In March 2020 a Canadian polytechnic moved to pandemic induced online learning and a virtual community of practice (vCOPs) called the Digital Learning Exchange (DigEx) was created to support faculty and staff in this transition. This systematic literature review, a preliminary step in the research of the efficacy of the Digital Learning Exchange, examines the recently published literature that researched vCOPs in higher education over the last five years. Several aspects of the vCOPs studied are identified and compared including: the defining characteristics of the communities, the digital tools used and the rationale for their selection, the positive impacts of the use of digital tools, the barriers created by the application of the technology, and the benefits experienced because of faculty and staff participation in the vCOPs.

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The Encyclopedia of Female Pioneers in Online Learning by Drs. Susan Bainbridge and Norine Wark is an overview of the work and experiences of 30 women - early adopters of online (OL) and distance education (DE) in their countries (although even they struggle with what to call their focus of study and practice, as discussed in Chapter 32). Building on the use of “…career profiles, original interviews, and research analysis…” (p. 1), the book is a testament to the space that women in this field, have occupied and continue to occupy in the modern-day world of technology enhanced global education. The book is divided into two parts.