The most defining characteristic of MOOCs and other massive courses may be their scale. In their popular description, in the pedagogical and technological approach, in course operation, and in impact, the scale of the course is always foremost in mind. Beyond changes in scale, there are challenges and opportunities to adapt the new techniques in a…

The authors describe progress at King Khalid University (KKU) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in developing and implementing a user-centered road map for teaching and learning, with pervasive e-learning as a core element. They named the approach "Invisible" e-learning. As part of it, they are investigating ways to capture and share…

East Carolina University recently hosted the first Virtual Worlds in Education Conference, a meeting held entirely in Second Life. The conference provided 135 faculty and administrators from around the world the ability to communicate and share their experiences on teaching, learning, and technology support in an online, multi-user virtual…

OpenCourseWare (OCW) is one among several models for offering open educational resources (OER). This article explains the OCW model and its position within the broader OER context. OCW primarily represents publication of existing course materials already in use for teaching purposes. OCW projects are most often institutional, carrying the…

Flowcharting is combined with Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) to yield PER-flo, a flowchart that is calibrated in some dimension, usually temporal, with the accomplishment of a goal. The illustrative model provided is a research project guidance vehicle prepared for psychology students. (RAO)

The technology for information organization, communication, storage, and use today is the book. It has evolved over 3000 years (in its modern form over 500 years) to the mature object we currently enjoy. The book is now the primary technology used in education. But with the development of the computer and the Web, a new electronic information…

Guidelines for securing and maintaining local funding for computer-related projects include suggestions in the areas of establishing and maintaining project/school board relationships, encountering social and political factors, and defining guidelines for project implementation. Successes and failures of the MICA project are provided as…

Defines return on investment (ROI); describes the individual articles included in this special section of the journal which focuses on the process of ROI in organizations. Together, this collection of articles displays a wide variety of views about the necessity for ROI and the quality and quantity of its use. (AEF)

Offers educational practitioners direction for the development of a master plan for the implementation and application of computer-based educational technology by briefly examining computers in education, discussing organizational change from a theoretical perspective, and presenting an overview of the planning strategy known as the planning and…

Discusses recommendations made by the Expert Panel on Educational Technology, questions how they should be used, and examines the quality of the framework for use as a formative assessment instrument. Considers the focus on schooling and student learning; its use as a national evaluation tool; and its use to develop programs, not just evaluate…

Describes focus of current vocational training programs and provides an overview of their effectiveness, as well as the status of the deaf in the world of work. A process for developing such programs, and the job placement history of graduates of such programs at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf are also discussed. (RAO)

A planning model for the identification of components, activities, and tasks in educational programs and problem solving situations is described. (RAO)

Presents issues concerning return on investment (ROI) and its use in education and training. Discussion includes building a feasible ROI process; criteria for an effective ROI process; a practical model for ROI, which includes preliminary evaluation, data collection, isolating program effects, converting data to monetary values, tabulating program…

Examines popular approaches to performance and organizational improvement to see what flaws they contain and how continued practice will impede progress. Discusses benchmarking; quality management/continuous improvement; needs assessment; training; downsizing; reengineering; system(s) approach; and strategic planning. Describes the Organizational…

Discusses the need to shift from the old models for organizational development to the new methods of quality management and continuous improvement, visions and visioning, and strategic planning, despite inappropriate criticisms they receive. (AEF)