Kepentingan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) kepada negara,
masyarakat dan para pelajar dalam konteks penjanaan i1mu memang tidak dapat
dipertikaikan lagi. Dalam era globalisasi yang sentiasa berkembang pantas tanpa
mengira skala jarak dan sempadan politik, peranan dan penggunaan ICT
menjadi semakin memuncak terutama dalam menjana kemajuan pembangunan
dan pertumbuhan ekonomi sesebuah negara. Sehubungan dengan ini cabaran
mengaplikasi ICT bagi sistem pendidikan secara jarak jauh (PJJ) dalam
menghadapi era globalisasi ini terutama dalam aspek kesedaran, penguasaan
dan perancangan masa depan adalah sesuatu yang kritikal dan maklumat jitu.
Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji tahap kesedaran dan pendedahan dalam era
ICT sebagai satu cabaran pendidikan secara jarak jauh dan mengkaji tentang
tahap penggunaan ICT di kalangan pelajar jarak jauh di semua Pusat Wilayah di
Malaysia. Selain itu kajian ini cuba mengenal pasti isu dan masalah yang wujud
daripada pembangunan dan penggunaan ICT di kalangan pelajar jarak jauh dan
akhirnya mengemukakan beberapa cadangan dan pendekatan untuk mengatasi
isu dan masalah yang timbul di kalangan pelajar ini. Kajian yang menggunakan
kaedah soal selidik secara bersemuka dansecara pos menggunakan pelajar
Pusat Pengajian Pendidikan Jarak Jauh (PPPJJ) sebagai sampel kajian.
Beberapa siri lawatan ke beberapa Pusat Wilayah dan temubual dengan Tutor
Residen dan Juruteknik semasa telah dijalankan bagi mema"ntau dan mengkaji
penyediaan prasarana berkaitan ICT di Pusat Wilayah. Hasil kajian merldapati
bahawa kesedaran dan pendedahan pelajar PPPJJ' dalam ICT adalah masih
pada peringkat ~ederhana dan agak perlahan berbanding perkembangan
semasa. Pelbagai usaha dan pendekatan perlu diterapkan agar penggunaan ICT
ini dipertingkatkan selaras dengan hasrat kerajaan agar kadar literasi dalam
komputer meningkat dan setaraf dengan negara maju. Infrastruktur dan
peralatanberkaitan ICT di PPPJJ dan Pusat Wilayah perlu dipertingkatkan agar
matlamat penggunaan dapat dimaksimakan. Suatu mekanisma dan visi serta ( '
misi pembangunan PPPJJ perlu digarap agar dapat menyaingi perubahan dan ~)
keghairahan yang dibawa' oleh ICT. Aplikasi ICT PPPJJper lu seiring dengan
perubahan semasa yang semakin canggih namun perlu dillbahsuai agar tidak
membebankan pelajar PPPJJ di samping menjamin daya saing dan kredibiliti
PPPJJ dalam mengembangkan i1mu melalui sistem yang'amat memerlukan
aplikasi dan perkasaan ICT ini. (Abstract by authors)

This is the thoroughly revised second edition of one of the first books to provide an overview of how key aspects of university life - such as teaching, academic research, administration, management and course design - are being affected by digital and web-enabled technologies. More than three-quarters of the material has been revised and updated. Still further, three new chapters now address the following aspects: the virtual classroom, vicarious learning, and educational metadata. The main body of the text focuses on asynchronous collaboration by examining the following four key topics: principles, experiences, evaluation, and benefits. A timely and up-most important guide to all aspects of modern university education in the digital age.

Johnson combines her extensive research with case studies of some of the standout examples of distance education. Topics include pedagogy, student support services, design and delivery of programs, issues of assessment, evaluation, accreditation, and emerging technology standards.

This book covers theory to practice, with readers gaining the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to be successful in teaching or training using technology-mediated instruction

The advent of mobile learning offers opportunities for students to do two things at once in an educational context. Students can learn while performing another activity. Two experiments were set up to examine the effect of performing a secondary task while learning with a mobile device. In the experimental group, the participants had to combine a learning task (watching movies on an iPod while sitting at a desk) with a secondary task (screwing). The control group only had to perform the learning task. Additionally, participants of the experimental group received different instructions. Some were asked to do both tasks as good as possible, others were told that the learning was important and the screwing less important and the opposite was told to the participants of the third experimental group. Afterwards, all the participants had to complete a learning test and participants of the experimental group also received a screwing score. In general, the effect of condition on the learning task was rather limited. Only one significant effect was found and it was limited to a difference between students of the control group who outperformed the students focusing on the screwing task while learning. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] .

In this paper, the development of a methodology for the calculation of questions’ difficulty degree and creation of exams for distance education trainees is presented. The methodology is based on the principles of multicriteria decision analysis and multiobjective linear programming. The UTA* method is used in order to calculate the difficulty degree of any hypothetical question that can be described from the criteria defined and the Global Criterion method is used in order to solve the multiobjective mixed integer linear programming model that is constructed in order to create a test for the trainees. (Authors' abstract)

The study described in this article takes the view that distance education programs are dynamic systems with multiple constituencies. Literature on distance education programs as complex systems and on the critical constituency approach to program evaluation was used to guide the development of a questionnaire designed to assess the components of a distance education program. Instrument development was conducted in four phases using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The data from this study suggest that there are four major components of effectiveness in distance education programs: instruction, management, telecommuting, and support. Within each of these components there are from two to five subcomponents, 14 components in all, which can be used to assess distance education programs. The assessment scale which was developed measures these four components and their subcomponents. (Authors' abstract)

The number of distance education providers and learning options has increased rapidly in recent years with the emerging flexible learning technologies. The main challenge facing Australian and other universities aiming to deliver distance education programmes nationally or internationally is to find economical ways to encourage and enable effective learning at a distance and at the student's own pace. It will be discussed in this paper that this challenge cannot be met by computer technology alone, but rather by integrating this technology within flexible learning approaches based on the universality of learning processes and teaching and learning approaches that encourage deep learning. The article focuses on the question of quality in distance education and how quality relates to student learning and flexible learning technologies used for this purpose. A particular student-centred model for flexible learning that is based on this paradigm of quality is presented. The implementation of this model is discussed in greater detail using the experiences of the RMIT Mechanical Engineering distance education programme offered in Singapore and Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR].

Progress assessment aims to assess students’ performance and progress during a course of study. Its purpose is primarily developmental—to help students improve learning. Progress assessment is of special value in distance education in that it can motivate or pace distance learners throughout their course of study. It can help the tutor monitor the learning process of distance learners, diagnose their problems and provide prompt help and support. However, few empirical studies have been reported in the literature that address the issue of progress assessment from the perspective of Chinese distance learners. This paper investigates the perceptions of Chinese distance learners with regard to the necessity of progress assessment and the way it is being implemented in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR].