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Purpose: The aim of this paper is to report how Swedish upper secondary schools involved in a European Union-financed collaborative project intertwined aspects of subject integration and international collaboration with the use of ICT. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology used is a case study in which aspects of subject integration and international collaborative ambitions are intertwined with the use of ICT. Data consist of interviews with participants, texts concerning the project, the participating school, and the Swedish upper secondary schools system. Findings: Teachers and students have worked towards the objectives in the project and in the national curricula, and the case shows how difficult and how many barriers there are to overcome. Even though the curricula seem difficult to coordinate, students appear to have learnt more about the European perspective, as well as about themselves, through the approach. The teacher describes student motivation as high - authenticity and real people to collaborate with support the students' experience of a holistic education, which applies to real life. The teacher tried to change the role towards providing students with structure and advice, monitoring their progress, and assessing their accomplishments, but reported to be struggling with the teacher role. Originality/value: The paper demonstrates originality and value by providing important insight into the use of ICT in upper secondary schools for the purpose of collaboration and at the same time working towards joint curricular themes. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Purpose - This paper discusses performance in postgraduate education in Sweden and Scotland. Drawing on two cases, we consider three themes: differences in students´ performance by study mode, differences in students´ performance by length of study, and finally comparing performance by study mode between modules in Scotland with an entire programme in Sweden.

Design/methodology/approach - The empirical setting from Scotland builds on an evaluation of online and on-campus study groups with exactly the same module syllabus. The Swedish setting is also based on an evaluation of distance and on-campus study groups with exactly the same module syllabus. The data compiled in both countries arise from student performance scores and grades

Findings - The results indicate that students in both countries foremost use the VLE as a forum for accessing information, to access asynchronous postings in the forums and access streaming- synchronous online lectures which are also accessed asynchronously in the VLE. The results show that there are no differences between the grades or test scores between campus students with face-toface education and distance students with electronically (VLE) mediated education These differences and similarities will form the basis of these reflections in this paper

Limitations - The study is limited because the examples given are only a few cases and small samples and there is a need to more rigorously investigate different educational programs in different academic disciplines.

Purpose – With a philosophical stance in relation to education, this paper aims to discuss different understandings of participation in an information and communication technology (ICT)-supported distance-based teacher education program in Sweden. esign/methodology/approach – The paper is based on early results from two studies, both of which involved a group of teacher-trainees, with one interview and one questionnaire.

Findings – The findings indicate that there is a need to be explicit about the ontological assumptions inherent in the intended use of ICT. The conclusion is that the program in question is built on assumptions of realism and that ICT lays the ground for individual participation and works to tell the students apart.

Originality/value – Helps in understanding how ICT, and its use, can have different effects on different groups.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of blogs as part of a formative assessment practice, to report how reflective peer-to-peer learning can be designed and provided in online higher education.

Design/methodology/approach: The research relies on a qualitative approach. The empirical setting comprised an online higher education course in which 23 students were enrolled. All students wrote individual blogs, and the analysis was done using all postings and comments from the blogs. For the analysis the ICE (Ideas, Connections, and Extension) three level classification model was used.

Findings: The designed blog exercise turned into an informal and formative type of assessment that scaffolds the students' learning, providing a reflective peer-to-peer technology-enhanced learning design.

Research limitations/implications: The study is limited to one online higher education course. Additional research on educational technology and e-assessment is needed. In particular, research on the informed design of technology-enhanced learning practices characterized by formative e-assessment and the role of the designed use of blogs in the facilitating and enhancement of the students' peer-to-peer learning.

Practical implications: The paper demonstrates that the design and use of blogs embrace a formative assessment approach that cultivates the students' reflective peer-to-peer learning.

Originality/value: The paper provides insight into the designed use of blogs in online higher education together with the potential in formative assessment for learning. The ICE three-level classification model provides a dynamic possibility to analyze online higher educational practices.

Purpose This paper seeks to present the issue of e-learning development in a public university in Bolivia, together with challenges that could support the work of a sustainable development of practice and educational technologies.

Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents the first phase of an interpretative case study. It comprises data sources found in observations, interviews, and documents, which the authors have analysed according to three genre themes associated with e-learning - people, spaces, and technologies.

FindingsThe paper identifies a set of challenges that is aimed at directing further development and research on sustainable e-learning approaches in developing regions.

Originality/valueThe paper offers a practitioner perspective on e-learning development at a university in a developing country.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report progress concerning the design of a computer-assisted simulation training (CAST) platform for developing decision-making skills in police students. The overarching aim is to outline a theoretical framework for the design of CAST to facilitate police students’ development of search techniques in complex interactions within the built environment, learning to apply and perform the five "quick peek" techniques for information gathering, and subsequent risk evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on Luckin's ecology of resources model of learner context informed with perspectives on reflective thinking from John Dewey and Donald Schön. The paper discusses design issues within the ecology of resources model applied on CAST for complex police situations.

Findings – It is suggested that Luckin's framework with its focus on the interaction between different elements and filters in the learner's context together with Schön's perspective on reflection challenge educational designers to look beyond the immediate development of specific tools (such as the CAST in this project) and examine how these tools will be effectively embedded in the overall learning experience.

Originality/value – This paper has presented two theoretical perspectives, Luckin's ecology of resources model and Schön's perspective on reflective practice as foundations for the educational design of CAST. Applying Luckin's framework as informed by Schön helps focus attention on issues that are important in the design process in order to facilitate educational transfer.