Networked Learning: Perspectives and Issues

de Christine Steeples

The area of networked learning (learning in which information and communications technology (ICT) is used to promote connections between people and resources) is wide and growing in importance, especially in further and higher education. It offers the opportunity to offer more flexible access to learning programmes over time and space, but not enough is yet known about exactly what it can offer and how best to ensure that institutions maintain and improve the quality of the learning experience. This book focuses on the key issues which anyone involved with the use, administration, or study of networked learning will need to know about. These include policy issues, the costs of networked learning, staff development issues, and the student experience. With contributions from authors based in Europe and the US and Australia, it offers a global perspective which is designed to inform professional practice and its administration. It will be essential reading for practitioners and researchers in higher education and learning technology and will be of interest to policy-makers and managers in HE academic administration. It will also be relevant to learning technologists and support staff, who may not have direct involvement with teaching but still need to understand the opportunities and issues presented by networked learning, and also to students and researchers in education and social science. "The list of authors reads like a "Who's Who" of Networked Learning" (Professor Diana Laurillard, OU, UK).