Abbreviations List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgements Preface Introduction. The global corporate agenda 1. Reconfiguring the state-market-civil society paradigm 2. Nation states. facilitating and accommodating globalisation 3. Modernising the State. A Third Way for Competition 4. Modernising the State. New Organisation and New Management 5. The Emerging Corporate-Welfare Complex 6. The Price of Neo-Liberal Modernisation 7. The Nation State in 2020 8. Rethinking democratic governance and state capacity 9. Public Service Management for the Twenty-first Century 10. New alliances and strategies Appendix Bibliography Index

Public Services Or Corporate Welfare: Rethinking the Nation State in the Global Economy

How to ensure the quality of online learning in institutions of higher education has been a growing concern during the past several years. While several studies have focused on the perceptions of faculty and administrators, there has been a paucity of research conducted on students’ perceptions toward the quality of online education. This study utilized qualitative methods to investigate the perceptions of students from two universities and one community college regarding the quality of online education based on their own online learning experiences. Interviews and observations were conducted with three students. Various documents were collected, digital and printed. Positive and negative experiences of students were examined. Factors that contribute to those experiences were also identified. The findings of this research revealed that flexibility, cost-effectiveness, electronic research availability, ease of connection to the Internet, and well-designed class interface were students’ positive experiences. The students’ negative experiences were caused by delayed feedback from instructors, unavailable technical support from instructors, lack of self-regulation and self-motivation, the sense of isolation, monotonous instructional methods, and poorly-designed course content The findings can be used by instructors to understand students’ perceptions regard ing online learning, and ultimately improve their online instructional practices. Introduction With the fast development of the Internet, many colleges and universities have offered online courses as a viable alternative to traditional face-to-face instruction. However, considerable concerns and problems have developed, particularly as it relates to the quality of online education. Online education, according to Harasim (1989), is a new domain of learning that combines distance education with the practice of face-to-face instruction utilizing computer-mediated communication. Ascough (2002) suggested that online education has the following features: (a) it provides a learning experience different than in the traditional classroom because learners are different, (b) the communication is via computer and World Wide Web, (c) participation in classroom by learners are different, (d) the social dynamic of the learning environment is changed, and (e) discrimination and prejudice is minimized (p.1). New technologies, the Internet, streaming video, net-meeting etc. now makes higher education more accessible and affordable for many students, and for those who would have been unable to pursue higher education in a traditional in-class setting (Bianco & Carr-Chellman, 2002). Consequently, online learning has now become an integral part of higher education institutions’ expanding curriculum. The term online education is often associated with Internet education, virtual education, cyber-learning, and asynchronous learning (Office of Sustainable Development, 2000). Kearsly (2000) reported the following themes that shape online education: collaboration, connectivity, student-centeredness, unboundedness, community, exploration, shared knowledge, multisensory experience, and authenticity (p. 4-10). Volery (2000) also concluded that online delivery is a form of distributed learning enabled by the Internet. According to Paulsen (2002), online education is characterized by: • the separation of teachers and learners (which distinguishes it from face-to-face education), • the influence of an educational organization (which distinguishes it from self-study and

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Students' Perceptions towards the Quality of Online Education: A Qualitative Approach.

With a growing number of courses offered online and degrees offered through the Internet, there is a considerable interest in online education, particularly as it relates to the quality of online learning instruction. The major concerns are centering on the following questions: What will be the new role for instructor in online education? How will students’ learning outcomes be assured and improved in online learning environment? How will effective communication and interaction be established with students in the absence of face-to-face instruction? and How will instructors motivate students to learn in the online learning environment? This paper will examine new challenges and barriers for online instructors, highlight major themes prevalent in the literature related to “quality control or assurance” in online education, and provide strategies for instructors to design and deliver effective online instruction. Recommendations will be made on how to ensure quality in online instruction, and the role of administrators in ensuring quality online learning will also be described. With a growing number of courses offered online and degrees offered through the Internet, there is a considerable interest in concerns and problems associated with online education, particularly as it relates to the quality of online education instruction (Allen & Seaman, 2003). According to Twigg (2001) many problems that arise from online education as it relates to quality include, but is not limited to: (a) the requirement of separate quality assurance standards, (b) programs having low (or no) quality standards, and (c) there being no consensus on what constitutes learning quality. Online education, according to Harasim (1989), is a new domain of learning that combines distance education with the practice of face-to-face instruction utilizing computer-mediated communication. Volery (2000) concluded that online delivery is a form of distributed learning enabled by the Internet. Ascough (2002) suggested that online education has the following features: (a) it provides a learning experience different than in the traditional classroom because learners are different, (b) the communication is via computer and World Wide Web, (c) participation in classroom by learners are different, (d) the social dynamic of the learning environment is changed, and (e) discrimination and prejudice is minimized. More recently, Allen and Seaman (2003) in conducting a survey on online education delivered by higher education institutions in the United States defined an online course as one that had at least 80 % of the course content delivered online. Regardless of the definition, an early indication of the widespread popularity of online education courses can be found in a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, which revealed that more than 54,000 online education courses were being offered in 1998, with over 1.6 million student’s enrolled (cited in Lewis, et al., 1999). In this study, Allen and Seaman (2003) reported that: (a) over 1.6 million students took at least one online course during the Fall of 2002, (b) over one-third of these students (578,000) took all of their courses online, (c) among all U.S. higher education students in Fall 2002, 11 percent took at least one online course, and (d) among those students at institutions where online courses were offered, 13 percent took at least one online course (p.1). Background of the problem Controversies as to the quality of online education have not diminished over the past decades. Many people are suspicious of online education because courses are often offered by divisions of extended studies or continuing education (Husmann & Miller, 2003) and are taught by adjunct faculty or instructors who have not earned doctoral degrees. Therefore, many individuals have concluded that online education programs are left outside of formal faculty structures that have traditionally had oversight for instructional course quality. Both proponents and opponents have been concerned about online education quality. Opponents view online education as inferior, see it as a substitute for the traditional “brick and mortar” university, and conclude it is rather a profit making venue. This type of delivery is often viewed by “administrators as a “cash cow”-a means of delivering instruction to a large number of paying customers without the expense of providing things such as temperature controlled classrooms and

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Ensuring Quality in Online Education Instruction: What Instructors Should Know?

of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Efficacy of distance learning for professional development of police officers

This research is concerned with identifying the challenges / problems of flexible learning environments in the tertiary education sector. Flexible learning environments usually allow students to choose from a mix of learning opportunities/resources, including “face-to-face” learning, distance learning and e-learning. The term “blended learning” is used when students are expected to participate in both “face-to-face” learning and e-learning.

Research was conducted using mixed qualitative and quantitative method, and the data were collected through interviews and online survey. Ten staff members were interviewed and 145 students participated in the survey. Both sets of data have been summarized and analysed by the researcher to draw meaningful conclusions. 

This thesis identifies the challenges and problems faced by students and staff in flexible learning environment, especially the challenges of online learning which is considered as the latest version of the flexible learning environment. 
Key findings provided to answers the following questions:

•	What are the challenges faced by students, teachers and support staff which can reduce the effectiveness of the learning and teaching process?
•	What are the learning/technical difficulties encountered by the students from various ethnic communities of New Zealand?
•	How can flexible learning be made more effective if the identified challenges and difficulties are resolved?

Challenges faced by staff and students at tertiary level in flexible learning environment: An institutional study

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Shelby Clark

Papers

"What a Tangled Web We Weave, When First We Practice to Deceive": Frames, Hyperlinks, Metatags, and Unfair Competition on the World Wide Web