This article is a presentation of a new mode of blended learning whose only goal is to enrich the quality of instruction in the face-to-face classroom through the simultaneous delivery of online and face-to-face components. Encapsulated presentation is the delivery of the entire presentation phase of a lesson in the classroom by electronic methods…

Purpose: The aim of this article is to present the development-oriented Master's curriculum "Global Studies" (GS) at the University of Graz, Austria, as an example of interdisciplinary academic training with the purpose of fostering inter-"cultural" understanding. It aims to show that scientific disciplines can be understood as…

This paper is drawn from a doctoral thesis (Rosa, 2008) that examines the relations established between the construction of online identities and the teaching and learning of the definite integral concept in an online learning course. The role-playing game (RPG) is played out through chat and calls for the creation of characters (online…

This article discusses relations between happiness and higher education in the age of information, focusing on the need for the university to pursue happiness. Three questions are addressed. First, why should higher education pursue happiness? Second, what are the shapes and characteristics of higher education in the information age? Third, what…

The traditional model of college is changing, and universities around the country are scrambling to adapt. More students are attending classes online, studying part time, taking courses from multiple universities, and jumping in and out of colleges. Online learning is one of the fastest growing trends in educational technology. About one third of…

Automated assessment systems can be useful for both students and instructors. Ranking and immediate feedback can have a strongly positive effect on student learning. This paper presents an experience using automatic assessment in a programming tools course. The proposal aims at extending the traditional use of an online judging system with a…

Purpose: The prevalence of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in higher education is well documented and has been promoted in the UK by government funded projects, but there has been little empirical research on the level of involvement of subject librarians with VLEs. A survey was designed to investigate how VLEs are affecting the work of…

This article explores different forms of openness and closure in two knowledge communities: the fictional world of Castalia in Hermann Hesse's great work "The Glass Bead Game", and the twenty-first-century cyberspatial universe of Wikipedia. These two worlds differ in some important respects, but they also share a number of educationally…

Becoming more global is a familiar refrain for many a school administrator or curriculum developer wrestling with delivering 21st century skills. Over the past decade, districts have expanded their foreign language programs, added Mandarin Chinese to the mix, and in some cases launched language immersion classes in their elementary schools. Others…

Mobile learning--the use of mobile devices for educational purposes by students--is rapidly moving from an experimental initiative by a few innovative districts over the last five years to a broadly accepted concept in K12. The latest research and surveys, results of pilot programs, and analysis of trends in both public education and the broader…

We present in this study the significance and impacts of an innovative e-HO as a holistic and horizontal platform complementary to e-Learning to help realize transdisciplinary learning and foster integration of knowledge in higher education. A comprehensive investigation of a survey conducted among 647 university students for e-HO is presented…

Foreign sign language instruction is an important, but overlooked area of study. Thus the purpose of this paper was two-fold. First, the researcher sought to determine the level of knowledge and interest in foreign sign language among Deaf teenagers along with their learning preferences. Results from a survey indicated that over a third of the…

This study examined the encoding specificity principle in relation to traditional and computer-based note taking and assessment formats in higher education. Students (N = 79) took lecture notes either by hand (n = 40) or by computer (n = 39) and then completed either a computer or a paper-based assessment. When note taking and assessment formats…

There is an increased focus on student engagement and blended approaches to learning in higher education. This article demonstrates how collaborative learning applications and a blended approach to learning can be used to design and support assessment activities that increase levels of student engagement with course concepts, their peers, faculty…

The School of Continuing Teacher Education (SCTE) in South Africa delivers an Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) Learner Support Programme to Open Distance Learning (ODL) students in Namibia, a developing sub-Saharan African country. This paper examines the experiences of student-teachers using DVDs included in the tutorial package. Fifteen…