VOL. 27, No. 1
Along with the ubiquitous use of technology in all aspects of daily life, the
enterprise of teaching and learning is also undergoing significant changes. For
the first time, students are no longer required to physically attend
universities or colleges to pursue higher education. Instead, learning can be
done at any time of the day via a number of mobile technologies. This has
resulted in a significant paradigmatic shift for those involved in all levels of
higher education.
At first glance, the title of the book Quality assurance in distance
education and e-Learning: Challenges and solutions from Asia might lead a
reader to believe this book has an extremely narrow focus-that of distance
education and e-learning in Asia. On the contrary, the book provides the
reader not only with an inside look at various models in Asia, but ones that are
relevant in numerous contexts.
While many of the models reviewed share common elements, there are several
unique aspects that are shared by instructional designers and course developers
across the globe. For example, the University of Philippines Open University
discusses the very important issue of faculty preparedness for online teaching.
The notion of prerequisite teaching skills, knowledge and faculty preparation to
teach in online environments is an important consideration and one that is
articulated well in this book. A second example from Indira’s Indira Gandhi
National Open University clearly describes stages involved with course
development prior to delivery from a distance.
A major strength of the book is its focus on quality assurance and
instructional design and pedagogy. The author clearly articulates the need for
instructional design and scaffolding of learning as crucial elements that must
be integrated into online learning environments. Moreover, the book provides
valuable instructional design frameworks for consideration by those associated
with online course development. Those involved in supporting online learning are
aware of the importance of these issues to the success and seamless delivery of
distance and online education. The level of detail included for each of the
university models presented in the book was impressive and the section on
‘Lessons Learned’ was most beneficial. The detailed descriptions and analyses
prevalent in the book provided the reader with the freedom to consider both the
similarities and opportunities to explore new ways of thinking and
conceptualizing distance and e-learning both within and external to one’s
educational setting.
This book is a must read for anyone involved in developing, revising, or considering the development of online or distance education programs at institutions of higher learning. This important book may also stimulate discussion of the opportunities and challenges faced by those offering distance education, online and e-learning in the 21st century.
Tina Benevides is an Assistant Professor in the Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University in North Bay, ON. E-mail: tinab@nipissingu.ca