Handbook of Online Learning in Higher Education

By: Kjell Rudestam

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

This book is a timely and comprehensive response to the higher education crises triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Online learning has moved to the forefront of academia as institutes of higher learning around the world have been compelled to move their classroom courses to the virtual space with little preparation. Even now, in the wake of the pandemic, many questions remain unanswered: Can an online course deliver the same quality as a live classroom experience? Can an institution retain its unique cultural values in the process? What are the alternative pedagogies and formats for supporting an online learning environment? How can an online course foster a meaningful form of community-building? What are the “must-have” requisites for moving classroom courses and programs into an online space? How does a shift to digital learning affect instructional methods, student-faculty engagement, and accreditation concerns? How can one integrate the newest technologies with interactive teaching and online learning strategies?
These and many other questions form the basis of this handbook and make it an invaluable resource for educators and administrators. Edited by Drs. Kjell Rudestam, Judith Schoenholtz-Read and Monique Snowden, who have all worked in distributed learning for many years, this volume captures the experience of over 40 leading educators and professionals in online learning—both at traditional campuses and virtual organizations. Drawing upon the research literature as well as first-hand experiences and case studies, the authors argue that online learning will become vested as integral to the future of higher education. It behooves every academic institution to be able to use this knowledge to bring inspiration, creativity and excellence to virtual learning in their courses and institutions.