This book presents a collection of curated case studies written by esteemed international experts, focusing on planning, management, and evaluation of designing, developing, and delivering high-quality blended programmes and courses. Embracing a holistic perspective of online and blended learning and based on the mapping of diverse national and institutional education systems, it offers an insightful exploration of innovative and best practices through case studies on policy, planning and management, and quality assurance for blended learning in higher education. Each chapter presents a theoretical background, contextual analysis, and a reflective practitioner approach. The topics covered include national and international policies and guidelines for blended learning in higher education, issues related to planning and management, learner satisfaction and engagement, costing of blended learning and return on investment, quality assurance, and program evaluation. The book explores blended learning as a scholarly practice for continuous learning and improvement and for generating new knowledge and insights. Each chapter concludes with reflective questions to help the reader apply the lessons learned. This book interests a diverse audience, including policymakers, accreditation agencies, managers of teaching and learning centers in higher education institutions, teachers in HEIs, and those involved in blended learning research. Its comprehensive coverage and practical insights make it an essential resource for those seeking to navigate the complexities of implementing effective blended learning initiatives.
Santosh Panda is a Director of Staff Training and Research Institute, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He has a PhD in Education (Kurukshetra), Fulbright Post-Doctoral (UNM, USA), Certificate in Education TV (BBC, UK), and Certificate in Online Teaching (Maryland, USA). He is a governing board member of the International Council for Educational Development/ UK, and president of its national forum Network for Staff & Educational Development/ India. Also, Dr Panda is the member of National Yoga Certification Board, TC, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.
Sanjaya Mishra is one of the leading scholars in open, distance, and online learning with extensive experience in teaching, staff development, research, policy development, innovation, and organisational development. With a multi-disciplinary background in education, information science, communication media, and learning and development, Dr. Mishra has been promoting the use of educational multimedia, eLearning, open educational resources (OER), and open access to scientific information to increase access to quality education and lifelong learning for all. He has designed and developed award-winning online courses and platforms, such as the Understanding Open Educational Resources, Commonwealth Digital Education Leadership Training in Action, and COLCommons.
Pradeep Kumar Misra is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, India. His research specializations are teacher education, educational technology, and vocational education. He has received several prestigious international research scholarships that include the Commonwealth Academic Fellowship of CSC, UK; Doctoral and Senior Researcher Scholarship of DAAD, Germany; Erasmus Mundus Visiting Scholar Scholarship of European Commission; National Scholarship of Slovak Republic; MASHAV Scholarship of Israel Government; and Research Exchange Scholarship of FMSH, France. He has been a member of the academic bodies of several institutions and organizations and visited many countries for different educational purposes. He has contributed several peer-reviewed publications in teacher education, including Springer's recent book Learning and Teaching for Teachers, published in 2021.
