Distance education and information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been marketed as cost-effective ways to rescue struggling educational institutions in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study uses classroom video analysis and follow-up interviews with teachers, students, and local tutors to analyse…

This paper explores a case of teacher professional development in Botswana where a blended learning solution was attempted. The analysis of the implementation environment reveals deficiencies in policy, schools (workplaces), and training providers. The paper concludes with three recommendations: 1) Schools should support ongoing teacher learning…

Universities are quickly moving from brick and mortar toward online classroom settings. The online setting provides students with increased accessibility and flexibility to attend classes they would normally be unable to attend. Unfortunately, for those students who never attend classes on campus, many campus resources are not accessible. Students…

Lack of accessibility in the design of e-learning courses continues to hinder students with vision impairment. E-learning materials are predominantly vision-centric, incorporating images, animation, and interactive media, and as a result students with acute vision impairment do not have equal opportunity to gain tertiary qualifications or skills…

This paper reports on a study aiming to develop a metadata model for e-learning coordination based on semantic web languages. A survey of e-learning modes are done initially in order to identify content such as phases, activities, data schema, rules and relations, etc. relevant for a coordination model. In this respect, the study looks into the…

It has been an ongoing concern among academicians teaching social sciences to develop a better methodology to ease understanding of students. Since verbal emphasis is at the core of the concepts within such disciplines it has been observed that the adequate or desired level of conceptual understanding of the students to transforms the theories…

On-line collaboration is becoming increasingly common in education and with organisations. It is believed that this can in itself cause stress for collaborators. We believe that in some ways stress can be designed out of on line collaborative exercises through management of the on-line working processes. This paper investigates methods of reducing…

Despite the fact that e-Learning exists for a relatively long time, it is still in its infancy. Current e-Learning systems on the market are limited to technical gadgets and organizational aspects of teaching, instead of supporting the learning. As a result the learner has become deindividualized and demoted to a noncritical homogenous user. One…

"Designing Distributed Learning Environments with Intelligent Software Agents" reports on the most recent advances in agent technologies for distributed learning. Chapters are devoted to the various aspects of intelligent software agents in distributed learning, including the methodological and technical issues on where and how intelligent agents…

"Managing E-Learning Strategies: Design, Delivery, Implementation and Evaluation" provides readers with a broad understanding of the emerging field of e-learning and also advises readers on the issues that are critical to the success of a meaningful e-learning environment. It walks you through the various factors critical to developing, evaluating…

This study examines the benefits and challenges of using distributed learning methods for teaching field practice seminars. Over a 3-year period (2000 through 2002), both in-class and online sections were evaluated in terms of meeting learning objectives and student satisfaction with the learning environment. Due to the small number of students…

This article presents the authors' perspectives on Electronic Collaborative Educational Learning Laboratory (ECELL), an innovative summer school experiment conducted over 5 years from 1997 to 2001. The authors offer a detailed picture of the ECELL as a philosophy of professional development, as an organizing framework, and as a community of…

With the evolution of the World Wide Web, online teaching and learning has gained a tremendous amount of popularity. New Web teaching and learning tools are created at a fast pace to help better address the multitude of teaching and learning styles. Liu and Thompson (1999) found that faculty members are more likely to use a wider variety of…

Teachers should consider using web-based platform, such as WebCT, to enhance their regular face-to-face classes. WebCT and other similar systems offer many benefits to teachers and students in traditional settings. Students can benefit by being able view slides or notes they missed in the regular classroom. They can also benefit from the increased…

Like many other universities around the globe, the University of Calgary is preparing to offer its graduate programs through distance delivery. The MEd TESL program, a course-based master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, offered through the Faculty of Education, is piloting the first of its courses by distance. Designing ESL…