E-learning is at an exciting point in its development; its potential in terms of research is great and its impact on institutional practices is fully recognised. This book defines e-learning as a field of research, highlighting the complex issues, activities and tensions that characterise the area. Written by a team of experienced researchers and commented upon by internationally recognised experts, this book engages researchers and practitioners in critical discussion and debate about the findings emerging from the field and the associated impact on practice. Key topics examined include: access and inclusion the social-cultural contexts of e-learning organisational structures, processes and identities technical aspects of learning research – using tools and resources approaches to learning and teaching practices and associated learning theories designing for e-learning and the management of educational resources professional roles and identities the evolution of e-assessment collaboration, motivation and educational evaluation. Contemporary Perspectives in E-Learning Research provides a synthesis of research, giving readers a grounding in contemporary e-learning scholarship whilst identifying the debates that make it such a lively and fast-moving area. A landmark text in an evolving field, this book will prove invaluable for all researchers, practitioners, policy makers and students who engage with e-learning.

'I would like to enthusiastically recommend The SAGE Handbook of E-Learning Research. An international set of authors have produced a highly readable handbook that covers topics in E-learning research, theory, policy, language and literacy, and design issues. The work draws on multiple perspectives ranging from early work in asynchronous learning networks to community organization in e-learning. This is a large and much needed work that organizes and illuminates issues in E-learning in a way that readers will be able to take away practical advice for their own use. I am quite pleased to see this handbook that provides a very useful organization of knowledge for our field' - John Bourne, Ph.D Professor and Executive Director, The Sloan Consortium (www.sloan-c.org) 'This book is an important contribution to the development of E-learning because its account of the research always begins with the context of learning from which the exploitation of technology can be viewed. The authors help us understand that technology affords new kinds of relationship between the learner and what is learned, and how it is learned. With this rich understanding, the book is able to build the wide-ranging research foundation on which the field can move forward' - Diana Laurillard, Institute of Education, University of London 'A comprehensive and compelling resource that provides a global perspective on a development that is transforming higher education' - David Pilsbury, Chief Executive, Worldwide Universities Network 'Unlike many how-to books on the topic...this work focuses on research for educators and others interested in how technology enhances or diminishes learning. Highly Recommended' - Choice Magazine This handbook provides a state-of-the-art, in-depth account of research in the rapidly expanding field of E-learning. The first of its kind, it provides reviews of over 20 areas in E-learning research by experts in the field, and provides a critical account of the best work to date. The contributors cover the basics of the discipline, as well as new theoretical perspectives. Areas of research covered by the Handbook include: - Contexts for researching e-learning - Theory and policy - Language and literacy - Design issues - History of the field The editors' introduction and many of the chapters show how multiple aspects of E-learning interact. The introduction also provides a new model for researching the field. This book is relevant for everyone in higher education, from undergraduate to faculty, as well as university administrators involved in providing E-learning. It will provide a research background for higher education, including universities, training colleges, and community colleges. It will also be relevant to those involved in any research and developmental aspect of E-learning - corporate trainers and those involved in online programs at secondary school or in virtual high schools. Whether you are a lecturer, researcher or programme designer, this is an essential read. Richard Andrews is Professor in English at the Institute of Education, University of London and Visiting Professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Education, Culture and Human Development. Caroline Haythornthwaite is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Online Learning and Its Users: Lessons for Higher Education re-examines the impact of learning technologies in higher education. The book focuses particularly on the introduction and mainstreaming of one of the most widely used, the virtual learning environment (VLE) or learning management system (LMS). The book presents an activity theoretic analysis of the VLE's adoption, drawing on research into this process at a range of higher education institutions. Through analysis and discussion of the activities of managers, lecturers, and learners using the VLE, lessons are identified to inform future initiatives including the implementation of massive open online courses (MOOCs). A replicable research design is included and explained to support evaluation and analysis of the use of online learning in other settings. The book questions accepted views of the place of technologies in higher education, arguing that there has been a repeated cycle of hype and disappointment accompanying the development of online learning. While much research has documented this cycle, finding new strategies to break it has proved to be a more difficult challenge. Why has technology not made more impact? Are lecturers going to be left behind by their own students in the use of digital technologies? Why have we seen costly and time-consuming failures? This book argues that we can answer these questions by heeding the lessons from previous experiences with the VLE and early iterations of the MOOC. More importantly, we can begin to ask new and different questions for the future to ensure better outcomes for our institutions and ultimately our learners. - Presents institution-wide analysis of the adoption of a key educational technology for higher education, validated across multiple sites, to support deeper understanding of the use of learning technologies in context - Describes Activity Theory and presents a replicable model to operationalise it for investigations of the use of online learning in higher education and other settings - Provides a unique perspective on the historical experience of VLE adoption and mainstreaming to identify important insights and essential lessons for the future

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The Internet and associated technologies have been around for almost twenty years. Networked access and computer ownership are now the norm. There is a plethora of technologies that can be used to support learning, offering different ways in which learners can communicate with each other and their tutors, and providing them with access to interactive, multimedia content. However, these generic skills don’t necessarily translate seamlessly to an academic learning context. Appropriation of these technologies for academic purposes requires specific skills, which means that the way in which we design and support learning opportunities needs to provide appropriate support to harness the potential of technologies. More than ever before learners need supportive ‘learning pathways’ to enable them to blend formal educational offerings, with free resources and services. This requires a rethinking of the design process, to enable teachers to take account of a blended learning context.

Interprofessionalism, an emerging model and philosophy of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, has in increasingly become an important means of cultivating joint endeavors across varied and diverse disciplinary and institutional settings. Interprofessional E-Learning and Collaborative Work: Practices and Technologies is therefore, an important source for understanding how interprofessionalism can be promoted and enhanced at various levels in learners' educational experiences, particularly with regard to e-learning and reusable learning objects, given the potential to cross boundaries of time, location and academic disciplines. This book provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest case driven research findings to improve understanding of interprofessional possibilities through e-learning at the level of universities, networks and organizations, teams and work groups, information systems and at the level of individuals as actors in the networked environments.

e-Learning Initiatives in China provides research and application insights into e-learning in China, in the light of two drives by the Chinese Ministry of Education: to implement curriculum reform and to promote quality and innovation in e-learning provision. Educationalists throughout the world have their eyes on China, both as a market to understand and to enter, and as a major source of international students. In addition, educationalists are increasingly aware of the need to incorporate digital technology into their course provision and delivery. This book provides valuable insights into both of these elements. It includes ‘state-of-the-art' reviews of e-learning in China, case study examples of e-learning design and development issues, and explores the collaboration challenges that British and Chinese teams experienced as they participated in a Sino-UK e-learning initiative, the eChina-UK Programme. The book is written in a clear and accessible style. Section 1, Background, introduces the book and provides an overview of e-learning in higher education in China. Section 2, Designing and Delivering Online Courses in China, starts with a critical review of online courseware designs that are currently widespread in China, and then presents a series of case study examples which deal with important design and delivery issues. Section 3, Managing the Interplay between Pedagogy and Technology, explores ways in which new learning technologies can be exploited for pedagogic purposes. Section 4, Managing Collaboration Processes, discusses the issues that the project teams needed to manage effectively as they collaborated both internationally and professionally. The final section, Section 5, Addressing Policy Issues, deals with key e-learning policy issues, both within China and internationally. The topic of e-learning, combined with the book's emphasis on the interrelationship of policy and practice, and its international teamwork perspective, will appeal to education specialists and e-learning experts not only in Asia but also in many Western countries.

"This book provides a useful reference to the latest advancements in the area of educational technology and e-learning"--Provided by publisher.

The e-learning research literature is characterized by studies that investigate the practice of teaching and learning online (pedagogy) and those that investigate the planning and administrative functions associated with e-learning delivery (management). This edited volume directs attention to pedagogy and management as it relates to the primary e-learning delivery mechanism, the course management system (CMS). Specifically, the research presented in this collection deals with a range of themes relevant to the selection, implementation, use and evaluation of course management systems in higher education. The primary audience for this book includes instructors and students in instructional and educational technology programs. The book could easily be used as a text in a distance or online learning course. The secondary audience includes instructors and students in higher education programs and e-learning practitioners and administrators. The book is timely because of the growing presence and influence of course management systems on teaching and learning in higher education.