On-line environments have been incorporated in the Distance learning programmes of the International
Equine Institute (IEI) in order to address concerns about streamlining assessment turn-around, distance
student attendance at tutorials, providing more detailed and quicker assignment feedback, student peer
interaction, student to tutor1 interaction and, of course, student support. The overriding concern was
to provide a more flexible, active learning environment to develop and enhance learning opportunities
while, concurrently, integrating more closely the learning activities of the student with the University
of Limerick (UL) community. The impetus, therefore, was to make studies convenient and attractive
to the location of the distance student, while maintaining educational quality through the provision
of pedagogical innovations and at the same time providing a social and interactive environment to
support the distance student. In so doing, the IEI uses the collaborative learning environment (CLE)
Sakai (www.Sakaiproject.org) to support the distance student and also utilises Adobe Connect Pro™
to deliver on-line synchronous desktop-to-desktop tutorials. This chapter outlines aspects drawn from
our experiences with the on-line support and delivery of distance learning programmes. Throughout,
various recommendations on enhancing the experiences for students are also presented.
History
Publication
Learning Management System Technologies and Software Solutions for Online Teaching: Tools and Applications, Kats, Yefim (ed);chapter 5, pp. 81-104