The Chinese National Quality Course Plan is a large-scale project by the Ministry of Education, which has led to the production of more than 12,000 courses from some 700 universities since 2003. This paper describes in detail the purpose of the project and how it is organized at all levels, including how individual courses get selected at…

Serious virtual worlds (SVWs) represent a great opportunity for learning and should embed a lot of high-quality contextualised information so that the player can take the most from his or her exploration of the environment. This requires defining new methodologies and tools for effective production. We have investigated this issue in implementing…

Chinese classrooms, whether on school grounds or online, have long suffered from a lack of interactivity. Many online classes simply provide recorded lectures to which students listen after downloading. This format only reinforces the negative effects of passive non-participatory learning. At the e-Learning Lab of Shanghai Jiaotong University…

Discusses the philosophy underlying the development of "Living with Technology," a new foundation course developed at the Open University. Additionally, a new model of course development is discussed which is designed to evaluate and revise the course in the light of student and tutor feedback. Eight references are listed. (Author/LLS)

Reports on an investigation of information and communications technology (ICT) skills and knowledge needs of teachers working in Scotland that indicated relatively low use of ICT and a number of key issues which have implications for teacher training and development. Suggests that a more holistic approach is required that includes appropriate…

Describes a three-week modular course on training methods that was prepared and run for technical instructors at a telecommunications training institute in Saudi Arabia. Course objectives are reviewed, a tool for identifying the training needs of trainers is discussed, and training development guidelines are described. (Author/LRW)

The Organized Career Orientation Course was written to help Bahraini secondary school leavers prepare for the job market by equipping them with relevant language skills such as note taking and report writing. The strong point of the course is the multi-media input and the fact that it is student-centered. Two learning methods were piloted. Results…

Examines how teachers from Nigerian secondary schools and teacher training colleges select instructional materials. Results of questionnaires and interviews from 89 teachers are analyzed, influences on teachers when selecting materials are described, and implications for instructional design are discussed. (22 references) (LRW)

Describes a CD-ROM containing a resource library for students in an information science/technology course at the Open University (United Kingdom). Development gave rise to several issues: adaptation of print-based content to the electronic medium; development of quality-control methods; and adaptation of staff roles. Feedback from students shows…