The Global Virtual University

This book is about the shift from the modern university of the nation state to the global virtual university of the future. John Tiffin and Lalita Rajasingham launched the idea of virtual universities on the Internet with the publication of 'In Search of the Virtual Class: Education in an Information Society' in 1995. Since then, virtual universities have multiplied worldwide. However, the authors argue that globalisation and the Internet are still in their infancy, and universities have yet to face the challenges of global free trade in broadband telecommunications, artificial intelligence and HyperReality. Based on material gathered from research in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, this book describes how a global university could function in the future and presents a paradigm from which it might be constructed. This unique, visionary text will be critical reading for academics, postgraduate students and for anyone involve din policymaking and planning within the university community and administration.

Higher education is changing - in scope, style, technology, and objectives. This book looks at the impact of information technologies on higher education and the reorganization of universities in more managerial and business directions. The book combines empirical and analytical chapters from scholars on both sides of the Atlantic.

E-learning and the virtual university are examples of the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as a teaching and learning approach and an organizational structure. Both raise issues associated with the phenomenon of cross-border education. This publication explores the related ICT policy, planning and management implications of several new or reorganized institutions of higher education. Three background chapters describe the context - the trends and challenges and the impact of cross-border education. Eight case studies from different regions and representing various institutional models tell the story of their development and relate what they have learned.

Executive Editor: Mihai Jalobeanu, National Research and Development Institute for Isotopic and Molecular Technology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. This book aims to bring together the work of a number of online learning specialists from around the world, to offer the reader a global view of current and recent research and practice in electronic learning from a variety of disciplines and contexts. Some of the chapter authors indicate the likely directions e-learning may be headed in the next few years. In addition, this book is aimed at informing all those working within online learning and distance education of best practice. The content of this book will be of particular interest to university academics, researchers, college educators, K-12 teachers, education administrators and distance education students. It will also be useful as a text for those studying the management and delivery of distance education and e-learning, and indeed will be of interest to those working in all areas of education. The core of our book, the section entitled Projects and Tools, consists of research reports originally presented at the Romanian Internet Learning Workshop (RILW), an annual international conference series held in Romania between 1997 and 2001, and described in the first chapter of the volume. These projects focus on the development of instructional concepts and tools for technology-based learning environments encompassing diverse fields and disciplines from Educational Science through Intercultural Education and Foreign Languages to Beam Physics.

Although institutions of higher education have recognized the need for preparing their graduates for a digitalized, global workplace, these efforts have been sporadic, individualized, and varied from discipline to discipline. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, trends such as “double classrooms,” “inverted classrooms,” and “collaborative online international learning” (COIL) have gained traction at universities across the globe. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, efforts to engage students in the use of digital tools and virtual collaborative teamwork increased tenfold. Creative and innovative virtual learning environments (VLEs) have emerged, and instructors have used them to connect with their students much more frequently. The holistic nature of virtual learning, its impact on employability, and the development of global citizenry have become prime areas of research amongst the digital education landscape. Now more than ever, it is essential to look at virtual learning environments and how they can be used to prepare students and employees for the opportunities and challenges of a global, digital workplace. Developments in Virtual Learning Environments and the Global Workplace provides readers with a rationale and tool kit for facilitating virtual learning in a wide variety of contexts in response to the opportunities and challenges presented by the digital global workplace. This book covers virtual learning practices, the value of virtual learning for professionals and employers, and the best practices in online learning in different settings. Additionally, the chapters dive into the future perspectives and trends within virtual learning environments and the creation/evaluation of virtual learning strategies. These insights range from diverse countries, education levels, industry sectors, and academic disciplines, making this book a comprehensive research tool. This book will greatly benefit e-learning and instructional designers, university senior managers, university staff responsible for mobility and exchange, researchers, professionals responsible for organizational development and further education, human resource directors, global company executives, managers, practitioners, stakeholders, academicians, and students looking for information on how virtual learning environments are preparing students for the global workplace.

A discussion of the increased accessibility to the Internet and how this has lead to a variety of resources being used for learning. Case studies and examples show the benefits of using the Internet as part of resource-based learning.

For the last decade, virtual reality has been utilized in diverse fields such as entertainment, medicine, and industry. Recently, virtual reality has been applied in educational settings in order to transform student learning and experiences through such methods as building prototypes using digital devices or exploring new cultures through immersive interactions. Teachers who can incorporate virtual reality into their classrooms can provide their students with more meaningful learning experiences and can witness higher engagement. Current and Prospective Applications of Virtual Reality in Higher Education is a cutting-edge academic research book that provides comprehensive research on the integration of virtual reality in education programs and establishes foundations for course design, program development, and institutional strategic planning. The book covers an overall understanding and approach to virtual reality in education, specific applications of using virtual reality in higher education, and prospects and issues of virtual reality in the future. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as gamification, teacher training, and virtual reality, this book is ideal for teachers, instructional designers, curriculum developers, academicians, program developers, administrators, educational software developers, policymakers, researchers, education professionals, and students.

Since the first works on Higher Education Administration in the 1970s no comprehensive work in terms of purpose and scope of Higher Education has been published. There have been important changes in people’s aspirations vis-à-vis higher education globally. In parallel, the higher education systems, worldwide, have been undergoing constant transformation in response to these aspirations. From governments, employers and prospective students and their parents, the stakeholders in higher education system are now extremely varied paying close attention to the various aspects of higher education - from infrastructure, on-campus safety and security to administration, faculty and curricula. The present series attempts to take into account the issues of importance to all the stakeholders. Hence the series not only pays attention to the purpose and outcomes of higher education but also the economics surrounding higher education vis a vis marketization. The nitty gritty of running and maintaining a university infrastructure, impact of globalization and internationalization on delivery and demand of higher education, the commoditization of research, and changing paradigms of teaching and learning fall within the purview of the series. The increasing competition from other entities to provide degrees, certificates or other forms of credentials makes it important to have a work that brings all of the elements together to see how they actually interact and inter-relate from a systems perspective. The present series attempts to comprehensively attend to these issues and provide a complete reference resource to all those involved and interested in setting up of a Higher Education institution and its administration.