Previous edition: 1999

Includes bibliographical references and index

3. Learning in an electronic environment -- What is learning? -- What does it mean to be expert? -- What do we mean by 'theory'? -- Theory and action -- Tacit knowledge -- 'Espoused theories' and 'theories-in-use' -- Action-oriented learning -- What constitutes good teaching? -- The historical development of distance education -- Conceptions of teaching reflected in traditional distance education -- The resource-based and classroom-based models of distance education delivery -- Conceptions of electronic learning -- How should technology be used to support learning? -- The role of information technology -- Alternatives to the information dissemination model of electronic delivery -- What functions does an electronic learning environment need to support? -- Why switch to the knowledge media? -- Avoiding the risks of being oversold on technology -- How effective is electronic delivery? -- Summing up

6. Re-engineering technological infrastructure -- The importance of planning -- The functions that a course delivery system needs to perform -- Alternative approaches to acquiring an online course delivery system -- Integrated electronic learning environments -- Some 'off-the-shelf' integrated electronic learning environments -- Which system should you choose? -- Upgrading local networks -- Updating staff workstations -- Solving the problem of student access -- Summing up -- 7. Re-skilling and supporting staff -- Creating an appropriate work environment -- What new skills will staff need? -- Staffing implications of use of an integrated electronic learning environment -- Assessing the computer proficiency of teaching staff -- Forms of staff development -- Designing a staff development programme -- Summing up -- 8. Reorienting the teaching programme -- Approaches to teaching with the knowledge media -- Self-contained learning packages -- Computer-mediated communication -- Combining approaches -- Using a computer-managed learning system -- Approaches and the role of the provider -- Should coursware be developed or acquired? -- Copyright clearance -- Criteria for selection of courseware -- Considerations in design and development -- How can the design of courses contribute to learning effectiveness? -- How can the design of courses contribute to learning efficiency? -- Roles in design and development of courseware -- Adopting a multi-skilling approach -- Adopting a specialist approach -- Should courseware production staff be employed or contracted in? -- Project managing course design and development -- The collaborative approach -- Assessment issues -- Assessment for educational purposes -- Assessment for accreditation purposes -- A checklist for assessment considerations -- Summing up

9. Reorganizing learner support services -- Setting up help desk services -- Putting library services online -- Offering counselling services online -- Summing up -- 10. Developing an evaluation strategy -- Evaluation and the knowledge media -- How can we make evaluation of knowledge media effective? -- Some key issues in undertaking evaluation -- Some guidelines for carrying out evaluation -- Criteria for evaluating innovations involving knowledge media -- Frames of reference for selecting evaluation criteria -- Interpreting the results of an evaluation -- Summing up -- 11. Managing the transition -- Organizational responsibility -- Project management and evaluation -- Phases of the change process -- Strategies for managing costs -- Summing up -- Part 3: Quality improvement -- 12. Improving the quality of online learning programmes -- The demand for quality -- The quality agenda in education and training -- Applying models of best practice to education and training -- A quality improvement framework for best practice in new learning technologies -- Components of the framework -- A best practice framework for the delivery of online learning and new learning technology programmes -- Implementing the framework -- a user guide for managers -- Implementing the framework -- a practical example

Part 1: Context -- 1. The origins of the knowledge media -- Revolution or evolution? -- The creation of the World Wide Web -- Laying the foundations for the Web -- The concept of hypertext -- The expansion of the internet -- Interactive multimedia -- Optical disk technology -- Authoring systems for interactive multimedia -- Computer-assisted instruction -- Computer-managed learning -- Computer-mediated communication -- The development of integrated electronic learning environments -- The convergence of technologies -- Summing up -- 2. Forces driving educational change -- What is new in the world? -- Is the current era different? -- A period of transition -- Does it matter how we see the social context? -- Technology and the current era -- Educational instruction in the current era -- The changing character of post-secondary education -- Collaboration, internationalization and globalization -- Increasing flexibility in education and training -- Changing delivery modes contributing to flexibility -- The key issues facing post-secondary education -- The implications of trends for policy-making -- Summing up

Part 2: Implementation -- 4. Counting the cost -- The cost motive for going online -- Economies of scale -- Cost differences between resource-based and classroom-based delivery -- The effect of size of intake -- The effect of varying the ratio between fixed and variable costs -- The contribution of marketing costs -- The relationship between efficiency and effectiveness -- The scope for cost savings -- Taking advantage of economies of scale to manage costs -- The potential for achieving economies of scale with online delivery -- The potential for achieving economies of scale with delivery of interactive multimedia -- The scope for obtaining cost savings through moving to online delivery -- Some assumptions underlying expectations of cost savings -- Will shifting to online delivery reduce overall costs? -- What are the likely costs? -- What about the 'hidden' costs? -- Who pays the cost? -- The possible impact of increased costs on course enrollments -- Summing up -- 5. A cost or an investment? -- The importance of seeing learning materials and delivery systems as assets -- What difference does it make to treat an expense as an investment? -- Making the investment decision -- Marketing -- Keeping courseware current -- Keeping systems up to date -- Planning for the investment -- Protecting the intellectual property component of courseware -- Responding to competition -- Maximizing the return on investment -- The importance of real-cost accounting -- Summing up

Part 4: The future -- 13. Anticipating tomorrow's innovations -- Trends in education and training -- The advance of digital technology -- What's on the horizon? -- Overcoming the inherent limitations of the Web -- Development of standards for interactive multimedia delivery -- Putting the developments together -- In the end, teaching is about facilitating learning