instigated constructive changes that have revitalized the program, increased its enrollment, and enhanced its reputation among its…

A form of group learning, cohorts, has become increasingly attractive to administrators, instructors, and participants in adult education. Basic academic skills cohort learning supports three types of knowing: instrumental, socializing, and self-authoring; whereas, in higher and adult education cohort learning, the development of critical…

This book contains the following papers on open and distance learning today: "Preface" (Daniel); "Big Bang Theory in Distance Education" (Hawkridge); "Practical Agenda for Theorists of Distance Education" (Perraton); "Trends, Directions and Needs: A View from Developing Countries" (Koul); "American…