The Next Generation of Distance Education: Unconstrained Learning

The world of education is being radically altered with the change  being driven by technology, openness, and unprecedented access to knowledge. Older correspondence-style methods of instructional delivery are passé and “classroom adapted to the web” approaches to learning are often ineffective and do little to harness the transformational potential of technology. E-Learning scenarios, mobile technologies, communication and information access, and personal learning environments are becoming mainstream and, as a result, control of the learning process is shifting away from institutions and into the hands of learners. This volumes promotes a forward-thinking agenda for research and scholarship that highlights new ideas, deep insights, and novel approaches to “unconstrained” learning.

The world of education is being radically altered driven by ever-emerging and innovative technologies, openness, and unprecedented access to knowledge. Older correspondence-style methods of instructional delivery are passé and “classroom adapted to the web” approaches to learning are often ineffective because they do little to harness the transformational potential of technology.

The Next Generation of Distance Education addresses more cutting edge issues, such as:

e-learning scenarios

mobile technologies

communication and information access

personal learning environments

These domains are quickly becoming mainstream, shifting control of the learning process away from institutions and into the hands of learners. This volumes promotes a forward-thinking agenda for research and scholarship that highlights new ideas, deep insights, and novel approaches to “unconstrained” learning. It will quickly become indispensible to anyone conducting research in the area of distance education for its innovative and future-oriented approach and its international focus.