Discourse on the value of online instruction continues to prevail in institutions of higher education. Recent evidence points to the relationships among specific learning-style preferences and achievement and attitudes in online versus in-class courses (Cicco, 2007). Academic advisement has been documented as a critical factor in student retention…

There is an increasing impression among online geography educators that interaction can be developed based on specific teaching and learning methods. The authors developed a practical research study to investigate this issue. The study was based on advanced graduate courses in geography at Beijing Normal University and Texas State University.…

A distributed online curriculum and courseware development model (DONC[superscript 2]) is developed and tested in this study. Courseware development teams which may work in different institutions who need to develop high quality, reduced cost, on time products will be the users of DONC[superscript 2]. The related features from the disciplines of…

This article investigates the relationship between policy (conceptualised as goals, values and resources), organisational culture and e-learning use. Through both qualitative and quantitative research methods, we gathered data about staff and student perspectives from four diverse South African universities representing a selection of ICT in…

Developing interactive history learning materials to facilitate historical thinking is one of the challenges in history teaching and learning. This study developed a web-based history educational system, which has used the acronym HES-SPATO (history educational system based on SPATO), to increase the understandability of history learning…

We designed an e-learning model to promote critical thinking about basic science topics in online communities of students during work placements in higher education. To determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the model we explored the online discussions in two case studies. We evaluated the quantity of the interactions by looking at…

Our full-year capstone design course, "Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Design Methodology and Application," focuses on both design methodology and design application. We redesigned the course to more effectively prepare students for the "application" aspect of design. The approach was essentially to implement a short…

As online education has grown rapidly, colleges and universities have developed various approaches to effectively evaluating and coaching faculty. Faculty performance is central to student success and faculty need feedback that is consistent, constructive and illustrative. Through the use of screen recording technology, academic department chairs…

Driven by a variety of factors, online learning has continued to grow at an unprecedented rate. A Sloan Foundation report issued in January of 2010 indicated that in 2009, 4.6 million students took at least one online class, an increase in 17% over 2008. Graduate business education, and more specifically, Master of Business Administration (MBA)…

This practical guide is essential for anyone new to or intimidated by online instruction. It distills the wisdom of veteran instructors and program directors who have successfully navigated the transition from face-to-face classroom teaching to the online learning environment. Chapters cover all the bases from skills assessment to instructional…

The primary purpose of this study is to determine how students are impacted by the use of Classroom Response System (CRS) technology. This research explores the nature of the outcomes experienced by students and their perceptions on the leading pedagogy and practices for using CRS technology in the classroom. The research is both quantitative and…

The increased growth of online instruction has been well documented by various studies. As the result of the proliferation of online instruction, students from outside of the United States are now able to obtain an American education without having to leave their home country. While online course designs have been well researched and documented to…

The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot test a methodology to determine the relative importance and presence of constructivist elements in online learning classes. A case study method was used to assess the effectiveness of four key constructivist elements: knowledge construction, collaborative learning, authentic learning and…

Technology has brought tremendous advancements in online education, spurring transformations in online pedagogical practices. Online learning in the past was passive, using the traditional teacher-centred approach. However, with the tools available today, it can be active, collaborative, and meaningful. A well-developed task can impel learners to…

This paper describes the development of a first-year chemical engineering course over 5 years through action research based on evidence from student feedback. As a result of this research, the course has evolved into a blended approach which incorporates problem based learning (PBL) and online learning tools. Through the use of PBL, the students…