Hybrid Learning

The educational community has traditionally been among the first to evaluate and adopt interactive innovations in information technology. These innovations often provide test beds for educational theorists to explore new methodologies for computer-based instruction. “Alternative worlds” is an exciting new research area for computer scientists specializing in human-computer interaction, social networking, and virtual reality. This paper speculates about how alternative world technologies might affect the future of online instruction..

After the initial e-learning hype with all its hopes and expectations on successful learning through the support of technical achievements, now blended learning is becoming the promising learning concept. Bearing the experiences with e-learning in mind, teachers and learners alike are more cautious regarding their hopes. Nevertheless the idea of hybrid or blended learning, combining the best of several learning concepts, is indeed intriguing. But what is blended learning? It is important to acknowledge that "blended learning means different things to different people" (Discroll 2002) and therefore it is necessary to give a definition, whenever a concept of blended learning is discussed. In this paper, blended learning is defined as the combination of technology supported self or distance study settings and face-to-face settings.

Regarding this definition, what is the best of the different learning concepts, that makes blended learning a successful concept? There are more and more empirical studies which try to give an answer. This paper proposes five assumptions on this question, which have a didactical emphasis and include the results of some recent empirical studies on this matter.

As adults are often encountering some problems or issues in their workplace, some meaningful advices or guides are expected. Based on the advices, they solve the issues, which can also be called as a kind of "learning process". This paper discusses how to realize a learning performance support system (LPSS) based on the ideas of principle of electronic performance support system (EPSS), shows LPSS basic concept, system structure, and system implementation, including some technical issues.

Language Studies are challenging for students at all levels. This paper presents the design of a Web-based Intelligent Tutoring System (WITS) based on “Computerized Adaptive Testing” and “Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment”. The system is practical and can be implemented incrementally. It is designed for teaching Chinese business writing in Hong Kong to post-secondary students. The proposed system employs self-directed, self-controlled learning ideas and, to some extent, individually packages “assessment” opportunities for individual students. The proposed ITS can be used to identify and gauge the knowledge state and ability levels of each individual student. The estimated knowledge state and ability are useful indicators for teacher and student reference. This paper delineates a prototype. A pilot study will follow in the coming academic year.

Distance learning has come a long way since Sir Isaac Pitman initiated the first correspondence course in the early 1840s. Today the challenges of globalization call for new and innovative learning systems for management education. To meet these challenges the traditional classroom model for delivering business education is giving way to a more holistic learning paradigm in which both the pedagogical and andragogical focus are on knowledge acquisition and application. The one-size-fits-all educational approach of the past is being augmented by hybrid learning systems. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the overall hybrid learning model design that combines the best of both web-based learning and time-honed classroom practices for delivering cost-effective graduate management education. One of the major benefits of the hybrid learning model is that it supports economic, social and environmental sustainability.

This paper presents an e-class teaching management system (ECTMS), which is a software supporting the synchronization of classroom teaching and learning activities. The system looks upon a class as a sequence of e-teaching-events. By controlling the operation of the e-teaching-events, the teacher monitors and manages the process of teaching. This paper describes the design strategy, architecture and typical application mode of ECTMS, and then provides a case study of applying this system in a real-world classroom. The survey results show that the teacher is satisfied with the concepts of ECTMS and agrees with that ECTMS has many advantages for the classes in which there are many exercises and curriculum evaluation processes.

This paper is a study of using social networking websites, in particularly Facebook, for conducting courses as a replacement of expensive traditional electronic learning platforms. At the early stage of the Internet community, Internet users used electronic mail as the main communication mean. Although email is still the core way of communication in a convenient but offline mode, other facilities were introduced, such as many Instant Messaging (IM) software applications like I-Seek-You (ICQ) and MSN, which enable people to communicate in a real-time mode. However, the communication between people was further enhanced to the next stage, when Facebook came to existence as a social networking website that supports many features. People do not only communicate with others, but also organize all kinds of interactions among them. Facebook provides rich features for organizing relationships. The framework of Facebook actually provides free of charge software that were provided by traditional electronic learning. This paper studies how people use Facebook for teaching and learning, together with recommendations provided.

Integrating technology in K-12 classroom is a complex challenge for teachers. This article provides an overview on the conceptualization of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), project-based learning and WebQuests, and blended learning. It presents how an instructional approach which incorporated WebQuest development and blended learning process is implemented into one educational technology course at a university in the northeastern region of the United States. The effectiveness of such an instructional approach on TPACK among participants of the course has been confirmed in this study. Discussion and conclusion of building a stronger pre- and in-service teachers’ TPACK for educational technology courses are included.

Traditionalists will argue that conventional classroom lectures have been and always will be the most effective form of teaching. In contrast, people focusing on progress will put pure e-teaching on a pedestal. Confronted with these two extremes, a natural reflex is to search for a compromise. Hybrid learning could be such a compromise. However, the important question is whether this is only a compromise for the anxious, an interim arrangement on the transition to pure e-teaching, or the best conceivable solution, that is meant to stay.

In the present paper we are giving evidence for the latter position based on practitioners’ experiences of more than ten years of technology enhanced teaching. We address the need for university wide learning management systems and advocate simple, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions not asking too much from lecturers, but—nevertheless—causing a significant added value for the students.

Hybrid learning is becoming one of the important applications by integrating e-learning and traditional face-to-face instruction together. The paper presents the architecture of PEHLP which can create an environment where the hybrid learning of physical education can be accomplished efficiently using the national elaborate physical education course resources. To integrate the heterogeneous learning resource of different education platforms, the learning course is logically divided into the present part and the content part and the Smart Deliverer is devised. To realize the visibly communication and intercourse during the hybrid learning process, the Video-editor is proposed. Adopting the Video-editor, the teacher can review students’ action video and makes comments on the action which is wrong, and the student can find out the mistakes from his/her action video. To promote the review functioning, the algorithm for key frame extraction is proposed and the results show the algorithm is efficient.

Most of higher education in demography is still based on traditional replication of top-down structures of lecture delivery in classrooms. Although transition to using Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) approaches can be beneficial for both students and teachers of demography, conservative attitudes and barriers exist that often prevent even initial efforts towards such a transition. This paper recommends a number of practices to start with in efforts to make this transition possible. Specifically, it provides recommendations on how to introduce new Web technologies in teaching demography at the university level, in order to increase students’ motivation and interest. The recommendations exceed the boundaries of demography as the area of teaching, and can be extended to other non-technical disciplines as well.

This paper examines both principles and best practices in designing and teaching large online or hybrid courses (more than 60 students) for undergraduate students. A model of

best practices in online or hybrid course design and conduct

is created based on the widely-accepted seven principles for quality undergraduate education and our extensive review of literature related to online teaching and learning. This model can guide universities of similar settings with their online teaching or training.

Recent information and communication technology (ICT) has a great impact on students’ behavior towards searching for information on their own. Nowadays almost all Japanese university students have a chance to use the web even before entering universities. The accessibility of the websites has made it possible to utilize various language learning materials and the websites specifically provide them with elaborate educational contexts. As a result, learning to how to use information on the web effectively is an indispensable part of higher education. However, there has been little research investigating students’ behavior concerning how to formulate basic information search strategies and critically evaluate information sources. The present study aims at understanding the preferred strategies used by Japanese university students when searching for specific information on the web to accomplish certain tasks. This exploratory study will focus on describing students’ cognitive demanding tasks which require using various strategies appropriately in a limited time frame.

Teacher training has been an international topic for the government of many countries. The development of computer technology brought out many online teacher education resources and training programs to improve teacher’s teaching expertise. In present paper, we will discuss the knowledge base of teacher education and training, and web-based or online reflective teaching. Applications of online training program and how to use these resources efficiently are also discussed.

While research interest is building in the role and effectiveness of electronic based peer feedback (Peer e-Feedback) in the context of L1/L2 English writing, that of Chinese language education at sub-degree level has been neglected. This paper seeks to address this shortfall by examining aspects of how sub-degree level students at a Hong Kong Community College respond to peer roles in the context of e-feedback to written work in a Wiki-supported Chinese language class. The work focuses on identifying the predominant commentary styles employed in a Wiki-supported peer-reviewed writing environment (WPWE) and also gives attention to the question of Gender to probe features and scope, similarities and differences displayed between female and male students. Among the patterns identified was the trend to produce feedback in a descending order, viz: (1) offering a solution; (2) identification of a problem/good point; (3) explanation; (4) localization; and (5) elaboration. Some gender differences emerged e.g. males tended to offer ‘specific suggestions’ more readily than female students. Interestingly and importantly, both genders demonstrated inabilities and or reluctance to offer requests for elaboration – evidence that some well designed training may be desired before conducting online peer-reviewed writing activity. It was evident too, that positive feedback outnumbered negative feedback even when some helpful corrective criticism was clearly needed and appropriate. Overall, the many positives far outweighed some negatives in the educational value of Peer e-feedback as a useful tool in Chinese language education. The study also showed that there is a need to further refine and clearly define some of the terminology now appearing in this important area of research.

This paper presents the ReProTool, a tool which provides the means and ensures that academic curriculum design/re-engineering takes place considering various student-centered learning pedagogical methods. Whether delivery of education is carried out through face-to-face or distance learning or combination of conventional and non conventional methods, pedagogical approaches utilizing interactivity, problem-based learning, simulation exercises and any other form of student initiated learning are crucial in the success of the learning process. It is well known that usually e-learning and hybrid learning environments tend to ignore such important methods and are developed without taking into consideration pedagogy theory. The use of ReProTool provides the opportunity to rethink the delivery and assessment methods employed in academic programmes of studies and learning environments. The tool focuses on the Bologna Process and Learning Outcomes (LOs) which provide the basis for setting up a student-centered learning environment. The paper also argues that pedagogical methods have their roots in ancient philosophy (both in the western and Asian civilization) and suggests that studies of philosophers such as Confucius and Socrates and their teaching/learning methods can greatly help educators, especially those engaging in hybrid learning.

In the New Senior Secondary (NSS) English language curriculum in Hong Kong, film will be treated as a popular cultural text to develop students’ critical thinking skills [4]. The purpose of the study was to investigate Form 6 students’ perceptions on whether they found narrative analysis activities with films useful and interesting for developing their critical thinking skills. In a 2-week period, 33 Form 6 students did narrative analysis activities with films in two rounds for two different films. After each round, students also completed questionnaires to reflect on whether they found narrative analysis activities with film useful and interesting. After an analysis of questionnaire data from the two rounds, follow-up semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine students of different English academic abilities to probe further qualitative data. In general, students found narrative analysis activities with film useful and interesting in the development of their critical thinking skills.

An international research team from Canada, United States, and Hong Kong developed a novel solution for creating interoperable, scalable learning objects along a gradient from single interactive objects for one learning activity to articulations of thousands of learning objects that become simulations capable of automatically assessing complex conceptual and performance competencies. We call this solution

R

esearch

O

riented

A

daptive

D

ecision

M

odeling

A

rchitecture

P

latforms for Simulations –

ROAD-MAP

. Our acronym,

ROAD-MAP

, acknowledges the many pathways that can lead to developing educational simulations and serious games. Such pathways are not well-mapped at this time, especially in the context of how such simulations and games actually improve higher-order reasoning and pattern recognition.

ROAD-MAP

provides a generalized solution for building simulations and serious games within an evidence-based approach to design, development, and evaluation of new types of coupled research and teaching-learning-assessment environments for different discipline domains.

Outcome-Based Teaching & Learning (OBTL) and Blended Learning (BL) are widely promoted in higher education of Hong Kong. The use of online resources is one of the key components in OBTL or BL. In this paper, we are going to study how the effective use of online resources in Blended Learning would assist students in achieving specific learning outcomes. In particular, with the facilitation and guidance of teachers and a well-designed course learning mode, most students are able to use relevant online resources effectively and efficiently among the overwhelming information on the web.

By combining properties of Wikis with Semantic Web technologies, Semantic Wikis emerged with semantic enhancements. Based upon Semantic Wiki, this paper designs and develops an online course integrated with face-to-face instruction to support hybrid learning. Compared with general online courses, the course has three outstanding features. First, taken the learning object as the basic building blocks, the course organizes learning content in a structured, coherent and flexible way. Second, it motivates learners to be actively engaged in the collaborative learning process by allowing convenient course authoring, editing as well as adequate interaction. Third, it enables smart resource accessing with the provision of intelligent facilities, such as semantic search, relational navigation, course management, etc.

Teaching a course in compiler construction is considered always a challenge because there are several problems to be addressed as time, complexity and motivation of students. In this paper, we present a hybrid learning approach along with a tool for use with courses of compiler construction. The key to our method is to combine theoretical and practical topics of the course using various technologies such as mobile learning, intelligent tutoring systems, learning social networks with direct learning. The ultimate goal is to stimulate the student’s abilities to work creatively, collaboratively or individually, as well as their ability to solve complex problems.

Online learning has been getting popular in higher education. Key functionalities of online learning environment include the access to a wider perspective of learning resources and the provision of social interactions between instructor-learners and among learners-learners. Recent empirical findings in online learning have acknowledged the importance of online knowledge sharing as an integral part of online learning, through the various forms of learner interactions within online learning environment, such as discussion forums, collaborative learning and communities building. However, recent studies still find mixed results that instructors and students are not always fully engaged in online learning activities. Without frequent and persistent interactions, it is doubtful whether online knowledge sharing could really take place in online learning environment. Thus, the present study examines prior literature to explore the motivational factors to online knowledge sharing. It is found that perceived online attachment motivation and perceived online relationship commitment are two determinants to online knowledge sharing. As a result of the literature review, theoretical propositions are developed to explain online knowledge sharing. Discussion section explains the theoretical and practical implications.

With the online teachers training course——“Educational Technology Competence Construction Plan for K-12 Teachers"——as a research context, this study analyzes the effects of the "facilitating" on the participation and cognitive progress of learners in three variables, including the quantity of discussion, the depth of discussion, and cognitive level of postings. The research suggested that the "facilitating” can obviously improve the depth of discussion and cognitive level of learners, which indicates that "facilitating" is an important factor to improve the participation of online learners and to enhance online learning quality.

This article is attemptted to design a hands-on learning model with the concept of multimedia learning. The framework of cognitve apprenticeship as the pedagogical fundamental was applied in developing the hands-on activity. Advanced technology could assist the learning activities in classroom such as digital video camera, interactive white board, real object projector, etc.. In this model, electronic devices were controlled conherently by the novel software whcih may elaborate hands-on learning environment. The learning activities in classroom were fouced on the programming language teaching. The participants in this survey were vocational high school student who may get used to learn with hands-on experience. This design introudce the concept of hands-on teaching with the framework of cognitive apprenticeship and highlight the importance of e-learning software whcih integrates the audio and video inputs of the electronic devices.

Hybrid learning is becoming one of the important applications by integrating e-learning and traditional face-to-face instruction together. Instructors are interested in how to design a hybrid course in a more effective way. In this paper one hybrid learning model of physical education is presented. As an introduction to the reader, challenges in hybrid learning of physical education and National Program of Web-Delivery for Elaborate Courses in China are provided. Based on the categories of physical education learning contents, the learning matrix of physical learning is proposed. Adopting it the best instructional strategies can be adopted in hybrid learning of physical education. Then the objectives and results of the research are explained. The results suggest that such instructional advice as hybrid learning is popular and can promote physical education, and the computer-based education platform with video editing functioning can improve e-learning teaching.

Blended/hybrid learning provides a new learning environment that combines face-to-face teaching with technology-mediated instruction. Based on blended learning practice in Peking University in recent years, this paper mainly discusses the factors that effecting student’s satisfaction in blended learning environment, and proposes an analytical model of evaluating student satisfaction in blended learning situation, which includes four dimensions: learner characteristics, instructor characteristics, course characteristics, and system characteristics. According to the model, the researchers design a questionnaire to research the PKU students’ attitudes on blended learning. The statistics results shows that e-learning adaptability, perceived usefulness, in-time of teacher’s response, perceived ease of use and course applicability are the important factors that can affect the learners’ satisfaction in using blended learning. Finally, the paper also proposes some suggestions to promote the use of blended learning in PKU.

Blended learning (BL) weaves face-to-face instruction into computer-mediated instruction in formal academic settings. This study shares an experience of BL in the teaching and learning of a mathematics topic “Perimeter of Closed Shapes” in primary education. Teacher-directed instruction and student-centered learning activities were conducted in a classroom learning environment; and an online learning platform was developed for the consolidation of knowledge that was acquired in class. The evaluation results show that students could effectively acquire knowledge of the target topic under the BL approach in the designed learning context, irrespective of the frequency of using the online learning component in the BL environment. This study reveals that critical factor for the successful implementation of BL is the starategies of teachers for handling learning diversity among students.

With the advent of mobile communication technologies, mobile learning (m-learning) is a new type of learning which allows people to learn across context and without restriction of location. This paper attempts to review the evolution of m-learning and to find out the learning trends and readiness of using mobile technologies within the community so that some practices could be encouraged to enhance learning experience. It is found that the latest mobile technologies are mature to support m-learning. As proven in many successful cases, m-learning has the advantages on boosting interaction and collaboration among students and teachers. M-learning is now perceived as the extension of e-learning that really makes learning available anywhere and anytime. When developing m-learning as a new learning option for student, it is necessary to balance between the organisational or student needs and the rapid technological changes. Security and copyright issues should also be carefully considered.

Hybrid learning, which combines traditional face to face instruction and pure online learning, has become an important learning mode in recent years. This paper put forward a practical hybrid learning mode, which integrates the face to face course instruction and the distance online experiment learning, for industrial engineering specialized courses in China. The face to face instruction focuses on the teacher’s education on students in classroom while the distance online experiment learning is implemented on the developed distance online experiment platform. This platform has five important parts, including the system management subsystem, the integrated course experiments subsystem, the innovative experiments subsystem, the interaction subsystem, the experiment reports evaluation subsystem. Finally, the case study is given to analyze the advantages of the proposed hybrid learning mode for industrial engineering specialized courses in China.

This paper describes a case study analysis of an implementation model that has been employed to enhance the currency and reputation of a key course in the ICT suite of subjects offered by a Hong Kong University. The model described is referred to as the Tripod Approach. The model is an enhancement of the iteration model of innovation and incorporates three critical components namely: A virtual laboratory environment, a self-paced guide book, and a portal for information dissemination and collegiality building. Implementation of the model was shown to be successful as demonstrated by statistical analysis and semi structured interviews. The Tripod Approach has resulted in a changed student mindset towards a traditionally difficult and unappealing ICT course. It is suggested that the model ought to be applied to other disciplines that are besieged by the problems of rapid change in content and technology.

Since MIT announced its OpenCourseWare Program in 2001, Open educational resources has gradually developed into a practical hotspot and got rapidly development in the higher education field of the world. In a sense, the essence and ultimate purpose of the existing and development of OER is effective sharing and utilization of it. How to facilitate the sharing and utilization of OER among the society is one of the key issues in the OER research and development area at present. This paper, based on the literature research and web search methods, has studied the present status of utilization of OER and related researches, analyzed the challenges or problems in OER’s sharing and using, and put forward a series of strategies which are expected to facilitate the effective utilization of OER from the three perspectives of technology, mechanism, and pedagogy.

As an effective tool to support blended learning, virtual classroom provides a virtual learning environment that allows instructors and learners to interact with each other anywhere. In this paper, we review the use of virtual classroom in library and information management courses, which are typically informative courses, in our institution. A survey is conducted to investigate the students’ general views on virtual classroom and their perception of blended learning. The results show that most of the students supported virtual classroom as it made them feel more connected to the course and helped them to study more efficiently. They generally considered virtual classroom as a crucial extension of the traditional classroom to enhance interaction and participation. The results also show the students welcome the blended mode of learning.

By examining and analyzing present studies on existing 3D virtual classroom based on multi-agent, we realize that most researchers pay more attention to role-agent’s design and function rather than environmental intelligence and support for teaching interaction. In contrast, we have created a 3D virtual classroom based on multi-agent technology as a teaching platform. In this paper, we describe the system structure, intelligent control of complex behaviors of user’s avatar agent, intelligent tracking of teaching scenes and avatar’s intelligent routing, etc. Finally, we demonstrate the actual visual effect of the 3D virtual classroom. User tests demonstrate that it presents intelligence well and can effectively support instructional interaction.

The paper attempts to explore the predictiveness of the constructs of self-regulated learning in students’ academic performance in CALL environments. Students (N=459) from a Chinese university were surveyed through the adoption of an internationally widely used questionnaire called “Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire” as well as a written self-report for such an endeavor. Results show that extrinsic goal orientation, task value, and meta-cognitive self-regulation are able to be more predicative of the dependent variable. The paper concludes that more attention should be given to the development of these aspects of students’ self-regulated learning capacity in order to be able to enhance the performance of their listening comprehension. Moreover, it also points out that general constructs of this kind are domain-specific and learning situation-specific. Finally, the limitations of the paper are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.

The paper starts from experiments of using online instant messenger chats as an assignment in a classical face to face course. Tutors reported that the activity of evaluating and grading students’ chats is very difficult. Starting from the analysis of their evaluations, Bakhtin’s polyphonic theory was chosen as a good starting point for developing automatic support tools. As a consequence, the PolyCAFe system based on this theory was developed using techniques from Natural Language Processing and Social Network Analysis. The system provides interactive graphics visualization of the chat and textual feedback. The persons who will beneficiate the most from the system are tutors. They can use the system for analyzing the participation of students and getting insights for writing a detailed feedback and grading. Students also may use the system, for getting feedback.

Discussion forum is used for knowledge construction popularly because it can provide collaborative learning environment and facilitate students joining online communication. In order to analyze knowledge construction activities based on Salmon’s model, case study and content analysis are employed for investigating three issues in this study, i.e. the distributed number of postings, shared and unshared postings, and students’ conversation at different phases of knowledge construction. The results demonstrate that socialization is one of the essential elements of knowledge construction. Other relevant findings for those three issues are also presented, and they could be applied for guiding knowledge construction design and application.

On-line learning community based on curricular is a kind of limited community and not spontaneously formed. In such a community, the participants can not freely choose learning contents, teachers and learning partners. A common goal, the collective identity and collaboration are the basic three elements of such limited community. This paper puts forward some promoting community formation and development strategies based on the three elements.

Effective classroom learning requires a good learning environment integrated with quality teaching, quality course content, and a collaborative approach towards learning. This study sets out to examine the drivers of student satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the three classroom settings common to higher education: face-to-face, Web-based, and blended classrooms. The Critical Incident Technique was used to collect data and to form categories of satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors. The results indicate that student satisfaction/dissatisfaction factors change in different classrooms. In face-to-face classrooms, the instructor’s teaching ability and level of enthusiasm are the most critical factors. On the other hand, availability of the online learning system turned out to be the most critical factor in both Web-based and blended learning contexts. The mix of different interaction types makes the blended classroom popular with students

.

Regardless of classroom environment, a collaborative learning style remains a key factor in achieving students’ satisfaction, which leads to better learning performance.

In computer supported teaching, the final test result was usually used to evaluate the teaching effectiveness. However, it was not easy to facilitate the students to make a significant progress in a short period. In this study besides the final test results, the cognitive load and non-test performances were also used to investigate the effectiveness of computer supported dynamic math teaching. Results indicated that though there was no significant difference in the final test results, computer supported dynamic math teaching performed significantly better in graphic related problems in non-test performances. Considering the combination results of the non-test performance and cognitive load, the computer supported dynamic math teaching method could facilitate more efficient learning.

As video game becomes more and more popular, its impact on our life, work and learning seems to be more important. Psychologists and educators have been focused their attention on its social and cognitive effect on players in the past 30 to 40 years. They have done many studies on its effect on players’ social and cognitive development. It has been found that video game experience do exert positive effects on human’s improvement in basic cognitive skills, such as cognition, distribution of attentional resources, perceptual learning, etc. and problem solving. Based on the previous literatures and our studies, we will briefly review the impact of video game play on players’ cognitive development and problem solving. Finally, the implications of video game play on cognitive development and training are discussed.

This paper provides a case study of a challenging institutional adoption of online submission and assessment. The paper reports on the way in which an institutional strategy and underpinning principles at the University of Glamorgan was implemented, highlighting both good and constructive lessons learnt. A to-do list (what is working) and ‘not to-do list’ (what is not working) for engaging staff with online submission and assessment is presented.. Seven evidence-based good practices, and the educational ethos for the centralised support team for supporting online submission and assessment, are discussed as an attempt to remove both the internal and external barriers of staff engagement. The findings of this case study show that positive engagement with academics is being achieved. Glamorgan’s experience is discussed to provide insights which can be compared and contrasted with experiences in other institutions to inform others who are attempting similar developments while enhancing what we are doing from the feedback on the papers from others in the same or similar environments.

Hybrid Learning has been described as a combination of online and face-to-face instruction in flow of knowledge. Combining information and communication technologies (ICT) with face-to-face learning can provide increased flexibility and variety for student interaction; cater for different learning styles and increase the speed and efficiency of interaction between teachers and learners. In this paper I have attempted to establish how ICT can best support student learning. I report on the research methodology and findings from an ICT application of Hybrid Learning (HL) implemented with students at the Australian Catholic University (ACU), Australia. The initial application reported in this paper represents the first step in a longitudinal study investigating outcomes from the hybrid learning approach.

The purpose of this research project is to discover how the factors Gender and Age influence the e-learning readiness of Hong Kong’s primary and secondary school in-service and trainee teachers. Using a combination of existing e-learning assessment tools with experiences gained from business field and the conceptual model developed from the literature, two questionnaires were created to survey in-service and trainee teachers in Hong Kong. Findings of this research show that Gender and Age have significant influence on in-service teachers. However, there is no significant influence on trainee teachers in Hong Kong. More importantly, the survey result of this research shows that the general perception which was true in the past thirty years that males are better at using ICT than females does not hold true any more.

E-learning has become a global trend in education recently. We have measured the effectiveness of e-learning program at university level. We found that the e-learning programs are effective in university courses at fundamental level. This paper shall extend our investigation to secondary schools in Hong Kong. Similarly, we have implemented Kirkpatrick’s model to measure the effectiveness of e-learning in secondary schools. The quantitative measurements in the study shall provide baseline data for secondary schools in Hong Kong to set its strategic direction of e-learning.

This paper presents the responses to two research questions that formed the core of a distance education study undertaken by the authors: 1) according to Chinese experts what are the roles and competencies necessary to achieve success in high-level distance education; and 2) how do distance education experts rate the importance of these competencies. This Chinese study modified the traditional approach to developing competency models for tertiary distance education in that it employed a Delphi face-to-face group discussion and a questionnaire survey. 13 roles and 17 general and role-specific competencies were identified. Some comparisons to the study conducted at Texas A & M University were made and considerable differences were identified. Differences were largely limited to training and cultural matters. Dissemination of findings will be used to provide base line information to staff delivering distance education programs and as a key input into the design of training curricula for staff and graduate students.

This article describes a new meaning of the Hybrid Learning (also known as the Blending Learning or Blended Learning), pointing out that the new meaning to be proposed and be widely recognized shows that the educational ideas of current international educational circles is undergoing a profound change, but also is an important symbol for further development of the “IT in Education” theory. Author from the following four aspects: reflecting the main theoretical basis of “IT in Education” theory, deepening of understanding on “IT in Education”, constructing the theory of “integrating IT into the curriculum”, and expansion of instructional design theory in the informationization’s environment, analyzed the significant impact to the “IT in Education” theory development in-depth, which impact is generated by this profound change of educational idea caused by Hybrid Learning.