Emerging educational changes in higher education: The impact of information and communications technology on non–face-to-face pedagogy and peer interactions and support in a networked virtual environment

Little research has examined multi-faceted transformation of higher education by ICT in detail such that the impact of ICT on learning and teaching is not fully discussed. This paper examines this transformation driven by ICT in a networked virtual environment. It is based on a cross-institution collaborative research project on virtual learning and teaching conducted in a Hong Kong university. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from the simultaneous teaching of non face-to-face students and face-to-face students who were at a remote site and in an engineering laboratory, respectively. This paper presents the findings of a comparison of the two groups of students’ learning with the tutor’s reflections on his teaching. The significance of this study is also discussed.