Learning at a distance and learning online are growing in scale and importance in higher education, presenting opportunities for large scale, inclusive, flexible and engaging learning. These modes of learning swept the world in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The many challenges of providing effective education online and remotely have been acknowledged, particularly by those who rapidly jumped into online and distance education during the crisis.This volume, edited by the University of London’s Centre for Online and Distance Education, addresses the practice and theory of online and distance education, building on knowledge and expertise developed in the University over some 150 years. The University is currently providing distance transnational education to around 50,000 students in more than 180 countries around the world. Throughout the book, contributors explore important principles and highlight successful practices in areas including course design and pedagogy, online assessment, open education, inclusive practice, and enabling student voice. Case studies illustrate prominent issues and approaches. Together, the chapters offer current and future leaders and practitioners a practical, productive, practice- and theory-informed account of the present and likely future state of online and distance higher education worldwide.

Teaching and Learning Online, Volume 2, provides practical advice from academics, researchers, practitioners and designers who are currently engaged in defining, creating and delivering the increasingly important world of online learning. This powerful guide avoids trends in technology, instead focusing on the articulation and development of the learning theories that underpin the use of technology. Topics covered include: • Theory that informs practice – emerging models and understanding from academia; • Research – new understandings of learning, collaborative sense-making, and learning preferences; • The Practitioner view – real examples from around the world of ground-breaking developments in online learning that are transforming education, adult learning and corporate training; • Guidance for designers and producers – pedagogical advice and skills for a range of people who may have had little exposure to the body of knowledge surrounding learning design; • Looking to the future – what to expect in the next 5 to 10 years and how to prepare to take full advantage of the opportunities that an increasingly connected society will provide for learner-managed learning. The second volume of this bestselling guide addresses key gaps in the available literature including the inequality of access to technologically enabled learning and cutting-edge design issues and pedagogies that will take us into the next decade of eLearning and future Web 3.0+ approaches.

From ancient skills passed down through imitation to the apprentice systems of ancient civilizations and onward to the formal vocational education systems of today, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has existed for thousands of years. It has made significant contributions to society, the economy, and technological advancements throughout the course of human civilization. While the contemporary concepts and principles of TVET have a history of only a few hundred years, the professional and technical talents nurtured by TVET have initiated and completed numerous industrial revolutions, exerting a profound influence on modernization initiatives. High-quality TVET construction is recognized as a crucial driver in promoting global social and economic development. Therefore, as an integral part of the educational system, countries worldwide spare no effort in constructing vocational education systems. Understanding vocational education experiences from around the world can assist each country or region in drawing inspiration when developing their own TVET systems. This book gathers research experiences from various countries and regions in the realms of “Educational Policies and Institutions” and “Curriculum and Instruction”, aiming to offer readers insights from diverse TVET achievements in different contexts and backgrounds.

Many educators and the public are interested in online distance education, in particular Internet-based schooling. The underlying assumption is that this is a new and untested fad in education. This is due in part to a lack of documentation within academia of the early development of online distance education, and, in part, to a shortage of experienced, practicing online schools. On the Internet, one may become confused by the flurry of activity and by the various claims from organizations that they are providing a revolutionary method of instruction--online teaching. Furthermore, many people are unaware of the long and distinguished history of distance education itself that is the root of current day Internet-based schooling. Despite the uncertainty, the public is clearly demanding online distance education. This dissertation helps to resolve these problems. This study fills various needs for the purpose of showing the effective application of online distance education. Educational administrators, teachers, and the public must be assured that online distance teaching is a valid and proven instructional method. Furthermore, administrators and teachers need to know what to expect when planning, operating, and teaching in an online school. Through historical analysis and the presentation of a practicing Internet-based school, this study fills these needs. This dissertation results from fifteen years of independent study and research by the author, combined with professional experience in the field of online distance education, including Internet-based school design and operation. Conclusions result from published studies in distance education; from research conducted in the 1980s concerning publicly available online distance education; and from experience in developing, administrating, and teaching in an international, Internet-based school that has been in continual operation online since 1986. The author concludes that: (1) online distance education has a proven track record; (2) there is continual demand from the global community for Internet-based instruction, as well as a public demand for traditional institutions to accept this nontraditional method of study; and (3) administrators and teachers can economically create and operate an effective Internet-based school that is accessible to and affordable for individual learners using low-cost personal computers.