Recent research studies in open and distance learning have focused on the differences between traditional learning versus online learning, the benefits of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools in an e-learning environment, and the relationship between online discussion posts and students' achievement. In fact, there is an extant…

Our schools have been experiencing three overlapping waves of technology adoption since the mid-1980s: the personal computer lab wave, the online learning wave and the digital classroom wave. In this position paper, I tried to explain why we are now at the onset of the digital classroom wave, why it will cause great changes in education and why…

This article addresses the issue of incivility in online teaching and learning. Incivility is defined within the context of face-to-face and online learning environments. Certain acts of incivility are explored as well as methods for prevention and reduction. Because academic dishonesty is becoming more prevalent, cheating and plagiarism are…

We have developed a set of tools for improving online collaborative learning including an automated expert that monitors and moderates discussions, and additional tools to evaluate contributions, semantically search all posted comments, access a library of hundreds of digital books and provide reports to instructors. The technology behind these…

The paper analyzes the globally recognized cultural move towards a more learner-centred education and discusses the implications for the adoption of mobile technologies and design for learning. Current expectations vis-a-vis learner attributes, skills and competences are explored. The pervasiveness of mobile technologies is precipitating these…

The release of free resources by the education sector has led to reconsideration of how the open approach implied by Open Educational Resources (OER) impacts on the educator and the learner. However this work has tended to consider the replication of standard campus based approaches and the characteristics of content that will encourage other…

In this study, the effect of web-based homework on university students' physics achievement was compared. One of the two identical sections of introductory physics course students received pen-and-paper homework done in groups while the other received web-based online homework performed individually. And then both groups' homework performance and…

Purpose: This paper aims to present an alternative and critical view of online learning for and by HRD professionals. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is positioned as a conceptual reflection regarding practical implications not frequently considered with regard to implementing online learning systems. Findings: This paper contends that…

Over the past ten years, a significant increase in courses and programs taught through distance education technologies has occurred both in non-for-profit and for-profit colleges and universities. During this time, there have been many successes and failures. The researchers hypothesize that the marginal success and/or failure occurs due to…

Analyzing the contradictory relation between a media-theoretical and a media-pedagogical point of view, some basic problems regarding a new learning culture using Web 2.0 online tools are discussed. Against this background, data and findings from an empirical investigation (evaluation of an in-service teacher training e-learning project…

This article is based on a constructively critical analysis of the "community of inquiry" model developed by Garrison and Anderson (2003) as part of their "e-learning" research. The authors claim that certain collaborative interactions create "distant presence" fostering the emergence of a "community of…

With a rapid increase in the number of people who own a handheld device, such as an iPod, education researchers and administrators started looking for a way to use a handheld device to foster student learning. However, the current use of a mobile device in education is quite limited. With few exceptions, it is mostly used as a simple media player…

This study describes the design, implementation, and analysis of three related surveys launched to investigate E-Learning in undergraduate humanities classes at a public technological research university. Examined are the independent variables of learning style, general expectation, and interaction. The surveys were administered in the summer of…

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of an online reading teacher and literacy instructor training program. A mixed-method research design was used in conjunction with the improvement-focused model of program evaluation to help the researcher identify strengths and weaknesses of the program. Overall, data showed the…

This article describes a case study of a group of ten 14-year-old students who engaged with an online extended-learning project as an extracurricular activity for about 6 months. The students were physically located in Australia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. The facilitation and online learning made use of a progressive pedagogy that moved…