Resources

Making Learning Happen provides an accessible and practical discussion of teaching and learning for the post-compulsorysector of higher and further education. Much of the existing educational literature on 'learning' is written in language which makes it inaccessible to the people most directly involved in learning: learners and their teachers. This book avoids the unnecessary jargon and elitist language which has too often hitherto hindered teachers and learners alike in thinking about how best to make learning happen. This book will help staff in higher and further education increase the 'learning payoff' which their students derive from a wide range of educational contexts, at all levels in post-compulsory education. The book is centred around Phil Race's well-known 'ripples on a pond' model of learning, which has identified five fundamental factors underpinning successful learning: 'wanting' to learn 'needing' to learn 'learning by doing' 'feedback' 'digesting - making sense of what has been learned'. This text will allow teachers and students to address these factors head-on in a wide range of contexts, including large-group teaching, small-group work, online learning, and in their use of formative feedback to help their students. Included in the book is a self-analysis questionnaire to enable learners to reflect on how these factors contribute to their own approaches to learning. Making Learning Happen is a valuable resource for Postgraduate students on PGD higher and further education courses, staff development courses in all Bristish universities, and is a helpful tool for lecturers and tutors in higher and further education, post-16 teachers in secondary education, educational managers, and students themselves. (From the Publisher)

Daryl G. Smith's career has been devoted to studying and fostering diversity in higher education. She has witnessed and encouraged the evolution of diversity from an issue addressed sporadically on college campuses to an imperative if institutions want to succeed. In Diversity's Promise for Higher Education, she analyzes how diversity is practiced today and offers new recommendations for effecting lasting and meaningful change. Smith argues that in the next generation of work on diversity, student population mix and performance will no longer be acceptable indicators of an institution's diversity effectiveness. To become more relevant to society, the nation, and the world while remaining true to their core mission, institutions must begin to see diversity, like technology, as central to teaching and research. She proposes a set of practices that will help colleges and universities embrace diversity as a tool for institutional success. This thoughtful volume draws on 40 years of diversity studies. It offers both researchers and administrators an innovative approach to developing and instituting effective and sustainable diversity strategies. (From the Publisher)

Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age addresses the complex and diverse experiences of learners in a world embedded with digital technologies. The text combines first-hand accounts from learners with extensive research and analysis, including a developmental model for effective e-learning, and a wide range of strategies that digitally-connected learners are using to fit learning into their lives. A companion to Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age (2007), this book focuses on how learners’ experiences of learning are changing and raises important challenges to the educational status quo. Moves beyond stereotypes of the net generation to explore the diversity of e-learning experiences today • *Analyses learners' experiences holistically, across the many technologies and learning opportunities they encounter • *Reveals digital-age learners as creative actors and networkers in their own right, who make strategic choices about their use of digital applications and learning approaches Today’s learners are active participants in their learning experiences and are shaping their own educational environments. Professors, learning practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers will find Rethinking Learning for a Digital Age invaluable for understanding the learning experience, and shaping their own responses. (From the Publisher)

Distance and Blended Learning in Asia is a unique and comprehensive overview of open, distance learning (ODL) and information and communication technology (ICT) in Asian education and training. Broad in coverage, this book critically examines ODL and ICT experiences from Japan to Turkey and from Sri Lanka to Mongolia – drawing conclusions from the successes and failures, and recommending ways in which planning, management and practice may be developed for the world’s largest concentration of adult open and distance learners. This pioneering book draws on Asian theory, research and practice to identify the strengths, weaknesses and challenges in all sectors of Asian education and training. It critically and insightfully discusses the ideas, skills and practices that are necessary to advance knowledge in leadership and management, professional development, innovation and quality assurance and research and diffusion. Distance and Blended Learning in Asia provides an insightful, informative and critical review of ODL / ICT developments in schools, open schooling, colleges, universities, workplace training, professional development and non-formal adult and community education. The book is an invaluable reference for ODL / ICT professionals, educators and students anywhere in the world, and is essential reading for all of those involved in ODL / ICT in Asia. (From the Publisher)

Suitable for courses in online teaching, web-based instruction, teaching with the Internet, or the online classroom, this book answers the most common questions and concerns of instructors who want create electronic educational environments. Topics covered include choosing software and technology tools, building an online classroom, creating an online syllabus, course conversion, online classroom management, integrating online and face-to-face activities, and student support issues. The text is supported by a web site that provides new strategies, tips, and information on emergent technologies. Pedagogy includes Important points that highlight key topics; Definition boxes that feature key terms with brief definitions; and Sidebars, which focus student attention on important points. (From the Publisher)