Successful Cases in Technology-Enabled Active Teaching and Metacognitive Learning Strategies in Blended Learning for Globalization

This chapter draws from actual accredited graduate programs. It is essentially a reflection piece drawn from actual experience of successful teaching and blended action learning practices and principles that utilized online discussion forums. The classes were in Malaysia, the USA, and South Africa. The experience of teaching and learning involving metacognition and active online discussion internationally is described in terms of the cognitive literacy value chain developed by the author. Active discussion was seen as part and parcel of the process to nudge insights, critical thinking, and other expressions of higher order thinking that also facilitated peer bonding in very short, six-week semesters. The critical role of fluid intelligence in higher order thinking in a globalized knowledge economy is discussed in terms of the development of wisdom through the experience of transcending conventional thinking while sustaining refined thought processes and cultural values through metacognition. Sample comments and reflection journals are presented.

Is E-Learning a Pro-Active Response to, or Reaction to, Changes in Educational Policy and Patterns of Educational Demand?

This chapter reviews and investigates the models and acceptability of E-Learning to the emerging students markets for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from the More Developed Countries (MDCs) and seeks to evaluate the differing models of delivery from a practical and a socio-economic perspective. The research also investigates the impact of the shifts in population growth and the subsequent impact upon the levels of demand from students in Less Developed Countries (LDCs) for higher education. In addition, the logistical and quality factors affecting E-Learning are evaluated, looking at the aspects of academic rigour, plagiarism, and the methods of managing the originality and authenticity of student work. Similarly, the research looks at the viability of situations where the education provider may never physically meet the students through the exclusive use of VLEs, and the possible credibility issues that this may present to institutional and awarding body reputations.

Network-Based Continuous Education Opportunities

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze and present theoretical and empirical findings about the ways that teachers in Higher Education (HE) interpret the role of ICT for their professional development both as teachers in HE and as medical professionals in some cases. Two research questions were formulated: 1) Why is the employment of technologies fully accepted and promoted in almost all aspects of professional activity, but employment of ICT for teaching and learning at HE is not always used to its full potential? 2) What (if any) educational support is needed for university teachers to use available e-learning opportunities for their own development as teachers to a greater extent? Educational support for university teachers to use contemporary information communication technologies and network provisions more effectively for their competence development are presented.

Individual and Socio-Cultural Framing of E-Learning

Considering e-learning as a socio-cultural system acknowledges that individuals are embedded within different contexts, influenced by the culture and the society the individual lives in. Designing beneficial e-learning scenarios means respecting these socio-cultural contexts and providing appropriate framing. This chapter introduces several aspects influencing e-learning from an individual and socio-cultural perspective. It firstly deals with the aspect of learners' collaborative knowledge construction in e-learning and introduces what this perspective means for the design and implementation of e-learning scenarios. The chapter looks at tools and shared external representations and shows how they can beneficially support learning processes and outcomes. In a third step, it looks at the individual's learning characteristics, for example an individual's prior knowledge, and socio-cultural biases relating to gender, ethnicity, and socio economic background, and discusses how these may be an obstacle for e-learning and how e-learning may help learners to overcome their biases. Finally, the chapter focuses on the issue on evaluation and provides suggestions to evaluate environments for e-learning from a socio-cultural perspective.

The Premises for Learning Successful Virtual Collaboration in Self-Organizing Teams

In this chapter, the authors introduce a global synchronous e-learning platform that is used for teaching virtual collaboration, multicultural communication, and business process management. The platform has been used in joint learning sessions between international universities, and the data of the study has been gathered from self-reflecting essays of the participating university students. The authors analyze the data from the point of view of how the students create a social and cultural identity in this totally virtual environment in which no student will probably ever meet face-to-face his or her team members and collaboration partners. They consider both the environment as a social construction as well as an environment that is technology supported. In this respect, the chapter has several implications for educators in the present global and ever-technology-richer university environment.

eLearning as a Political Arena

The goal of this chapter is to study the political strategies utilized in the context of E-Learning. The research is based on the E-Learning Political Strategies (ELPoS) model. The model is based on two dimensions: (1) the direction of the political strategy (upward or downward) and (2) the scope of the political strategy (individual or group-based). The model assumes that the interaction between these dimensions will define four different types of E-Learning political strategies, which, in turn, will lead to different outcomes. The model is presented in the context of the literature on E-Learning and is accompanied with four short case studies that demonstrate its components. The discussion and conclusions section integrates the findings from the case studies and outlines the rules that govern the utilization of political E-Learning strategies in different organizational contexts, including the application of the model across cultures.

The Effects of E-Journal System on Organizational and Study Processes

Motivated by practice of other schools, Europe Union policies, and The Republic of Lithuania's laws, Lithuanian schools are introducing e-journal systems to support pupils' learning, schools' administrative processes, as well as communication with parents and between different stakeholders of the schools' educational and administrative processes. In production-oriented firms, efficiency gains stemming from the introduction of Information Systems (IS) and Technologies (IT) to support the main functions of the firm can be estimated based on resource consumption and production volumes. In a learning- or knowledge-oriented organization, however, efficiency gains are difficult to estimate for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are a lack of previous research on the topic as well as a lack of practice among schools to monitor the effects of e-learning systems. In this chapter, the authors set the method for assessing changes in performance resulting from the introduction of an e-journal system in a secondary school. Following the theoretical model developed by Gaskin, the authors measure process changes using dimensions of productivity, efficiency, quality, and consistency. Besides describing methods for performance assessment, the study helps better understand the pros and cons of computerization of learning-oriented organizations and suggests venues for improvement in pursuing further computerization of schools in Lithuania.

Technology-Enhanced Learning in Higher Education

This chapter explores issues that affect the uptake and integration of Technology in Higher Education, developing a framework to overcome some of the barriers. Technological adoption varies across disciplines. The authors consider disciplines as tribes, where some find technology acceptable and an enabler, whilst for others it is alien and deemed inappropriate. Some territories reflect technology as an area to defend and expand, whilst for others the imposition of technology and associated practices are considered a hostile intrusion into discipline practice. Within the framework, the authors reflect on various perspectives: practitioners', students', and support teams' perspectives within the wider eco-systems and structures. Practitioner concerns reflect discipline traditions and practices, from teaching through to assessment and how to manage the Wikipedia generation. Students' needs in a technological age reflect the demands of the Netizen as student, and the rise and challenge of MOOCs to the teacher and the learner. Institutional mechanisms provide the situation for the use of technology. The authors provide a framework within which to explore the above concerns and describe mechanisms to unite the academic tribes, to see the territorial boundaries as artificial and counter-productive, and to enable the utilisation of E-Learning in current and future Higher Education settings.

To MOOC or not to MOOC?

Inspired by examples in the US and Europe, many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Norway are exploring how they can use Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) and other technologies to shape the classrooms of the future. This chapter briefly reviews expectations of MOOCs including both xMOOCs and cMOOCs and what they might do for higher education in a national context. Thereafter, it considers the development of MOOCs in relation to theories of disruptive technologies and national adoptions and/or adjustments to MOOCs. In this, the authors examine how Norwegian educational institutions are utilizing digital technology to support various solutions of online learning to address educational challenges. This approach is relevant as it serves as an example of how countries around the world explore the new possibilities that come with the MOOCs and other ubiquitous technologies and how they relate these to their existing organization of higher education.

Critical Issues in E-Learning Project Management in the Context of Web Technologies Development

eLearning can cover a spectrum of activities from supporting learning to blended learning (the combination of traditional and e-learning practices), and to learning that is delivered entirely online. However, no matter what technology is used, learning is always the vital element. E-learning is no longer simply associated with distance or remote learning, but, instead, forms a part of a conscious choice of the best and most appropriate ways of promoting effective learning. The global demand for higher education continues to rise, and e-learning provides an alternative way for higher educational institutions to deliver knowledge to learners at a distance rather than in the traditional way. The success of e-learning starts and ends with project management. In this chapter, critical success factors of eLearning projects—organizational factor and technological factor—are considered as critical issues from the management perspective viewed in the context of the rapid development of Web technologies.