Developments in Information and Communication Technologies are rapidly breaking down the barriers of time and place that may have previously limited learning to those able to access campus-based programmes. Distance learning, or e-learning, offers exciting opportunities to cross cultural borders and open up the world of education in ways inconceivable even a few years ago. This study considered how e-learning can be used to effectively deliver training to those involved in Christian mission work. Holistic mission training aims to equip the whole person head, heart and hands for Christian service, especially in cross-cultural contexts. Particularly in the Western world, this training has traditionally taken place within face-to-face learning communities, with e-learning s place as a delivery mode being a matter for debate. The research set out to identify and define the key criteria required for the effective delivery of holistic mission training through e-learning and conceptualise those criteria within a framework. A multimethod research design was adopted combining qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. A systematic literature review was carried out to identify and define the key criteria for effective mission training and effective e-learning and the main challenges in delivering mission training through e-learning, along with potential solutions. Further criteria were found through action research to develop and evaluate a programme of holistic mission training delivered through e-learning. The study contributes to knowledge by identifying for the first time the elements, factors and conditions that can enable holistic mission training to be delivered effectively through e-learning and setting them within a framework to facilitate the development and evaluation of e-learning programmes. The findings highlight principles applicable to different learning situations, cultures and technologies and are largely transferable to other disciplines.

Electronic government (e-Government) in terms of public service delivery and administration has endured signification transformation over the last decade. More recently, modern second generation web technologies (Web 2.0) have started to be used to deliver e-Government. However, this in turn has brought about additional challenges. By its nature, Web 2.0 is more interactive than the traditional model of information provision or creation of digital services and as such opens up a new set of benefits, costs and risks to those who make use of it as part of their e-Government approach. In the main, the usage of Web 2.0 is in its infancy within e-Government and this creates a need for research into exploring the application of Web 2.0 technologies in e-Government and to provide practical advice to practitioners. This research draws on the existing literature to present a novel conceptual model that could be used to guide implementation and evaluation of Web 2.0. The conceptual model draws the existing literature into the traditional information systems (IS) evaluation model (benefits, costs and risks) specifically in terms appropriate to Web 2.0. In turn that evaluation is set in the context of the impact on the organisation in terms of organisational, technological and social consequences. This conceptual model was tested in a United Kingdom local government authority (LGA) that had recently started to make use of Web 2.0 in terms of service delivery and for internal work purposes by its employees. The result was a qualitative enquiry making use of interviews and documentary evidence to explore the validity of the conceptual model as a tool to assist decision making in this field. The findings elicited from the in-depth case study offer an insight into IS evaluation criteria and impact factors of Web 2.0 from both a practical setting and an internal organisational perspective. An interesting finding of this study was the contrast between the agreement on the need for evaluation of Web 2.0 tools and how to carry that out, and the fact that this had not been formally carried out by the case study with respect to its early Web 2.0 projects. This study concludes that a combined analysis of the evaluation and impact factors rather than a singular approach would better assist the decision making process that leads to effective application of Web 2.0 technologies. Keywords: e-Government, Web 2.0, Information Systems Evaluation, Impact, Local Government Authorities (LGAs).