This case study explores the learning experiences of three international students who were enrolled in an online master’s program offered by a large university in Canada. The aim of the study was to understand the international students’ experiences with, and perspectives on, the online learning environment. Findings indicate that previous education and especially language proficiency strongly impacted the learning of these students in this environment. Non-native English speakers required considerably more time to process readings and postings and to make postings themselves. More...

During the past two decades, volition, defined as the ability to stay task-focused and ward off distractions, has become of special relevance for educational research and practice. It describes how decreased motivation or negative emotions can be dealt with by applying action control strategies. However, despite its potential, an important area of education has neglected volitional considerations: distance education (DE). This seems paradoxical because by its very nature distance education requires a great deal of persistence and effort that is volitional. More...

Table of Contents

Editorial

Research Articles

Field Notes

Book Notes

CIDER Notes

Full Issue

IRRODL Volume 11, Number 1

PDF 1-185

In this presentation Barbara Frey and Lorna Kearns summarize a study of back channel communication that took place at the University of Pittsburgh among on-campus and online learners enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program in summer 2008. They define “back channel communication” as the communication in which students engage outside of the structured course activities and discussion. More...

One of the challenges in online learning is adaptation of material developed for one educational setting to be appropriate in another. Qualitative case-study research explored adaptation of online continuing education modules, developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada for public health practitioners. More...

The undergraduate science programme was launched at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1991-92 with an enrolment of 1,210 students. The programme was well received, and enrolments increased over the years. However, the success rates have not kept pace with enrolment. More...