This paper reviews the foundational literature of contemporary e-learning, with a focus on scaffolding, instructional design, and engagement. These concepts are then considered in two limited case studies, each involving e-learning and adult learners--in particular, nurse-learners. The first case study describes the use of a scaffolding model…

The convenience and flexibility of online learning clearly make it an attractive option for learners in professional development contexts. There is less clarity, however, about how it fares as a vehicle for enabling the applied, practice-oriented outcomes typically associated with professional development learning. This paper presents a case study…

Cultural awareness is a concept that is gaining much attention in health and education settings across North America. This article describes how the concepts of cultural awareness shaped the process and the curriculum of an online health education project called Interprofessional Collaboration: Culturally-informed Aboriginal Health Care. The…

This article explores the similarities and differences between Canadian and Australian university teachers' face-to-face and online teaching approaches and philosophies. It presents perspectives on teaching face-to-face and online in two comparable Canadian and Australian universities, both of which offer instruction in these two modes. The key…

Historically, nursing education has recognized that writing enhances critical thinking, the basis of the clinical reasoning process. The online learning recently adopted by Nursing involves considerable writing, which may enhance critical thinking more than face-to-face courses. In the study reported here, the critical thinking and writing…

This article explores the effectiveness of writing to help nurse-learners develop critical thinking in an asynchronous, online learning environment. The formal written assignments of students in an online nursing health assessment program were analyzed for evidence of critical thinking according to Johns' Model of Structured Reflection (Johns,…

Blended learning is a promising model for supporting teacher professional development that combines the advantages of traditional face-to-face interaction with the flexibility of online learning. In this study, we examine the impact of two one-year blended learning programs on teachers' attitudes, knowledge, and classroom practices. These…

This article describes an institutional course redesign initiative in terms of leadership, support, and preliminary findings, based on the Inquiry Through Blended Learning (ITBL) program created to support faculty engaging in blended course redesign. Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry framework has been adapted to a…

It has often been suggested that education via the Internet, or e-learning, leads to a sense of separation in individual learners; this need not be the case. Teaching is a relationship: a relationship that is built on a connection between teaching and learner, between learner and learner, and between the learners and the content. What then is the…

This article explores the meaning of the scholarship of teaching and learning and describes how the concept has evolved over time. It then discusses how the scholarship of teaching and learning might contribute to developing effective online learning and, reciprocally, how online learning might change and advance the scholarship of teaching and…

Teaching and learning strategies for using course management systems have evolved from basic "fill in the blank" models to interactive designs that encourage multi-formatted individual contributions and collaborative forms of learning. In keeping with the participatory development of online resources, web-based courses are shifting from…

Technology-enhanced knowledge mobilization can be extremely useful for helping practicing professionals keep abreast of research and development efforts in their field. The initiative described in this paper encourages collaboration among university and community partners to effectively use online learning and communications technology for…

Research on student assessment in online environments has not been extensive, although manuals for instructors provide broad guidelines and specific procedures. In this article we review the most frequently reported approaches to online assessment in postsecondary settings, giving particular attention to systems for assessing the quality of…

A study of registered nurses participating in an Internet-based cardiac education program included analysis of online discussion forums. Comments about evidence-based theory and discipline-specific wiring indicated that the environment facilitated online scholarly discourse. Interactions provided moral, technical, and academic support to…

A study of 15 graduate students in distance education applied a transition model charting changes in their coping responses throughout the program and assessed their perceptions of institutional support. Coping moved slowly from stress management to problem solving. Ability to cope was related to perceptions that the institution acknowledged their…