Purpose: This article aims at presenting a conceptual framework which, theoretically grounded on complexity, provides the basis to conceive of online language courses that intend to respond to the needs of students and society. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is introduced by reflections on distance education and on the paradigmatic view…

Purpose: The current paper focuses on the increasing demand for generic competences both from governments and industries. Despite this fact, there is insufficient awareness and information in education systems on how to equip graduates with appropriate generic competences for the world of work and citizenship. This is even more complicated in…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss performance in postgraduate education in Sweden and Scotland. Drawing on two cases, the paper considers three themes: differences in students' performance by study mode, differences in students' performance by length of study, and finally comparing performance by study mode between modules in…

Purpose: Benchmarking, a method for quality assurance has not been very commonly used in higher education with regard to e-learning. Today, e-learning is an integral part of higher education, and so should also be an integral part of quality assurance systems. However, quality indicators, benchmarks and critical success factors on e-learning have…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a web-based tool that enables the development and provision of learning designs and its reuse and re-contextualization as generative learning objects, aimed at developing educational materials. Design/methodology/approach: The use of learning objects can facilitate the process of production and…

Purpose: One of the major challenges in teacher training programs is the gap between the theory that is presented to pre-service teachers and actual classroom practice. Many researchers, educators, and pre-service teachers have emphasized the difficulty of linking theory and practice in teacher education programs. The purpose of this study is to…

Purpose: This paper seeks to describe and analyse an approach to course design as part of a strategic, technology-inspired, cross-university intervention to widen participation. A curriculum framework was developed for students who wished to make their work the focus of their study and could not readily access current university provision. A…

Purpose: The need to establish more flexible and adaptable university curricula has been recognised as a strategic priority in recent years and has been supported by a number of initiatives including the Curriculum Design and Delivery programme funded by the Joint Information System Committee (JISC) in the UK. The challenges of addressing…

Purpose: This paper aims to report on evaluation studies of principles of course design for interactive multimedia learning materials. Design/methodology/approach: At the Defence Academy of the UK, Cranfield University has worked with military colleagues to produce multimedia learning materials for courses on "Military Knowledge". The courses are…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report student and faculty perceptions from an introductory management information systems course that uses multimedia, specifically streaming video, as a vehicle for teaching students skills in Microsoft Excel and Access. Design/methodology/approach: Student perceptions are captured via a qualitative…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how online discussion can be used in work-integrated learning as a vehicle for students to demonstrate their learning in the workplace and to facilitate collaborative learning where face-to-face classes are not feasible. Design/methodology/approach: The paper evaluates the use of assessable online…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the current trends in and future prospects for distance education in primary, secondary, and higher education in China. Design/methodology/approach: This article reviews relevant literature and cases, and explores the current situation of distance education in China. Findings: The use of…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is two fold. First, it presents the developmental stages and running modes of K12 Online Schools in China. Second, it illustrates online education practice, its current status, and the use of ICT in online schools. The experiences and lessons learned from the development of the K12 Online Schools are presented,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it provides an overview of the demand, capacity and challenges of teacher education in China. Second, it highlights the significant contributions of China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) to teacher education in the last three decades. Finally, it discusses challenges and issues for…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to introduce the overall situation of online teacher training in China, and then to analyze some typical state level e-training projects; second, to describe the problems that most teacher training agencies (TTAs) have. Also, this article presents the background, process and achievement of a…