Development of eLearning in the Commonwealth Countries

Abstract

The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people (almost one-third of the world population). The countries of Commonwealth, 54 in number, are spread across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific. The Commonwealth countries are amongst the world's biggest and smallest states in terms of population and size, with about 32 of them having less than 1.5 million people. Over the years, the Commonwealth countries have emphasized using distance education and technologies to improve access to quality learning opportunities. In this pursuit, online learning or eLearning has been adapted in many Commonwealth countries, although in varying degrees. This chapter provides an overview of eLearning in Commonwealth countries by looking into the developments that emerged as various policies, projects, and practices in the four regions of the Commonwealth (i.e., Commonwealth Africa, Commonwealth Asia, Commonwealth Caribbean, and Commonwealth Pacific).