This book is the first comprehensive and integrated guide to online education. It systematically presents all aspects of the emerging “big picture” of online education, providing a broad range of information and insights from online experts, learners, teachers, developers and researchers. The book introduces readers to online education and reveals its potential for bringing about a paradigm shift in education. It describes avenues for increasing the value of the online education medium and examines techniques for improving the online student experience. It also offers a wealth of real-world examples and experiences and shares recommendations on how to improve them, provided by students, teachers, developers, and researchers. Accordingly, the book equips readers – including online learners, teachers, researchers, developers, and administrators – to optimally participate in and contribute to current and future online education advances.

This book is to explores a variety of facets of online learning environments to understand how learning occurs and succeeds in digital contexts and what teaching strategies and technologies are most suited to this format. Business, health, government and education are some of the core sectors of society which have been experiencing deep transformations due to a generalized digitalization. While these changes are not novel, the swift progress of technology and the rising complexity of digital environments place a focus on the need for further research and novel strategies. In the context of education, the promise of increased flexibility and broader access to educational resources is impelling much of higher education’s course offerings to online environments. The 21st century learner requires an education that can be pursued anytime and anywhere and that is more aligned with the demands of a digital society. Online education not only assists students to success-fully integrate a workforce that is increasingly digital, but it helps them to become more comfortable with the use of technology in general and, hence, more prepared to be prolific digital citizens. The variety of settings portrayed in this volume attest to the unlimited opportunities afforded by online learning and serve as valuable evidence of its benefit for students’ educational experience. Moreover, these research efforts assist a more comprehensive reflection about the delivery of higher education in the context of online settings.

This timely volume documents the immediate, global impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on teaching and learning in higher education. Focusing on student and faculty experiences of online and distance education, the text provides reflections on novel initiatives, unexpected challenges, and lessons learned. Responding to the urgent need to better understand online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, this book investigates how the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) impacted students, faculty, and staff experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. Chapters initially look at the challenges faced by universities and educators in their attempts to overcome the practical difficulties involved in developing effective online programming and pedagogy. The text then builds on these insights to highlight student experiences and consider issues of social connection and inequality. Finally, the volume looks forward to asking what lessons COVID-19 can offer for the future development of online and distance learning in higher education. This engaging volume will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in online teaching and eLearning, curriculum design, and more, specifically those involved with the digitalization of higher education. The text will also support further discussion and reflection around pedagogical transformation, international teaching and learning, and educational policy more broadly.

This book is the first comprehensive and integrated guide to online education. It systematically presents all aspects of the emerging “big picture” of online education, providing a broad range of information and insights from online experts, learners, teachers, developers and researchers. The book introduces readers to online education and reveals its potential for bringing about a paradigm shift in education. It describes avenues for increasing the value of the online education medium and examines techniques for improving the online student experience. It also offers a wealth of real-world examples and experiences and shares recommendations on how to improve them, provided by students, teachers, developers, and researchers. Accordingly, the book equips readers – including online learners, teachers, researchers, developers, and administrators – to optimally participate in and contribute to current and future online education advances.

Online learning and teaching (e –learning) is a rapidly developing area in modern universities. This book examines the relevant theory, and drawing on the authors experience, offers teachers in higher education realistic options for developing this area of their teaching practice.

Technology plays a vital role in bridging the digital divide and enhancing student learning both in and outside of the classroom. This is possible thanks to the successful use of educational online technologies and other new teaching resources being integrated into learning environments. Advanced Online Education and Training Technologies is an essential reference source that explores student and teacher learning through various online platforms. Featuring research on topics such as professional development in the twenty-first century and cultural differences in online learning environments, this book is ideally designed for educators, students, academicians, and other education professionals seeking coverage on enhanced student learning through technology-based learning tools.