ÿWritten by pioneers in the field of online learning,ÿLeading the e-Learning Transformation of Higher Educationÿis a professional text that offers insights and guidance to the rising generation of leaders in the field of higher education. It explains how to integrate online learning into an institution during a period of rapid social and institutional change. This important volume: ? Shares success stories, interviews, cases and insights from a broad range of leadership styles ? Reviews how technology is transforming higher education worldwide ? Provides an overview of how distance education is organized in a range of institutional settings ? Breaks down current leadership challenges in both unit operations and institutional policy This volume launches the new Stylus series that is aimed at the online learning and distance education market. It offers readers the opportunity to benefit from the collective experience and expertise of top leaders in the field. All of the contributors have held leadership roles in national and international distance education organizations. Five of the contributors have been recognized as Sloan Consortium Fellows in 2010 and they have all collaborated with the Institute for Emerging Leaders in Online Learning. These contributors have helped pave the way and now share their insights, advice, and broad vision with the future leaders of the field.ÿ

Creating Transformative Online Communities in Higher Education provides a practical approach for building authentic learning experiences into the design and delivery of online teaching and learning systems. Combining three conceptually related ideas—complexity theory, transformative learning, and the Community of Inquiry—this novel, highly applicable framework enables instructors to create compelling virtual learning experiences for students. As higher education faculty, instructional designers, and graduate students shift from presenting information to creating experiences, the book offers an evidence-based disruption of the current thinking on and practice of course design.

Higher education is dynamic, constantly adapting to meet the requirements of students and industry. Transforming Higher Education Through Digitalization: Insights, Tools, and Techniques provides insights from experienced academicians on the digitalization of education and its appropriateness for enhancing the quality of teaching in institutions of higher education. The book also provides insights on technologies used in digital education, the competencies and skills required by teachers and students, managing quality of education through online modes, MOOCs (Massive, Open, Online Courses), and methods to support teachers and instructors in online education. The book also enables teachers and instructors to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need in a digital age and enable them to build collaborative learning that will bring them success. Written for educators, students, and policy makers of higher education, this book demonstrates how to transform traditional education to digital education and to continue their activities without the requirement of students and teachers meeting each other on campus.

Universities continue to struggle in their efforts to fully integrate information and communications technology within their activities. Based on examination of current practices in technology integration at 25 universities worldwide, this book argues for a radical approach to the management of technology in higher education. It offers recommendations for improving governance, strategic planning, integration of administrative and teaching services, management of digital resources, and training of technology managers and administrators. The book is written for anyone wanting to ensure technology is integrated as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Drawing on their years of experience leading transformative online classrooms in higher education, the authors present an approach for teaching online that is both engaging and effective. This practical book provides an overview of essential approaches, bolstered by examples from various instructors who are teaching online courses. The authors examine how progressive practices are useful for instructors new to the online classroom as well as for experienced online educators seeking to enhance their existing practices. The topics discussed include engagement, equity, presence, and community--all relevant areas for today's college and university classrooms. Each chapter introduces and defines a specific topic and then provides stories based on interviews with members of the authors' online teaching network. The end result is a narrative guide that will help faculty strengthen their students' online experience by creating an atmosphere that is connected and robust. Book Features: An accessible resource for faculty seeking to create more equitable and communal online classroom spaces. Practical examples from experienced educators who have developed innovative online environments. Ideas for creating engaging, student-centered teaching and learning. A progressive approach with practices that are relevant to all digital classrooms.

Publisher description

This timely volume documents the immediate, global impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on teaching and learning in higher education. Focusing on student and faculty experiences of online and distance education, the text provides reflections on novel initiatives, unexpected challenges, and lessons learned. Responding to the urgent need to better understand online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, this book investigates how the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) impacted students, faculty, and staff experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. Chapters initially look at the challenges faced by universities and educators in their attempts to overcome the practical difficulties involved in developing effective online programming and pedagogy. The text then builds on these insights to highlight student experiences and consider issues of social connection and inequality. Finally, the volume looks forward to asking what lessons COVID-19 can offer for the future development of online and distance learning in higher education. This engaging volume will benefit researchers, academics, and educators with an interest in online teaching and eLearning, curriculum design, and more, specifically those involved with the digitalization of higher education. The text will also support further discussion and reflection around pedagogical transformation, international teaching and learning, and educational policy more broadly.

This book is to explores a variety of facets of online learning environments to understand how learning occurs and succeeds in digital contexts and what teaching strategies and technologies are most suited to this format. Business, health, government and education are some of the core sectors of society which have been experiencing deep transformations due to a generalized digitalization. While these changes are not novel, the swift progress of technology and the rising complexity of digital environments place a focus on the need for further research and novel strategies. In the context of education, the promise of increased flexibility and broader access to educational resources is impelling much of higher education’s course offerings to online environments. The 21st century learner requires an education that can be pursued anytime and anywhere and that is more aligned with the demands of a digital society. Online education not only assists students to success-fully integrate a workforce that is increasingly digital, but it helps them to become more comfortable with the use of technology in general and, hence, more prepared to be prolific digital citizens. The variety of settings portrayed in this volume attest to the unlimited opportunities afforded by online learning and serve as valuable evidence of its benefit for students’ educational experience. Moreover, these research efforts assist a more comprehensive reflection about the delivery of higher education in the context of online settings.

"E-learning has entered the mainstream of higher education as an agent of strategic change. This transformation requires e-learning leaders to develop the skills to innovate successfully at a time of heightened competition and rapid technological change. The second edition builds on the success of the first edition and presents both the collective expertise of veterans who have pioneered the field for 20 years, and of a rising generation of e-learning leaders that are transforming online programs at their own institutions, to address these challenges"--

Exploring how digital resources are being used to engage students in learning and improve educational quality, Digital Agency in Higher Education promotes an awareness of relations and interplay between humans and digital artifacts. Examining the impacts in higher education through experience-based knowledge and a conceptual framework, this book: • provides a detailed analysis of how transformative agency can be identified, enacted, and cultivated, • offers up-to-date cases and a future-orientated perspective on technology and knowledge work, • addresses fundamental assumptions about how teacher education has needed to and needs to continue to develop, • explores issues of epistemology and ethics when facing increasingly ‘intelligent' technologies, and • argues for transformative agency to place a firm focus on human interests. Essential reading for teachers in higher education and educational researchers with an interest in how technologies impact learning and teaching, Digital Agency in Higher Education uses cutting-edge research to bridge the gap between theoretical perspectives and practices.