 |
 |
Editoriale-JIST Vol 8 No 1
Welcome to this first edition of e-JIST for 2005.
This edition contains a number of articles on a wide range of contemporary issues. Some are quite strong in their views and likely to evoke controversial responses from readers. As always, your feedback on any of the published works would be most appreciated.
Thomas Ramage sets the tone in the full papers section with an analysis of costs associated with the online delivery of courses. His conclusions are thought-provoking and certainly worthy of more discussion, particularly as a number of higher education institutions have invested heavily in developing their infrastructure to accommodate online delivery. I would be surprised if there was not a counter case made against some of the author’s assertions and approach to this study.
Similarly, James Koch provides another perspective on distance learning in his article on student success rates. His thorough analysis of the contemporary literature is augmented with his own study which produces some interesting results. As with the Ramage contribution, I expect this paper will evoke strong responses from the readership.
Celeste Walls provides another perspective on online education, focussing on strategies to overcome identified obstacles to online learning and instruction. This article delves into the existing theories relating to interaction in online/distance education contexts and provides some useful advice for those entering into this increasingly popular environment.
Margaret Haughey and Bruce Muirhead then take us into the increasingly popular arena of learning objects, examining current approaches to learning object evaluation and the development and application of an evaluation instrument. While primarily aimed at the K-12 sector, their observations has implications for all those designing instruction.
In the Current Practice section, Tracey Powell and Elizabeth Murphy draw on the experiences of instructional designers of web-based learning at the post secondary level to describe and analyse the different roles played by individuals in course development teams. The implications for future professional development of those working in this area are also discussed.
Greg Rowland, Rob Wright, Barry Harper and Stephen Gray provide an interesting discussion of the possibilities offered by new multimedia technology in the form of simulations. Their case study about road safety education and the results of their evaluation provide useful information for those working in this field.
In the Commentary section, the three contributions are indicative of the breadth of international contributions received by e-JIST. An assessment of the use of educational technology in schools in Western Nigeria is followed by an assessment of online asynchronous discussion forums at tertiary level in Canada. The section concludes with a another assessment, this time of the Blackboard learning management system as applied at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. The approaches used in each case is is quite different, as are the conclusions of the authors.
As always, submissions of new material to e-JIST are most welcome. You will find submission guidelines on this website. I am particularly interested in new developments involving the appropriate used of technologies in the creation of learning environments.
Until the next edition……happy reading!
Alan Smith
Executive Editor – e-JIST
smith@usq.edu.au