This book investigates the ways in which new developments in areas of language teaching practice, such policymaking, planning, methodology and the use of educational technology spread globally and are adopted, rejected or adapted locally.

"Transmergent learning" is a macro instructional strategy that increases the likelihood of exceptional educational experiences, where creativity and innovation reign. By blending the principles of transformational experiences with evolutionary and emergent properties of complexity theory, instructional designers are able to craft an…

This article is a report of the steps followed in the pedagogical intervention of project work developed with a group of students involved in a virtual program at a public Colombian University. It is part of a wider investigation in which the purpose was to explore and describe the roles of teachers, students and discussion boards while…

We describe a study conducted during 2008-2009 that investigated three issues relating to the use of streamed video recordings of classes by students at the University of the Highlands and Islands. We investigated (i) the pattern of use of the resource, (ii) the student experience and (iii) the impact of watching the streamed classes on learning…

This article utilizes Rogers' innovation-decision process model (2003) and Beckman and Berry's innovation process model (2007) to create an innovative learning map that illustrates three learning methods (i.e., face-to-face learning, online learning, and blended learning) in two types of innovation (i.e., incremental innovation and radical…

In recent years, several economic factors have led to an increase in the number of hybrid courses offered in foreign language departments at the postsecondary level in the U. S. Hybrid courses incorporate several technological applications not typically used in a traditional face-to-face course. Hybrid courses combine contact time in a traditional…

Nearly 60 percent of incoming community college students are unprepared for college-level work and must take at least one pre-college, "developmental" course, usually in math or English, before enrolling in any credit-bearing classes toward a degree. Within developmental education, students are most likely to need help with mathematics,…

The following paper examined the effects of a new method of teaching for remedial mathematics, named the hybrid model of instruction. Due to increasing importance of high stakes testing, the study sought to determine if this method of instruction, that blends traditional teaching and problem-based learning, had different learning effects on…

In this study, positioning theory was used as a theoretical framework for analyzing facilitator presence and identity in online discussion transcripts. The study has two purposes. First, the study provides a description of naturally occurring facilitator positioning by facilitators and students in two online and two blended classes. Second, it…

To date researchers have had difficulty establishing reliable conclusions in studies comparing traditional forms of learning (eg paper-based or classroom based) vs online learning in relation to student learning outcomes; no consistent results have emerged, and many studies have not been controlled for factors other than lesson mode. This paper…

This article focuses on a blended learning curriculum development project, in which a student was "prospectively" engaged with teacher educators in developing resources designed to increase support for academic reading. Curriculum development took place at the University of Hertfordshire School of Education through the Change Academy for…

The paradigm shift to engaged and collaborative learning delivered via distance education technologies has been led by practitioners in adult and continuing education. Online and blended courses are experiencing increased demand and continued growth at all levels of higher education, professional development, and K-12 education. Adult and…

Computer-based instruction in kindergarten classrooms can be controversial, but one Los Angeles charter school is showing promising results and plans to expand the hybrid approach. The school conducted an experiment with a teaching method called blended learning, in which students learn from computers as well as teachers. The kindergarten…

This study investigated the effect of time on the development of a community of inquiry by examining an online course offered over two different time periods. The study was guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, "The Internet and Higher Education" 2000; 2(2-3): 87-105). The focus was on a graduate level…

This paper describes the findings of an exploratory, qualitative case study and examines problems and impediments faculty members encountered in blended learning environments in Turkish Higher Education system. A total of 117 faculty members from 4 universities responded to 8 interview questions. Findings were based on content analyses of…