The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that affect students' participation in the online learning environment (OLE) for distance learning students of mathematics at the Open Learning University of Hong Kong (OUHK) and to find out the suggestions that can improve students' use of the OLE. A questionnaire was designed to survey to…

This paper presents the challenges involved in designing a full set of online tutorial materials for a beginners' Spanish course for distance language learners utilising an online audiographic conferencing VLE for synchronous oral interaction. Although much has been written about task design and task-based learning and teaching (TBLT) in language…

This paper examines the practice of online discussion in a course specially tailored for in-service teachers who are pursuing their basic degree qualification at a teacher training institute. Analyses of postings to the asynchronous electronic discussion group were made according to the type of postings as proposed by Poole (2000). Four focus…

This paper discusses some of the major issues in the operation of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The paper presents a brief development of the concept of distance education in Nigeria and the development of flexible open distance learning through the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The paper also…

Discusses the adoption of online instruction for distance education in the context of the Open University of Hong Kong. Academic and non-academic services that can be offered online are described. The importance and benefits of instituting electronic tutorials are addressed, including time savings, peer interactivity, and student/tutor…

This study investigated the kinds of dialogic behavior engaged in by students while studying a difficult physics course at the Open University, UK. Research objectives were twofold: (1) to document what dialogue types, mediated through which resources, were utilized by students to overcome conceptual difficulties that emerged while reading the…

Discusses the history, principles, culture, and teaching approaches of the United Kingdom Open University and its Business School (OUBS). Focuses on management students and the OUBS's position in a dynamic and competitive MBA market place. Discusses computer-mediated conferencing (CMC) and the role of OUBS tutors. Reports key findings from a study…

In contemporary society, information technologies and communication technologies (ICTs) are playing crucial role in dissemination of knowledge and information the world over. Universities/ higher education institutions, particularly distance education universities in developed countries are making best use of these technologies for effective and…

This paper describes how information and communication technology (ICT) is used in the modular Open University course "T209 Information and Communication Technologies: People and Interactions", first presented in 2002. In this course ICT is used to provide students with practical experience and to support an active and collaborative approach to…

This paper describes a qualitative study of asynchronous electronic conferencing by three tutorial groups on the same postgraduate course ("Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Worldwide"), forming part of an MA in Applied Linguistics (via Distance Education) at the Open University, UK. The groups varied in the degree to which…

Formerly known as the AB Learning Institute, the University of ABC (ABCU), was established by the ABC Government in 1989. ABCU offers courses leading to numerous academic qualifications through the distance education mode using mainly print based materials that are supplemented by audio, video, computer assisted elements, and increasingly, the…

This article discusses a framework for the development of tasks in a synchronous online environment used for language learning and teaching. It shows how a theoretical approach based on second language acquisition (SLA) principles, sociocultural and constructivist theories, and concepts taken from research on multimodality and new literacies, can…

In order to respond to learners' need for more flexible speaking opportunities and to overcome the geographical challenge of students spread over the United Kingdom and continental Western Europe, the Open University recently introduced Internet-based, real-time audio conferencing, thus making a groundbreaking move in the distance learning and…

Discusses the results of an interview survey of 21 students enrolled in an Open University (Great Britain) course with a resource-based structure. The study examined use of CD-ROM materials, use of computer-mediated-communication as an information source, use of the Internet, and attitudes toward resource-based learning. (PEN)

This book contains a collection of examples of new and effective uses of the World Wide Web in education from the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi) at the Open University (Great Britain). The publication is organized in three main sections--"Learning Media,""Collaboration and Presence," and "Knowledge Systems on the…