Advances in web based learning : third international conference

With the rapid development of Web-based learning and new concepts like virtual cla- rooms, virtual laboratories and virtual universities, many issues need to be addressed. On the technical side, there is a need for effective technology for deployment of W- based education.On the learning side, the cyber mode of learning is very different from classroom-based learning. How can instructional developmentcope with this new style of learning? On the management side, the establishment of the cyber university - poses very different requirements for the set-up. Does industry-university partnership provide a solution to addressing the technological and management issues? Why do we need to standardize e-learning and what can we do already? As with many other new developments, more research is needed to establish the concepts and best practice for Web-based learning. ICWL 2004, the 3rd International Conference on Web-Based Learning, was held at the Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) from August 8th to 11th, 2004, as a continued attempt to address many of the above-mentioned issues. Following the great successes of ICWL 2002 (Hong Kong) and ICWL 2003 (Australia), ICWL 2004 aimed at p- senting new progress in the technical, pedagogical, as well as management issues of Web-based learning. The conference featured a comprehensive program, including a tutorial session, a keynote talk, a main track for regular paper presentations, and an - dustrial track. We received 120 papers and accepted only 58 of them in the main track for both oral and poster presentations.