This insightful collection of essays explores the ways in which open education can democratise access to education for all. It is a rich resource that offers both research and case studies to relate the application of open technologies and approaches in education settings around the world.A must-read for practitioners, policy-makers, scholars and students in the field of education.

There are many benefits to minimalism. It keeps people from debt. Many consumers make the mistake of living well beyond their means. A person who takes on a large debt burden loses his/her financial freedom. Minimalism helps to ensure that people have the essentials that they need and that no matter what happens, they will be provided for.

Within the rapidly expanding field of educational technology, learners and educators must confront a seemingly overwhelming selection of tools designed to deliver and facilitate both online and blended learning. Many of these tools assume that learning is configured and delivered in closed contexts, through learning management systems (LMS). However, while traditional "classroom" learning is by no means obsolete, networked learning is in the ascendant. A foundational method in online and b...

Educators in online and other technology-rich environments consistently ask, "How can I build community among the learners in my class?" They know learning is strengthened by community, but aren’t sure how to design a community in a learning environment where technology plays a significant role. Ten Strategies for Building Community with Technology answers their question with proven strategies developed over the authors’ thirty years’ experience designing and teaching online clas...

This unique text provides a valuable route map to the development of thinking in adult education and lifelong learning. It includes more than twenty-five seminal articles from the first two decades of the International Journal of Lifelong Education, written by leading authors in the field from the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe.Compiled to show the development of the field, the articles are divided into four sections:From Ault Education……to Lifelong Educa...

Online Distance Education provides a systematic overview of the major issues, trends, and areas of priority in online distance education research. In each chapter an international expert or team of experts provides an overview of one relevant issue in online distance education, discussing theoretical insights that guide the research, summarizing major research on the topic, posing questions and directions for future research, and discussing the implications for distance education ...

Ebooks are digital versions of their real-life siblings, which are downloaded onto the reader’s handheld device so that they can enjoy it without having to add another item to the overflowing pile taking up space in their home. Owing to the lack of physical print needed to bring them into existence, Ebooks are usually the cheaper option. If you are reading this, it is likely that you are already someone who enjoys making use of Ebooks to satiate your hunger for reading. Whether your main s...

Do you flounder through your online courses? Do you swear you have given up on online education? Do you want to take online college courses, but are scared you will fail so you stay stuck where you are? This book is for you! Bright, well-meaning students buy into the myth that e-learning is easy and forgo their basic understanding of what skills are necessary for online education success. Jacqueline Myers nails the top 10 success strategies for distance learning in a way that students can ...

This insightful book is ideal for students, researchers and policy makers wanting a sound overview of the critical issues of gender in lifelong learning. Asking pertinent questions relating to discourses on policy, the authors offer the reader a rare view of lifelong learning from a gender-focused perspective, filling a gap in the literature and moving current debate on into new areas. Questions addressed include:To what extent can the policy discourses and institutional cont...

Not Just Getting By chronicles groundbreaking thinking and research on new and innovative workforce development initiatives to create flexible and collaborative programs and policies. Author Mary Gatta builds on extensive interviews and focus groups with 128 women enrolled in a U.S. Department of Labor pilot program in New Jersey focusing on how they attain education through online courses while working, raising their children, and dealing with the many demands on their lives. The...

Distance learning is now more prevalent in the developing world than ever before. This book reconsiders the suitability and success of established modes of distance learning for current contexts in the developing world. It examines what adaptations are necessary to suit shifting needs including:the move from elite to mass higher educationincreased emphasis on knowledge base economiesgreater demand for lifelong learning and professional development

Conventional apprenticeships and older methods of professional training are not providing enough skilled workers - governments, companies and colleges are now using open and distance learning to fill these gaps.Published in association with the Commonwealth of Learning, this unique review provides detailed analysis of worldwide experiences of vocational training and distance education. It looks at recent policy and practice at different levels - from transnational programmes and na...