This article focuses on the design of competency-based performance assessment in e-learning. Though effort has been invested in designing powerful e-learning environments, relatively little attention has been paid to the design of valid and reliable assessments in such environments, leaving many questions to educational developers and teachers. As a solution to this problem, a systematic approach to designing performance assessments in e-learning contexts is presented, partly based on the 4C/ID model. This model enables the construction of realistic whole tasks instead of advocating education that is restricted to more isolated skills. A new assessment procedure also implies an alternative view of instructional design, learning and assessment. The requirements for the learning environment are addressed. Examples from a virtual seminar are presented to illustrate the design approach. The article concludes with the identification of possible pitfalls related to the approach and gives directions for future research. (Authors' abstract)

E-learning is increasingly being adopted as a routine instructional media, and has moved from a niche solution in the defence and aerospace industries, to one that is adopted across the vast majority of industries and within education worldwide. E-learning is not however suited for all types of learning outcome or for all instructional situations. In this paper we describe a new instructional media selection model which enables the assessment of suitability of e-learning to a particular learning outcome. Following a review of media selection theory, seven key decision areas were identified. These consideration areas are; Learning Task, Media Attributes, Grouping Strategy, Learning Context, Learner Characteristics, Instructional Management and Cost Effectiveness. The paper focuses on the identification of the key decision factors for selecting e-learning and the development of detailed guidance within each decision area to enable an assessment of suitability of e-learning to be made. Finally we outline the dependencies and interactions between decision areas to illustrate the compromises inherent in instructional media selection, and to produce a model of these inter-relationships. (Authors' abstract)

Nowadays, wireless technology has been widely used in various applications. Mobile Internet users have been
increasing rapidly around the world. Several benefi ts of using mobile internet includes transmitting data through querying and
updating databases, e-commerce transactions and daily business application as well as in education such querying examination
results. This paper presents the development of a mobile database application to enable students to access the teaching
materials such as lecture notes or tutorials using supported mobile phones or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). Students could
also use the system to access class information and check the course work for the enrolled class. The idea of this project is to
employ Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) application in the learning process to overcome time constraint problem and it
is the effective method for accessing information as mobile phones is used by most people. Wireless Markup Language (WML)
is used to provide user interface at the client device while Active Server Pages (ASP) for server transaction process. (Abstract from authors)

This refereed online journal on distance and e-learning publishes the accounts of research, development and teaching in its most inclusive definition, exploring the potential of electronic publishing. The journal received a face-lift over the past months and plans to go beyond its current version in the summer months of 2009 exploring the world of Web 2.0 to boost the online publishing activity of academics and distinguished experts.

Abstract—Information and communication technology (ICT) has
become, within a very short time, one of the basic building blocks of
modern society. Many countries now understanding the importance
of ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of it as part of the
core of education. Organizations, experts and practitioners in the
education sector increasingly recognizing the importance of ICT in
supporting educational improvement and reform. This paper
addresses the convergence of ICT and education. When two
technologies are converging to each other, together they will generate
some great opportunities and challenges. This paper focuses on these
issues. In introduction section, it explains the ICT, education, and
ICT-enhanced education. In next section it describes need of ICT in
education, relationship between ICT skills and education, and stages
of teaching learning process. The next two sections describe
opportunities and challenges in integrating ICT in education. Finally
the concluding section summaries the idea and its usefulness. (Author's abstract)

A refereed e-journal to advance research, theory, and practice in open & distance learning worldwide.

This paper analyses the development of the e-learning strategies that have been introduced into Malaysian public universities since 1996. Using two case studies of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), the research examines how Malaysian public universities planned to introduce e-learning strategies into their undergraduate programs. This analysis uses some 25 interviews with the teaching and administrative staff at UKM and UTM. A critical view of the problems that these universities face in implementing their vision statements is also presented. However, testing the vision statements against the experience and opinions of teaching staff is a significant task, because ultimately it is the teachers who will drive the e-learning strategies. If teachers are not supportive of these programs, e-learning will struggle to become established. (Author's abstract)