Collaboration in Distance Education : International Case Studies

Through Canadian, Australian, American and Malaysian case studies, the internationally known authors of this book analyse the key factors which enhance and inhibit collaboration in distance education.

As inter-institutional collaboration has become a key policy issue in distance and higher education, strategic alliances for course development, teaching and credit transfer have become a central feature of institutional culture and policy-making. Distance educators are leading higher education around the world in overcoming the many problems involved in collaboration to forge exciting new institutional links with significant benefits for students and institutions. Through Canadian, Australian, American and Malaysian case studies, this ground-breaking book identifies and analyses the key factors enhancing and inhibiting collaboration. The high incidence of failed collaborative ventures indicates that the dynamics and strategies for success are poorly understood. This book seeks to redress that lack of understanding, and to assist in future policy-making, in distance education and throughout the higher education field. The authors conclude that a culture of `collaborative individualism'' is emerging which is playing a significant part in the profound changes occurring in the nature and practice of higher education. The authors are internationally well-known and highly regarded distance educators, with first-hand knowledge of the difficulties and benefits of collaborative ventures.