"eLearning: Theories, Design, Software and Applications" ed. by Patrizia Ghislandi

This book investigates the eLearning in its many different facets in four sections: Theories, Design, Software, and Application.

The term was coined when electronics, with the personal computer, was very popular and internet was still at its dawn. It is a very successful term, by now firmly in schools, universities, and SMEs education and training. Just to give an example 3.5 millions of students were engaged in some online courses in higher education institutions in 2006 in the USA1.eLearning today refers to the use of the network technologies to design, deliver, select, manage and broaden learning and the possibilities made available by internet to offer to the users synchronous and asynchronous learning, so that they can access the courses content anytime and wherever there is an internet connection.

Contents
Preface
Part 1 Theories
1 New e-Learning Environments: e-Merging Networks in the Relational Society
2 Knowledge Building in E-Learning
3 E-Learning and Desired Learning Outcomes
Part 2 Design
4 Innovative E-Learning Solutions and Environments for Small and Medium Sized Companies (SMEs)
5 Reciprocal Leading: Improving Instructional Designs in E-Learning
6 ad Astra: A Rubrics' Set for Quality eLearning Design
Part 3 Software
7 Learning Objects and Their Applications
8 Evolutive Platform - A Genetic E-Learning Environment
9 A Multimedia Integrated Framework for Learning Management Systems
10 Ontology Alignment OWL-Lite
Part 4 Application
11 Developing an Online/Onsite Community of Practice to Support K-8 Teachers' Improvement in Nature of Science Conceptions
12 E-Learning in the Modern Curriculum Development
13 Open Web-Based Virtual Lab for Experimental Enhanced Educational Environment