Les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació han evolucionat molt ràpidament en els darrers 5 anys, impregnant tots els àmbits de la societat. Aquest canvi va alhora estretament relacionat amb un canvi social, també a tots els nivells. Noves demandes, nous reptes i noves necessitats a les que cal fer front. El món educatiu no està al marge. Si bé les tecnologies no són agents de canvi de per se, són moltes les eines i recursos tecnològics que poden ajudar a millorar certs aspectes i en facilitar el canvi tant metodològic com procedimental. Centrant-nos en l'educació superior, de totes aquestes noves eines hem triat els blocs per la seva ràpida popularització, senzillesa d'ús i la gran diversitat de possibilitats que ofereixen. La tesi pretén mostrar que la utilització del bloc a la docència universitària afavoreix l'aprenentatge autònom de l'estudiant i és un sistema de creació de coneixement que pot servir tant pel professor com per a l'estudiant, des del punt de vista dels processos d'ensenyament - aprenentatge en el marc de l'Espai Europeu d'Educació Superior. I alhora pot ser una eina de gestió de la informació, socialització i intercanvi per a l'investigador. En el primer context, s'han dut a terme dos estudis de casos en situacions educatives reals. En un es tracta d'un ensenyament totalment a distància, a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya i en l'altre, educació presencial a la Universitat de Barcelona. L'ús dels blocs en els dos casos, es centra en la reflexió de l'estudiant sobre el propi procés d'aprenentatge. I des del punt de vista de l'investigador, aquesta investigació, també pretén explorar les possibilitats d'aquesta eina basant-se en el seu ús per a l'elaboració de la pròpia tesi, d'una forma més etnogràfica, a partir de la creació del bloc www.blocdeblocs.net . Aquest anàlisi es fa des de dues vessants: per una banda la comunicativa i de relacions socials (com ha permès posar en contacte persones interessades en el mateix tema, usuaris de blocs, professors, etc.) I obtenir informacions, conèixer experiències, etc. i per altra la creació conjunta de coneixement (fer aportacions al bloc que s'han anat enriquint amb els comentaris, crítiques i valoracions d'altres persones. És a dir, a partir de reflexions personals, aquestes s'han anat transformant i sobretot enriquint amb altres aportacions i punts de vista, posant a prova les possibilitats que es defensen l'ús d'aquesta eina. / The use of ICTs and the adoption to the European Higher Education Area will imply changes in the way students learn and also the way professors teach. The new professor's role will demand an active participation and the use of more resources and new strategies to attend to the emerging needs.Weblogs are a very flexible and easy to use tool that can enhance teaching and learning process. From digital portfolios to self-reflection writings, there are plenty of possibilities.We present two case studies, one based on a first degree face-to-face students, and another based on an online masters degree.The main purpose is to analyze some educational practices of using weblogs in higher education and try to set up some considerations for professors who want to start using it.

A la primera part, la Tesi comenca amb una introducció teòrica a on es fa un repas de les principals teories sociològiques que analitzen les relacions entre mercat de treball i educació. Es comença per la Teoria del Capital Humà i a continuació es descriuen les crítiques subsegüents, passant per les teories de la reproducció i el credencialisme.S'analitzen les diferents relacions de la institució universitària amb la societat civil i l'esfera de I'Estat als EE.UU. i a Europa; i es veu quina és la posició de la C.E. davant l'ensenyament superior i les seves perspectives, a partir del Memorandum de la "Task Force" Recursos Humans.Es descriu a continuació el creixement i canvi produïts a la Universitat del nostre país, en relació amb el context socio-econòmic els darrers decennis, i el pas d'una universitat d'elits a una universitat de masses.Per tal de veure com es produeix la inserció dels titulats universitaris en el mercat de treball es fa una revisió de la literatura existent i de les darreres recerques realitzades sobre el tema, revisant especialment la que va dur a terme el CIREM per al Consejo de Universidades recentment, amb algunes aportacions relevants, sobretot pel que fa a la diferent distribució territorial i per classe social.A continuació s'analitza la valoració que fan els titulats de la institució universitaria així com les opinions que en tenen els empresaris, a partir dels estudis que s'han fet en el nostre país, i fent també algunes comparacions internacionals al respecte.Abans d'entrar en els temes centrals de les recerques, es fa un esforç de conceptualització per delimitar el concepte de formació a I'empresa, tot distingint-lo d'altres formes d'aprenentatge i d'altres conceptes com el de qualificació, així com de les pseudo-necessitats de formació. Es revisa, també, l'evolució que ha sofert el tema de la formació a I'empresa des dels anys 60 fins a la crisi actual, en relació amb el sistema socio-econòmic del nostre país.A la segona part es descriuen les recerques dutes a terme sobre demandes i necessitats de formació permanent a nivell superior a les empreses de Catalunya.En primer lloc es resumeixen breument alguns aspectes metodològics de caracter general.En segon lloc es descriuen els resultats obtinguts en els onze grups de discussió, a partir d'un qüestionari semi-estructurat, amb representants d'empreses i de l'Administració pública, sobre la formació inicial i la formació continuada a la Universitat. Els aspectes que s'analitzen més detingudament són: L'opinió de les organitzacions sobre la formació inicial, sobre la formació continuada, les necessitats de formació que diuen tenir les empreses al respecte, la missió que hauria de tenir la formació continuada a la Universitat, les condicions necessaries per a una bona acceptació de la mateixa per part de les organitzacions, i algunes deduccions útils per tal de poder orientar-la.En tercer lloc es descriuen els resultats obtinguts mitjançant el qüestionari passat a 94 organitzacions sobre les seves característiques i necessitats de formació: s'analitzen, en primer terme, els trets bàsics que permeten una caracterització de les empreses a partir del tamany, sector, tipus de personal, nombre d'establiments, mena d'activitat, relacions inter-industrials, producte, transformacions experimentades els darrers anys, I+D, i activitat econòmica, comercial i exportadora realitzades. En segon terme es fa una caracterització de la mà d'obra de les diferents organitzacions, veient l'evolució dels seus efectius, composició per edat i sexe, moviment experimentat i tipus de contractes, així com les perspectives d'ocupació futura. En tercer terme s'analitzen les característiques i condicions de realització de la formació i manera com aquesta afecta els treballadors i quadres.Per últim, es descriuen les necessitats de formació manifestades per les empreses, classificades per àrees, categories i tipus. Les necessitats generiques que més trobem a les empreses i que poden constituir una certa tipologia, són: Saber comandar amb habilitat, Aprenentatge de llenguatges informàtics d'usuari, Aprenentatge d'idiomes, Actualització davant els canvis legislatius, Preveure I'impacte i les opinions de l'aplicació de I'Acta Única Europea, Atenció al client i comunicació, Formació de recursos humans, i Especialització en sabers científics i tecnològics. En el llistat de necessitats de formació, classificat per àrees, apareixen els resultats següents: A I'administrativo-financera un total de 20 necesitats de formació, a la comercial 12, a la de recursos humans 42, a les derivades de l'aplicació de l'Acta Única Europea 24, i a la de producció 80.A la tercera part es descriuen les conclusions de la Tesi.Es comenca per veure el canvi social i la transformació de la Universitat, mitjançant una breu ressenya del procés de modernització experimentat per la societat i el seu impacte a nivell demogràfic, econòmic i social. Al mateix temps, s'analitza el pas d'una universitat d'elits a una universitat de masses i les implicacions que ha suposat tant a nivell quantitatiu com qualitatiu.A continuació es constaten les noves relacions establertes entre la Universitat i el mercat de treball, analitzant el canvi de valoració de les titulacions, així com I'increment de la demanda de titulats universitaris tant en el sector públic com en el privat. I s'analitza també la seva diferent forma d'inseriment laboral, així com la valoració que fan els titulats de la formació rebuda a nivell superior.En tercer lloc es treuen una sèrie de resultats sobre les necessitats de formació a les empreses i les seves implicacions sobre I'ensenyament superior, tant a nivell d'implicacions sobre I'ensenyament inicial com sobre la formació continuada.Per últim, es fan una sèrie de consideracions finals sobre la institució universitaria i la necessitat de la seva vinculació social, econòmica i àdhuc política, encara que sense perdre de vista la seva necessària autonomia en el desenvolupament de les seves activitats bàsiques, tant de nivell docent com de recerca, totes elles necessitades en tot moment de perspectiva crítica.La quarta part de la Tesi són els annexs, a on es detalla el qüestionari utilitzat a I'enquesta.A la cinquena part es relaciona la bibliografia citada i altra bibliografia consultada. / A revision of the principal theories of Sociology that analyze the relationship between the labour market and education contextualizes the research on which this dissertation is based. There is a particular emphasis on the Human Capital Theory and its further revisions and critique.An overview of the American University system in contrast with the continental European University system underlines their different origin and further development. The first system springs from the civil society and the second from the state; inevitably, their design, functions and development show deep differences. Under the light of this contrast the Human Resources Task Force document of E.C. is discussed.Existing research and new data about how university graduates are integrated in the labour market are discussed in the framework of the changes that have occurred in the Spanish university and in the Spanish society as a whole: One of the most relevant facts is the progressive change in the recruitment of graduates. The private sector (industry and services) in the industrial areas is responsible for absorbing more then 50% of graduates. This contrasts with the previous situation where most graduates found their positions in the Civil Service.Taking all this into account, an extensive research carried out by the author on the training needs felt by companies at a higher level, expressed by a substantial number of corporations in Catalonia is presented.The data discussed show the existence of great number and variety of training needs within the corporations at the level of updating scientific and technical information and at a level of human resources management and development.The conclusions show that the decision taking in the University concerning teaching procedures and contents should be reconsidered. They show also that the University within its mission of research and education at a higher level needs to increase its permeability to the opinions and views expressed by graduates, managers and enterprenurial world, without narrowly focussing its broadest aims of developing knowledge, culture and social criticism.

El presente estudio forma parte de una de las líneas de investigación del Observatorio sobre la Didáctica de las Artes; un grupo de trabajo constituido a raíz de la concesión del proyecto de investigación HUM2005-00245 en la convocatoria 2006 del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. La innovación docente, y el proyecto investigador asociado que aquí nos ocupan, tuvieron por finalidad poner en marcha una alternativa en la línea del nuevo modelo impulsado por la actual reforma, y proceder a la evaluación y mejora continuadas de tal alternativa. Dentro de este marco, se abordó un replanteamiento integral de todos aquellos aspectos que definen el contexto de aprendizaje para, acto seguido, proponer un modelo susceptible de ser aplicable más allá de los límites de la experiencia piloto que suponía esta línea de trabajo. Como podrá comprenderse, la idea rectora de todo este planteamiento fue la noción de integración integración cognitiva e integración curricular , desde la certidumbre de que esta desempeña un papel determinante en la construcción cognitiva del conocimiento. Así, juntamente con los particulares de cada asignatura, se establecieron y explicitaron unos resultados de aprendizaje comunes; una misma tipología de las sesiones presenciales y de trabajo guiado; se utilizaron recursos y materiales didácticos comunes; un idéntico sistema de evaluación continuada del trabajo los alumnos que adquirió la forma de una carpeta de aprendizaje; se pusieron en práctica las mismas estrategias para involucrar al estudiante en la gestión guiada de la marcha de la asignatura y, por último, se utilizaron las mismas técnicas e instrumentos para evaluar el correcto funcionamiento de la propuesta implantada.Esta tesis doctoral tiene por objeto el describir y el dar cuenta de los resultados de un análisis específico de la carpeta de aprendizaje mediante la cual se organizó el trabajo autónomo del alumno y las actividades guiadas en las asignaturas participantes. Mientras que los contenidos de la carpeta estaban directamente relacionados con los propios de las diferentes asignaturas en las que se implantaba, su formato estaba planteado como una secuencia de actividades de aprendizaje mediante las cuales el alumno podría conocer y familiarizarse con un conjunto de habilidades e instrumentos básicos necesarios para la elaboración de un estudio documental, y su defensa pública. Por consiguiente, era el formato de la carpeta el que recogía aquellos aspectos susceptibles de mejora que fueron identificados en los estudiantes de las titulaciones involucradas y en ambos ciclos de cada titulación como aquellas insuficiencias que requerían una atención más urgente. En síntesis, las líneas maestras de esta investigación fueron las siguientes:► Estudio detallado de los presupuestos, finalidades y objetivos del nuevo paradigma educativo impulsado por el proceso de Bolonia.► Concepción de la iniciativa de innovación docente desde la premisa del carácter holístico del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.► Imbricación entre la formación académica, profesional y personal del estudiante.► Atención a la dimensión teórica y práctica de la construcción cognitiva de conocimiento.► Integración de conocimientos y habilidades instrumentales.► La importancia de la crítica en la actividad académica, profesional, cívica y personal.► Participación activa del alumnado en el desarrollo del curso.► Posibilidad de adaptar la carpeta de aprendizaje a todos los tipos de asignaturas presentes en los estudios de las artes.► Integración de las especificidades propias de las diferentes materias y asignaturas y habilidades e instrumentos fundamentales de carácter transversal.► Aspecto progresivo e integrador de la secuencia de ejercicios que componen la carpeta.► Evaluación compensada de los procesos de adquisición de conocimiento, utilización práctica de recursos y actitudes determinantes en la ejecución de tareas.► Evaluación sistemática del funcionamiento y de los resultados de aprendizaje de la carpeta. / The present study is based on the results of two research projects and a teaching quality improvement project organized at the UB's Department of Art History. One of the research lines developed by these projects was the proposal and analysis of a continuous assessment model based on the production of a learning file specifically for university art studies. This is the framework of the doctoral thesis. The study begins with a reflection on the need for initiatives of this kind, examines the teaching tradition on the subject, and presents a specific proposal for the History of Art and Fine Arts degrees. It goes on to analyse the results of a pilot plan carried out during the academic year 2006-2007. The main lines that defined the objectives of this pilot plan can be summarized as follows:► A detailed study of the assumptions, aims and objectives of the new educational model outlined by the Bologna process.► Understanding the teaching innovation plan through a holistic approach to the teaching-learning process.► Connection between the student's academic, professional and personal training.► Atttention to the theoretical and practical aspects of the cognitive construction of knowledge.► Integration of knowledge and instrumental skills.► Relevance of criticism in academic, professional, and personal activities.► Active participation of students in course development.► Possibility of adapting the learning file to any subject in the arts curriculum.► Integration of specific features of the different subjects and course units and fundamental cross-disciplinary skills and instruments.► Progressive and integrative sequence of the exercises in the file.► Assessment of knowledge acquisition processes, practical resource use, and determining attitudes in task completion.► Systematic assessment of the functioning and the results of the learning file.

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The following research originates in the need to enhance the Generic Skills in the profile of graduate Engineers according to the needs of our current Society of Knowledge, considering that Engineering Education has not comprised thoroughly in the Academic Evaluation scheme a diagnosis or a measurement of Generic Skills pertaining an Engineer who trains Engineers. Thus the need arises to develop this line of research with a descriptive approach, based on the Case Study method, pondering industrial engineering experience and high academic level. The Thesis is based on the Latin American Tuning Project for Civil Engineering and on Spencer & Spencer’s Skill Based Model which help to design the Best Academic Practices which improve the Generic Skills in the role of Engineers who train Engineers. Finally, the results obtained in the research are consolidated in order to contribute to the basis of a Self- Developed Model of Generic Skills for an Engineer who trains Engineers. / La Investigación se origina en la necesidad de potenciar las Competencias Genéricas en perfil de egreso de los Ingenieros según demandas de la Sociedad del Conocimiento. Se demuestra que la Educación en Ingeniería no ha abordado sistemáticamente en la Evaluación Académica ni diagnóstico ni medición de las Competencias Genéricas propias del Rol Ingeniero/a Formador de Ingenieros. Allí surge la oportunidad de desarrollar esta línea de investigación con un carácter descriptivo, basada en el Método de Estudio de Casos, ponderando en el Rol su experiencia industrial ingenieril y su alto desempeño académico. La Tesis tiene como sustrato el Proyecto Tuning Latinoamérica para Ingeniería Civil y el Modelo Basado en Competencias de Spencer & Spencer que coadyuvan a determinar las Mejores Prácticas Académicas que fomentan las propias Competencias Genéricas del Rol. Finalmente, se consolidan resultados y se presentan las Bases de un Modelo de Autogestión de Competencias Genéricas del Rol Ingeniero/a Formador de Ingenieros.

This research focuses on an analysis of the changes in the Libyan Higher Education Institutions (LHEIs) management system. This is an important subject since the Libyan General People's Committee for Higher Education (LGPC) has begun to introduce changes for improving and enhancing the management of Libyan Universities (LUs) and the movement towards sustainable development. This study investigates and examines new management changes by considering different factors including university financing, quality and institutional performance and the relationship between fields of organisational change and implementation process. It may be interpreted within a strategic framework, socio-cultural model and institutional changes. Does this mean a move from idealism to a realistic perspective in relation to the problems and issues of universities in Libya? The study also considers the conditions and barriers involved in implementing the new changes. LHEIs have to re-examine their existing structures and practices in order to meet the needs of the information age. This requires major changes and transformation. A main concern that hinders the management of change process is the lack of useful models and success cases to lead the way. The present research proposes to identify the most successful strategies adopted at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and universities in order to characterize the change processes adopted across the universities. In light of these strategies, another important objective of this research is to develop a model for implementing management change into HEIs and universities. The research is also expected to extend the researcher's understanding about the extent of success of the organisational development and change policies in improving performance. This study is designed to fill the gap in knowledge about models appropriate to the management of change in higher education. Each model sheds light on different aspects of organisational life and has a distinct set of hypotheses about why change occurs, how the process grows, when change occurs and how long it takes and the results of change. The models will then be adapted to the specific cultural, political and social aspects of LHEIs. The research questions were answered using multiple data sets showing percentages which explained the benefits of comprehensive assessments of change and its mechanisms. The results will be used to explore how the combinations of quantitative interpretation techniques may be used to support LHEIs in enhancing their quality in an effective way while harmonizing with LUs, external standards and requirements of the information age. Research has shown that higher education governance needs to find a clear mechanism for the process of evaluating the course of HEIs and everything related to the role of a university, identifying its strengths and weaknesses and identifying opportunities for development, both at the university level and in higher education management and policy-making to enhance the effectiveness of this vital sector in various areas. Extrapolating from barriers of change approaches which have recently arisen, this study sheds light on the process of change; the main component of this are managers who have a range of awareness and understanding of change in shaping their trends and attitudes towards it. This has an important impact in organisation leadership to implementing change. The implementation of a strategic change model is based on the assessment to keep up with the conversion used in the statistical analysis and deep understanding and mutual commitment to the process of change between the institution and staff. The most important factors for success in building useful understanding of the change process lies in the preparation process and the knowledge and understanding of the customer in recognising the importance of avoiding ambiguity in the steps of change, predicting potential problems, showing different ways of working for the customer, and developing a cooperative relationship with stakeholders. Extrapolation of findings suggests that lack of strategy or a clear action plan to develop and improve the quality of institutional performance leads to a higher education sector with the slow pace of interaction with the desired societal goals. There is also difficulty in keeping pace with the management of modern university systems and recent developments in the fields of science and technology. Therefore, the main objective of higher education management is to develop a flexible action plan to improve/implement and manage the change process using an effective strategy, to avoid any possible resistance to the process of change and to ensure the active and wide participation by the staff in general; a plan of action aims to: §Contribute to the realization of the vision and a message of higher education, deepen basic values, and implement strategy plans. §Develop a model for the change that includes the first steps of implementing change. §Stimulating all personnel of institutions of higher education to upgrade their performance, including a positive impact in the development of institutional performance.

Unrestricted accessible scholarly resources are increasingly considered essential to knowledge creation and socio-economic development. In order to facilitate this, university libraries at National Research Universities (NRUs) in Thailand have established institutional repositories (IRs). The development of the Open Access publishing movement also provides opportunities and challenges to NRUs’ IRs and scholarly community. Like others, the IR projects in Thailand have experienced low awareness and content contribution from stakeholders. Accordingly, this study aims to optimize the established IR projects in NRUs in Thailand by exploring the stakeholders’ research publishing behaviour, and the perception, participation, and utilisation of IRs. This study advances the understanding of IRs in NRUs in Thailand from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder groups. This inductive qualitative study employs Constructivist Grounded Theory as a research methodology. Theoretical sampling, convenient sampling, and purposive sampling were used to recruit key participants in Thai scholarly communication at three NRUs. An in-depth semi-structured interview method was used to collect data and Charmaz’s Grounded Theory Method of Open coding and Focused coding was used to analyse it. The analysis resulted in the generation of the 4Cs (/foresee/) Model for the Development of University-based IRs. It composes of “Communication” “Collaboration”, “Copyright understanding”, “Control” and “Local academic culture”. This innovative model provides an explanatory framework identifying the factors for the availability and accessibility of full-text digital research publications in Thai university-based IRs. Moreover, the 3Rs – Rethinking, Redefining, and Re-collaborating- are recommended as key activities to be considered when confronting the difficulties in the development of IRs. In addition, this study also proposes the “2PSC model for operational excellence – Policies, Procedure, Services, and Competencies” as a practical and effective mechanism for managing IRs. Further, the study offers theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions to the understanding of IRs in NRUs in Thailand from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder groups.

In this practitioner based inquiry I have taken the findings of previous studies and explored in greater depth the reasons why some qualified registered social workers are reluctant to undertake further post-qualifying study. This timely research coincided with the introduction of a new General Social Care Council (GSCC) post-qualifying framework aimed at increasing the number of social workers and their employers engaging in continuing professional development (CPD). Currently the GSCC estimated that between 10-12% of social workers have achieved a post-qualifying award (GSCC, 2006). To assist the readers understanding of the nature of post-qualifying social work education and training a review of contemporary literature and policy guidance introduces this research study. Using primarily qualitative methodologies I gathered data from three distinct sample groups of registered social workers currently undertaking post-qualifying training or recently completed their PQ awards at a number of south coast Universities. I adopted a three-stage structured approach, using questionnaire, interviews and focus groups as data gathering tools. My analysis and interpretation focussed on giving voice to respondents 'lived' experience and to provide authentic evidence for presentation to representatives of higher education, employers and training bodies involved in the planning, design and delivery of the new PQ framework. A comparison of other social welfare professions was used to benchmark CPD polices and requirements across social work, nursing and teaching. My findings demonstrated correspondence with a previous much larger research study funded by Skills for Care at the Centre for Health and Social Care research, Sheffield Hallam University. This research contributes to the continuing debate on the promotion of post-qualifying social work education and training and makes recommendations on possible tried and tested success factors, human resource strategies and the need for leadership from national bodies.

This research project examines the role of student services in universities in Central and Eastern Europe at a time of rapid transformation of the higher education sector, following from the collapse of the socialist period in 1989 and the implementation of the Bologna process after 1999. Conducted in the period 2004- 2006, the research process aimed to identify the major factors of institutional change, and to what extent are students, and services for students, considered a driving force for organisational restructuring. Based upon a comparative qualitative study of four public universities in Hungary, Romania, Croatia and Serbia, this project found ample evidence of institutional change and introspection, innovation, achievement, as well as awareness and critical analysis of weaknesses. However, the main expectation to find students as active agents in institutional change and in the improvement of the old and the provision of new services for students was not supported by the findings in this study. Although the four universities in this project share the characteristics of an allencompassing change process, students, and services for students, still play a marginal part in determining institutional priorities and in influencing the service provision and culture. Having anticipated the lack of awareness of the role of student services in organisational management, this project examines the reasons for this from a historical perspective, using a comparative approach to development trends in the United States, continental Europe, and Central and Eastern Europe. It further suggests a model of integrated student services, based upon the actual experience of the Central European University, but defined and analysed against the context of the region. This research project coincides with a growing awareness in public policy debates in continental Europe of the importance of institutional student support services. As the first study of institutional practices with regard to student services in Central and Eastern Europe, it anticipates the reform in this area and the integration of student services as part of the university core.

This research investigates the barriers and drivers of eLearning for healthcare professional students in rural Thailand. An initial desk study was undertaken to investigate the factors that had an impact on eLearning within a professional healthcare environment. This was followed by a pilot study in a university in rural areas of Thailand. The results from the investigation led to a model being created to identify the barriers and drivers for implementing eLearning programmes in rural Thailand. This research explores the challenges of eLearning within four domains (IFPC); infrastructure (I), financing eLearning courses (F), university policy (P), and cultural diversity (C). The research utilised mixed research methods to identify the impacts of eLearning; employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. The participants of this research included healthcare professionals associated with the eLearning environment within rural areas in Thailand. The fieldwork data from both quantitative and qualitative methods were analysed assisting by SPSS software and Nvivo software. The results and findings demonstrated that the IFPC domains impact on the uptake of eLearning for healthcare professionals and healthcare professional students. The results of statistical testing corroborated that healthcare professional students with their own computers perceived that eLearning was useful to their professional development. In addition, it showed that universities’ policies on eLearning affected the use of the eLearning infrastructure, the participants’ motivation to undertake eLearning courses and that eLearning course-uptake was affected by both healthcare professionals’ motivation and their ability to use a computer. The subject of the financing of eLearning course was directly correlated to the level of computer skills held by the healthcare professional students and their attitude towards their own use of computers. The results identified how the elements of the IFPC model were related to each other and affected the implementation of eLearning programmes. It is hoped that these findings will make a significant contribution by informing lecturers about online teaching material, course delivery and design. They will also inform policymakers when considering budgets, plans and requirements for supporting healthcare professional students undertaking eLearning in rural Thailand. In particular the results will provide useful lessons for healthcare professionals undertaking similar programmes in other developing countries.