The proliferation of Internet-based networks linking small schools in rural communities in some countries challenges the appropriateness of teaching exclusively in the closed environments of traditional classrooms. The development of Internet-based school networks, facilitating the creation of virtual classes, has implications for the professional…

The author of this commentary states that, except for the scale, there is little novel about Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) because distance teaching courses have featured the same elements for many years. He notes the extreme view that MOOCs will destroy established universities, but asserts that this is a variation on doomsday predictions…

The proliferation of Internet-based networks linking small schools in rural communities in some countries challenges the appropriateness of teaching exclusively in the closed environments of traditional classrooms. The development of Internet-based school networks, facilitating the creation of virtual classes, has implications for the professional…

This paper explores the idea of open education, focusing specifically on the concept of openness. Previous discussions of open education are reviewed, using Knox's discussion of "unfreedoms" as a critical lens. Contrasts are then drawn with the concept of "flexibility", to illustrate ways in which openness could be developed.…

Open Educational Resources (OER) and OpenCourseWare (OCW) target barriers of education and learning by sharing knowledge for free to benefit self-learners, educators, and students. This study aims to investigate the use of OER both as a supplementary resource for a traditional course and as a resource for self-learners. First, the attitudes and…

Much of the literature and the academic discussion about institutional strategic planning of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) has been centred on the U.S. context. Literature on MOOCs in Europe is still developing and just recently some empirical studies were conducted. However, these studies are not comparable, and it is hard to learn about…

Distributed learning is derived from the concept of distributed resources. Different institutions around the globe connected through network and the learners are diverse, located in the different cultures and communities. Distributed learning provides global standards of quality to all learners through synchronous and asynchronous communications…

The paper explores the role of Open Access (in licensing, publishing and sharing research data) and Open Educational Resources within Distance Education, with a focus on the context of the University of London International Programmes. We report on a case study where data were gathered from librarians and programme directors relating to existing…

As long as students use Web 2.0 tools extensively for social purposes, there is an opportunity to improve students' engagement in Higher Education by using these tools for academic purposes under a Personal Learning Environment approach (PLE 2.0). The success of these attempts depends upon the reactions and acceptance of users towards e-learning…

Value-based delivery of healthcare has been discussed in the literature for almost a decade. The concept focuses on the patient and defines value as the improvement of patient outcomes divided by healthcare costs. Further refinements, called the Triple Aim model, focus on improving patient outcomes, reducing treatment costs, and improving patient…

After realizing that the traditional modes of tuition in Zimbabwe's andragogy had either gone obsolete or over-crowded, BUSE ventured into a "virtualised" model of open and distance learning as a way of out-doing other competing universities. However, as the programme was rolled out, there came a myriad of challenges affecting the…

In 2012-2013, the massive open online course (MOOC) approach has been accepted by universities around the world, and outsourcing companies have been launched to provide the infrastructure for it. Current press and blog coverage of the MOOC trend is examined and the range of reactions to it, most of them enthusiastic. MOOCs vary in their…

Education is considered a priority sector in Bangladesh and a means of socio-economic development by all citizens -- urban and rural, rich and poor. This attitude has created a demand for education which traditional systems have been unable to cope with, mainly in three ways -- they cannot reach the massive and circumstantial unreached and the…

Policies play a critical role in the implementation of open, distance education and opening up higher education. To encourage participation of different stakeholders in related practices, policies may need to embody values and benefits for those stakeholders. It is in this perspective that this study was conducted to investigate the policy…

Management of time and workload is influenced by the quality of awareness of impacting factors. Faculty has to attend to many responsibilities, with technology in teaching a recent but game-changing impacting factor. This article is a case study which explores the metacognitive awareness of the impact of technology on teaching, learning and…