Diane Newton

• PhD
• Manager at Southern Cross University

Higher education institutions that teach both on-campus and at a distance are challenged to provide all students with equitable access to learning. While the concept of blending or converging learning environments supported by technology and Internet use is common in Australian universities, institution wide implementation is rarer. This paper prov...

** Invited as a paper from E-Learn 2009 ** Access to information and communication technologies can enable academics to design courses with learning opportunities that bring together and engage students from diverse backgrounds and locations. For first year university students, knowing how to access and participate in learning opportunities is part...

In recent years, reports in the popular press have highlighted the rapid take-up of Web 2.0 type tools that support social networking, collaboration and information access. Also, there have been calls for universities to be more innovative in their use of these emerging technologies for learning and not just for the distribution of resources and th...

Researching the factors influencing e-learning effectiveness is a complex and contentious task due to the dynamic, complex and interrelated factors in education and training environments. A recent major study of the Australian Army's use of e-learning courses approached the understanding of e-learning effectiveness factors by aligning multiple pers...

Purpose This case study identifies factors influencing the implementation of e‐learning within the Australian Army training context. Design/methodology/approach A grounded theory approach was used to gain an understanding of the concerns of stakeholders involved in e‐learning implementation. This research included interviews with Army managers, co...

Understanding factors that influence the uptake of networked Web-Based Learning development within the highly authoritarian and hierarchical management and training structures of the Australian Army is important to improve opportunities for flexible learning. The perspective of instructional designers and course developers involved in this process...

In the space of a decade the Australian Army has moved from developing its first CD-ROM training package (Army Doctrine Electronic Library – ADEL), to the establishment of a series of technology-based Regional Training Centres using staff produced CD-ROM packages (developed in Macromedia Director™) and in 2004 to the development and deployment of b...

Today’s literature is filled with new paradigms for learning, specifically in relation to the increasing adoption of computer-mediated techniques for interactive learning. In many cases, learning may now be enhanced through the experience of a shared online environment for critical discussion, knowledge building and the establishment of supportive...

This study identified the factors that are important in the effective implementation of online learning in the mining industry in Queensland, Australia. Two sources of data and a Grounded Theory approach were used to develop a theoretical model that would inform managers, trainers and educators considering online learning implementation. The first...

Report summary: One of the key objectives of the Australian Qualifications Framework Advisory Board is to facilitate pathways to formal qualifications that are based on, or include, prior learning that has occurred outside formal education and training. Learning occurs in many contexts that include work, involvement in social, community or sporting...

Understanding the influences on e-learning effectiveness in workplaces is a necessary, but contentious task. The transfer of knowledge about e-learning from higher education to workplace situations has resulted in discursive tensions between expectations and practice. Measurement of the aspects of e-learning effectiveness is often discussed in the...

As yet there is no comprehensive theory to inform how the various elements of e-learning environments, such as design, implementation and delivery can be understood and optimised. A major study of the introduction of e-learning into the Australian Army has allowed a preliminary grounded theory model to be developed. This model identifies key factor...

This paper investigates the nature and quality of Web-based resources which support staff development in Australian universities. It details findings and recommendations derived from publicly accessible Web pages containing resources, information, activities and models provided by university centres concerned with the staff development for the onli...

One of the key drivers for RPL is its perceived capacity to act as a mechanism for social inclusion within the context of lifelong learning policy frameworks that seek to "encourage formal learning, to promote links between it and informal learning and to improve opportunities for people to use their informal learning to gain recognised qualificati...

This study aims to understand the perceptions of soldiers involved in the shift to flexible learning (computer based learning and distance learning) in the Australian Army. This move represents a major shift for an organisation that has a hierarchical and authoritarian decision-making and training structures.Interviews and questionnaires with manag...

This paper presents findings from a research project in a university social science course. It explores reasons for the emergence of informal peer-to-peer online learning interactivity. Given that the literature on assessment in higher education higher education indicates that learning is driven by assessment, what motivates students to interact on...

Organisations with established eLearning programs continue to experience the impact of internally and externally driven change. Sustaining effective eLearning through these changes requires planning that includes an understanding of the organisational culture and the learners' needs. A move to a new eLearning environment can challenge the organisat...

The implementation of effective online learning in workplaces can challenge corporate priorities, organisational culture, organisational structures and employees. Although there has been great interest in the potential for the use of online learning in workplaces there is limited research into an effective implementation process in Australian indus...

This paper reports on two recent studies in Australia that relate to aged services and the Web. Interviews with the aged and their carers about aged care needs in a regional area in N.S.W. (Wallace, Newton & Garbutt 2003) revealed that many older people (over 65 years old) were using the Web and e-mail to access information, education and to combat...

For organisations with hierarchical management and training cultures, e-learning provides opportunities for standardising content, delivery, and course management while challenging traditional teacher-student relationships. This research based case study of the Australian Army provided a longitudinal perspective of the diverse factors influencing t...

An organisation's eLearning culture is influenced by the traditional training culture and perceived relevance of eLearning opportunities. For organisations with hierarchical and authoritarian management and training structures, eLearning provides opportunities for standardising content, delivery and course management while challenging traditional t...

This article describes a research based case study that identified that organisational culture is significantly influencing e-learning design in the Australian Army. For organisations with hierarchical and authoritarian management and training cultures, e-learning provides opportunities for standardising content, delivery and course management whil...