**6. International collaborations**

students who are juggling the same responsibilities of wanting time to study, wanting to spend

The scheduled time for many face-to-face classes often conflicts with family responsibilities. However, parents who pursue higher education are often doing so for their children as much as for themselves, as they see themselves as role models for their children [56, 57]. Integrating their children in to the educational process by showing them the E-Learning platform, talking about assignments, and discussing successes as well as setbacks was reported to help with the

Students who are supporting families are part of the category of adult learners, defined as students age 25 and older who have multiple responsibilities, experiences that contribute directly to their learning, and goals based on well defined needs [58]. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), between 2008 and 2019, the number of students between the ages of 25 and 34 is projected to increase by 28 percent and for students 35 years of age and older, the projected increase is 22 percent. This compares to the 12 percent projected

Following a critical review of the characteristics of adult students and adult learning theories, Cercone [23] determined that high quality E-Learning for adult students includes (a) collabo‐ ration and social interaction with peers, (b) the opportunity to connect new information with past experiences, (c) immediate application of the new knowledge, and (d) the opportunity for self-reflection and self-regulation of learning. Integrating these elements allows for what Majeski and Stover [10] describe as deep learning, a learning that is collaborative in nature, includes self-reflection, integrates new knowledge, and is directed toward an application. Deep learning moves learning from memorizing facts to integrating new knowledge with that

which is already known, enriched by the fact that it occurs in a social environment.

More than any group of soldiers in the past, current servicemen and servicewomen have the financial and technological resources to pursue higher education while still active in the military [17]. Even when remotely deployed, the E-Learning environment has made higher education accessible, making almost irrelevant the geographical requirements that used to exist for higher education. The current unparalleled availability of E-Learning along with an understanding of the benefits of higher education among prospective soldiers makes distance learning an effective tool for military recruitment. Prospective soldiers are aware of the benefits of higher education that will be available to them in their post military lives [17, 18]. Most men and women who are enlisted recruits do not have a college degree because, in general, they enlist before attending college [18]. However, approximately 90% of the recruits have a high school diploma or have obtained a GED, making recruits eligible to apply to colleges and

While the structure of the E-Learning might fit well for military populations, the success of the military student will depend, in part, on the instructor's understanding of military culture [16,

flexibility parents need when completing college courses through E-Learning.

time with their children, and needing to earn a living [56].

352 E-Learning - Instructional Design, Organizational Strategy and Management

increase for "traditional" college students aged 18 to 24.

**5. Military populations**

universities.

International collaboration among students and instructors occurs easily in online formats [25]. With online international collaboration, learning is expanded beyond the local context. Including various cultural groups in the online format invites new ideas and views in to the learning community, potentially enriching the lives of the students and teachers involved [61-63]. The increased diversity that international collaborations offer in the E-Learning environment increases awareness of global and cultural issues and allows experts from other countries to participate and share their expertise. Online international collaborations that develop can be structured in a variety of ways and often develop from ordinary people taking on what Ife [64] describes as "globalization from below," an approach by interested local parties not driven by governments or institutions, that often result in international exchange that is more participatory in nature.

Students, teachers, schools, as well as institutions, and governments can benefit from interna‐ tional collaborations [61]. Leppisaari and Lee [65] investigated an international collaboration between students in Finland and Korea focused on environmental education. Leppisaari and Lee found that students in the study were enthusiastic about the subject matter; the students shared information and documented real world solutions to environmental problems using mobile phones and digital cameras. This sharing of information allowed students in both countries to view environmental problems from a new perspective, allowing them to better understand their own communities. Along with the subject matter, the students were also excited to learn about the culture and customs of another school. As the result of the pilot study, Leppisaari and Lee stated that the collaboration showed the possibilities of "cyber space pedagogy" (p. 244).

Colleges and universities hoping to increase diversity in both the face-to-face and E-learning classroom have entered in to agreements with developing countries that have a need for postsecondary education, resulting in networks of international education [61, 62]. These networks can result in aid for developing nations and academic publications and other academic acknowledgements for the faculty. Successful frameworks are now available and describe how to develop successful collaborations.

With the new opportunities now available for international collaboration come new caveats. When a classroom has an international community, the instruction coming from one culture might not follow the norms of the other students' cultures [66, 67] and questions asked from a western viewpoint might not be relevant to students living elsewhere [68]. Differen‐ ces in communication styles and differences in teaching styles, both heavily influenced by the culture of the teacher and the student, make pedagogical sensitivity essential [69]. Part of this sensitivity includes an understanding of electronic colonialism [70], which means imposing western values on students from non-western cultures in E-Learning environ‐ ments. Leppisaari and Lee [65] point out that while international learning communities develop around common interests, the pedagogy often has not caught up with the technology. Organization, continuous technical support, time allotted for development of the structure of the collaboration, and time allotted to develop trust between the collabora‐ tors are all key to successful collaborations [62, 63, 68].

The development of successful online collaborations requires that each group of collaborators understand their goals, hopes, fears, the time commitment involved in setting up and actually collaborating, and their beliefs about what will occur in the collaboration [71]. International collaboration can be a dynamic experience when there is sufficient planning and understand‐ ing among all the parties involved [68]. When teaching critical thinking skills and creative problem solving, it is essential that students examine situations from a variety of perspectives, and international collaborations in E-learning offer this environment. Mitroff and Linestone [72] stated, "because of long and arduous years involved in mastering a particular discipline, the academic/professional mind easily becomes the prisoner of a particular way of viewing the world" (p.34).
