Although it has yet to make a major impact on education and training in the United Kingdom, interest in eLearning is growing. To facilitate eLearning, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is usually employed containing four main elements: courseware (self study learning materials, simulations, multimedia components); supporting materials…

The Maryland Department of Education formed a panel--known as the Visionary Panel--of educators and citizens to review the record of Maryland's public schools during the 1990s and to fashion a vision to make them better. The panel was aided by seven task forces, each with a specific focus: accountability, achievement gap, assessment, leadership,…

Until the nation's educational-research base improves, American students will never learn as much as they might and American schools will never be as good as they can be. Those are the conclusions of this white paper, a report of 5 years of analysis and ongoing discussion with parents, teachers, administrators, and researchers by the National…

This report explores, in particular, the educational R&D systems in two countries, England and New Zealand, both members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). OECD review teams have been assessing the effectiveness of the educational R&D systems in these two countries in developing and applying usable…

To travel is one of the greatest ways to learn about the world. It is the "getting there" that provides the learning experience, not so much as the destination itself. Education is also a journey, one that should last a lifetime, but for many students today, it is one that lasts only as long as they are in the classroom. In such short…

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how an evaluation framework was developed and implemented in order to support goals of an e-learning university. The paper discusses the aim of assessment to support institution-wide e-learning goals, the benefits and challenges of this approach to assessing the development of content for e-learning, a…

This book describes the current state of developments in distance education and distributed learning. The volume brings together some of the leading contemporary contributors in the areas of educational technology and distance education. Topics covered include research and evaluation in distance education, online communities, faculty productivity,…

A number of educational and societal trends are analyzed for their potential impact on the practice of distance education. The trends reflect the various ideologies and values currently found within professional communities and publics at large. How the various trends push and pull in different directions, and how they may lead to alternative…

During the three years of the business plan presented in this report, Lethbridge Community College (Canada) will aggressively build on its strengths and pursue new opportunities as it achieves five major goals: (1) increase enrollments to 5,000 FLE by 2005; (2) enhance student learning through effective and innovative curricula, learning…

This paper describes case studies of 15 schools in one Canadian province that have been involved in a national project directed at the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into teaching and learning. By focusing on a specific change related to the integration of ICT, the research explored two primary questions: (1) What…

To guide districts through the process of creating workable technology plans, the Massachusetts Department of Education developed a set of benchmark standards that can be viewed as goals for districts to achieve by the year 2003. Based on findings from the most recent "Tech Plan Updates," the Department's online data collection system,…

This monograph was designed to provide a comprehensive and enlightened view of the community college as it faces complicated new demands. It offers articles written by community college professionals, including the following: (1) "A Journey of Discovery" by Albert L. Lorenzo; (2) "Organizational Readiness: Middle Age and the Middle Way" by Cindy…

Based on the argument that there is only one universal good and all other moral goods are cultural and relative, this book develops the position that adult education is a site within which human morality is worked out. Chapter 1 inquires into education as a practical activity, the educational, and the nature of educational knowledge. Chapter 2…

On September 7, 1929, the Hon. Harvey Parnell, Governor of the State of Arkansas, addressed a request to Dr. William John Cooper, United States Commissioner of Education, asking that the United States Office of Education "... make or cause to be made, under its supervision and direction, a survey of the State-supported institutions of higher…

Amartya Sen defined development as the creation of capabilities or capacities. One of the crucial capacities is basic education. With no access to writing, reading and numeracy, people are unable to fight against poverty and to build their lives in the current global environment. In this perspective, the right to education cannot be conceived only…