The second edition of this award-winning book continues the mission of its predecessor, to provide a comprehensive compendium of research in all aspects of distance education, arguably the most significant development in education over the past quarter century. While the book deals with education that uses technology, the focus is on teaching and learning and how its management can be facilitated through technology.The key features include: comprehensive - coverage includes all aspects of distance education including design, instruction, management, policy, and a section on different audiences; chapter structure - chapter authors frame their topic in terms of empirical research (past and present) and discuss the nature of current practice in terms of that research. Future research needs are discussed in relation to both confirmed practice and recent changes in the field; theoretical foundation - section one provides a unique review of the theories that support distance education pedagogy; global perspective - section six provides a unique review of distance education as a component of a global culture; and new material - all chapters have been updated and approximately one third are either new or have new authors.A sample of new chapters includes: A History of Scholarship; Trends in Research; Group Development in Online Distance Learning; The Theory of Transactional Distance; A Theory of Community of Inquiry; Supporting the Disabled Student; Fulfilling the Promise of Learning Objects; and Media-Based Learning Styles. This book will be of interest to anyone engaged in distance education at either the K-12 or college level. It is also appropriate for corporate and government trainers and for administrators and policy makers in all these environments.