The usage of various media methods in distance education shows its historical development path. It is said that AIOU has been using radio and television broadcasts, special textbooks and reading materials for distance education. To assess the level of technology usage and its role in AIOU model, Non-Random, Purposive Sampling, technique was used…

In the field of teaching and learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL), most studies investigate Chinese character learning strategies in pen-and-paper study by campus-based students. With the increase in distance-learning, and expanding popularity of smartphones and tablets and widespread availability of mobile applications for language…

Despite the fact that portability was perceived as one of the major benefits of podcasting as a teaching and learning tool, little evidence has been found of users taking advantage of this feature for academic use. This paper reports on a major study (1886 responses) of iTunes U users. The analysis compares the responses of those participants who…

With the rise of the internet and new communication technologies, language learning has moved beyond the classroom walls. This volume presents a range of important studies on innovative ways for learning languages outside the classroom. Chapters discuss MOOCs in the UK, Belgium, China, and Italy for studying a range of languages, research on new…

The cell phone, now the most widely used medium in Asia, has major educational implications. Most users, however, do not realize the cell phone's potential for education, nor even for the communication functions for which it was originally designed. Most educators still see the computer and the cell phone as unrelated devices, and the tiny cell…

This paper discusses a number of problems associated with distance education methods used in adult education and training fields, including limited opportunities for dialogue and group interaction among students and between students and tutors; the expense of updating and modifying mass-produced print and audiovisual materials; and the relative…

The widespread adoption of information and communications technologies (ICT) in higher education (HE) since the mid 1990s has failed to produce the radical changes in learning and teaching than many anticipated. Activity theory and Rogers' model of the adoption of innovations provide analytic frameworks that help develop our understanding of the…

Two uses of computers for teaching in distance education are compared and contrasted: systems based on structured, pre-programmed learning materials, or computer-assisted learning, where the learner communicates as if with the computer; and systems based on the communications functions of computers, or computer-mediated communications systems…

Patterns of distance education in Nigeria are surveyed in this report, and the level of application of educational technology to enhance learning is addressed. Following an analysis of the concept of distance education and the need for such a system in Nigeria, three patterns of distance education are identified and discussed: those depending…

The Open University is recognized as a model of innovation in higher education, not merely for advances in the use of communications technology, but also for demonstrating the applications of such principles of technology as systems design, division of labor, and management by objectives to the educational tasks of course development, instruction,…

This book contains 14 case studies, written by those involved in the teaching and training initiatives, that illustrate the use of open and distance learning strategies. The case studies, drawn from many parts of the world (but mostly British based), feature efforts in large and small companies in a variety of industries. The first part of the…