An Open Learning Model for Web-Based Learning Architecture

As distance learning becomes one of the hotspots in network research and applications, many Web-based education systems have been established. Several good examples are Virtual-U (Groeneboer, Stockley, & Calvert, 1997), WebCT (WebCT, 2004), and Blackboard (Blackboard, 2004). To cover the entire spectrum of the learning process, these systems have implemented a number of fundamental components such as synchronous and asynchronous teaching systems, course-content delivery tools, polling and quiz modules, virtual workspaces for sharing resources, whiteboards, grade reporting systems, and assignment submission components. These research and commercial e-learning systems enable many more students to have access to a distance-learning environment, providing students and teachers with unprecedented flexibility and convenience.