Systematically analyzes and assesses the costs of information technology for teaching and learning in a series of 14 essays. The essays also explore how the increased use of IT is transforming higher educaiton and how IT can be used in different ways to teach different kinds of problems.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the organizational models of distance and online learning from an international perspective and from the point of view of economic planning, costing and management decision-making. The book points to directions for the further research and development in this area, and will promote further understandin

Online Distance Education: Towards a Research Agenda offers a systematic overview of the major issues, trends, and areas of priority in online distance education research. In each chapter, an international expert or team of experts provides an overview of one timely issue in online distance education, summarizing major research on the topic, discussing theoretical insights that guide the research, posing questions and directions for future research, and discussing the implications for distance education practice as a whole. Intended as a primary reference and guide for distance educators, researchers, and policymakers, Online Distance Education addresses aspects of distance education practice that have often been marginalized, including issues of cost and economics, concerns surrounding social justice, cultural bias, the need for faculty professional development, and the management and growth of learner communities. At once soundly empirical and thoughtfully reflective, yet also forward-looking and open to new approaches to online and distance teaching, this text is a solid resource for researchers in a rapidly expanding discipline.

"Neither an academic tome nor a prescriptive 'how to' guide, The Theory and Practice of Online Learning is an illuminating collection of essays by practitioners and scholars active in the complex field of distance education. Distance education has evolved significantly in its 150 years of existence. For most of this time, it was an individual pursuit defined by infrequent postal communication. But recently, three more developmental generations have emerged, supported by television and radio, teleconferencing, and computer conferencing. The early 21st century has produced a fifth generation, based on autonomous agents and intelligent, database-assisted learning, that has been referred to as Web 2.0. The second edition of "The Theory and Practice of Online Learning" features updates in each chapter, plus four new chapters on current distance education issues such as connectivism and social software innovations."--BOOK JACKET.

This volume highlights existing issues in online courses and programs and provides strategies for addressing them as the demand for online education continues to grow. Organizational changes caused by greater reliance on technology for teaching and learning are still not fully understood, and many colleges continue to react to change rather than positioning themselves to take advantage of it. As a challenge to that, contributors to this volume use personal narratives and research to discuss how online education continues to lead to organizational, professional, and personal change. Community colleges are at the forefront of the tremendous growth in online programs. Two-year colleges now serve more than half of all online students, and they are poised for continued growth as more adults seek education and retraining. Despite the acceptance, and even expectation, of online services and programs in education, colleges must address existing issues before expanding these. This volume is an indispensable resource in that process. This is the 150th volume of the Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series New Directions for Community Colleges. Essential to the professional libraries of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, New Directions for Community Colleges provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.

Distance Learning and University Effectiveness: Changing Educational Paradigms for Online Learning addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs) as related to education. From discussing new and innovative educational paradigms and learning models resulting from ICTs to addressing future student needs and international issues, this book provides comprehensive coverage of the paradigm, teaching, technology and other changes that may be required of universities to remain in the new competitive marketplace of online learning.

"This comprehensive, six-volume collection addresses all aspects of online and distance learning, including information communication technologies applied to education, virtual classrooms, pedagogical systems, Web-based learning, library information systems, virtual universities, and more. It enables libraries to provide a foundational reference to meet the information needs of researchers, educators, practitioners, administrators, and other stakeholders in online and distance learning"--Provided by publisher.