This article explores the role of self-efficacy in distance education. We argue that self-efficacy in distance education needs to be considered in terms of dimensions different from face-to-face education. Based on our literature review, we highlight three critical dimensions of self-efficacy in distance education: academic, learning, and social.…

The present study examines university students' acceptance of e-learning according to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). We also investigate the influence of external factors, including self-efficacy with digital media, self-regulated learning, prior experience, and affinity for technology, to extend the model with valid individual factors.…

Higher Education (HE) is experiencing disruption from technologies, demographics, the globalising world and longer life expectancy. Historically Higher Education has had a legacy of being seen as the requirement for an educated "elite", there has been a policy ambition set in various countries (including the UK) for it to become the…

Procrastination, putting off until tomorrow what should have been done today, is a self-regulation failure that is widespread among students. Although plenty of research has emerged regarding academic procrastination, hardly any research endeavor regarding procrastination in distance university settings exists. This lack of research is even more…

During oral exams at the German distance learning university, we noticed that students fear that they will be faced with questions that they have not anticipated. In our opinion, this is mainly because students have no chance to train and thereby gather positive experiences with exam situations as they are distributed all over Germany and thus it…

In 1997, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research started an initiative to promote e-learning in Germany by installing an extensive research program. The Virtual University of Applied Sciences in Engineering, Computer Science and Economic Engineering is the most prominent and best-funded of the more than 100 projects in the field…

In this article, we describe the current situation of virtual universities in Germany and pursue the question of whether innovation processes taking place throughout the entire higher education landscape. Our study shows that the integration of ICT [information and communication technologies] not only changes the medial characteristics of the…

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This March 11, 2005 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Don't Get Goggle-Eyed Over Google's Plan to Digitize" (Herring, Mark Y.);…

The Virtual University is an Internet-based learning environment developed at the University of Hagen (Germany). Complex teaching activities based on new concepts integrating net-based communication and cooperation facilities take place in the Virtual University. Experiences show that there is a threshold, especially for tutors in non-computer…