Educational Development Through Information and Communications Technology

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has proved to be one of the key drivers of change in education. In higher education particularly, ICT is enabling educators, educational developers and institutions to 'reach out' to learners, using innovative approaches based on the flexibility, accessibility and diversity that it offers. This book is based on the experiences of expert educational developers from the UK, United States, Canada, South Africa and Malaysia. It considers the ways in which ICT can be used to enhance learning both on and off campus, and how educators and institutions have tackled the issues associated with the adoption of new approaches and technologies. However, as the development of new technology is relentless, the book recognizes that ICT is not a panacea in itself -- good teaching remains crucial to good education. With this in mind, the contributors address issues beyond 'technology', looking at the importance of teaching and at the skills of teachers themselves if ICT is to be truly successful. Coverage is grouped into four key themes: *strategic issues for ICT initiatives *introducing ICT into the classroom *using ICT in practice *using ICT in learning and educational support International in scope, and written by educators and educational developers rather than by technologists, this book is intended to be accessible to anyone with a critical interest in improving education through the use of ICT. It will be of particular interest to staff and educational developers, ICT coordinators, course leaders and course developers.

Dr Stephen Fallows is Reader in Educational Development at the University of Luton. Dr Rakesh Bhanot is the Programme Manager for the postgraduate course in Learning and Teaching in HE at Coventry University.

Contents: From Chalkface to interface/Vista University, SA; Maximizing learning/University of Malaya; Virtual learning environments/Middlesex Uni, UK; Introducing IT in class/Royal Roads Uni, Canada; Internet to develop student skills/Sheffield Hallam, UK; Active student learning/Staffs Uni, UK; Computer mediated communication/Bournemouth Uni, UK; Overcoming computer anxiety/Coventry Uni, UK; Assessment using ICT/Uni of Luton, UK; Student project support using ICT/Uni of Kent; Impact of the lap-top/Clayton College and State University, US; Quality assurance and ICT/RMIT, Australia; External quality assurance/Anglia Polytechnic, UK; Careers education through ICT/Uni of Luton, UK; Institution-wide ICT implementation to aid learning/Uni of Wolverhampton, UK; Countering Internet papermills/Coastal Carolina Uni, US; Institution-wide ICT strategies for university education/University of Delaware, US; Pegagogically based web design/Coventry Uni, UK; ICT in research/Uni of Warwick, UK; Networked staff development/Uni of Shefield, UK; ICT for world-wide collaboration/Uni of Greenwich, UK; Post-graduate supervisor development using ICT/Uni of Sydney, Australia.