nd The 2 International Conference on Web-Based Learning (ICWL 2003) took place in Melbourne, Australia. ICWL 2003 followed the tradition of the successful ICWL 2002 held in Hong Kong and aimed at providing an in-depth study of the technical and pedago- cal issues, as well as incorporating management issues of Web-based learning. Additionally, there was a focus on issues of interest to the learner, o?ering the optimal Web based learning environment to achieve high academic results. - akin University organized this conference in conjunction with the Hong Kong WebSociety,toprovideaforumwhichgatherededucators,researchers,techno- gists and implementers of Web-based learning from around the world to discuss, collaborate and advance all relevant issues pertaining to this area of research. The main focus of ICWL 2003 was on the most critical areas of Web-based learning, in particular, Web-based learning environments, virtual universities, pedagogical issues related to Web-based learning, multimedia-based e-learning, interactive e-learning systems, intelligence in on-line education, e-learning so- tions, CSCL, and authoring tools for e-learning. In total, the conference received 118 papers from researchers and practitioners from 13 countries. Each paper was reviewed by at least three internationally renowned referees. Papers were ri- rously examined and selected based on their originality, signi?cance, correctness, relevance, and clarity of presentation. Among the high-quality submissions, 50 papers were accepted and included in the proceedings. Later, the proceedings editors will recommend that some high-quality papers from the conference be published in a special issue of an international journal.

Web-Based Learning Environment.- Challenges of Web-Based Learning Environments: Are We Student-Centred Enuf?.- Cognitive Scaffolding for a Web-Based Adaptive Learning Environment.- Information Security - An E-learning Problem.- Building an Effective Learning Management System.- Wireless AnyServer - A Mobile ad hoc Web-Based Learning System.- A Web-Based Platform for E-learning Based on Information Management System.- Experiences in Developing and Running WebCMS.- A Dynamic Conceptual Network Mechanism for Personalized Study Plan Generation.- GridFS: A Web-Based Data Grid for the Distributed Sharing of Educational Resource Files.- Virtual University.- A Virtual Laboratory for an Online Web-Based Course-'Rapid E-business Systems Development'.- A New Architecture for Web-Based Virtual Laboratory with CORBA Technology.- The Creation and Maintenance of an Online Subject: Some Practical Factors.- SameView: A Large-Scale Real-Time Interactive E-learning System Based on TORM and AMTP.- Pedagogical Issues.- Cultural Issues Relating to Teaching IT Professional Ethics Online: Lessons Learned.- Perspectives on Creativity in Web Learning.- Experience in Developing A General Education Website.- Interface Metaphors and Web-Based Learning.- Mapping Pedagogy to Technology - A Simple Model.- Multimedia Based E-learning.- ATLAS: A Web-Based Software Architecture for Multimedia E-learning Environments in Virtual Communities.- Streaming Audio and Video in Web-Based Learning: A Comparative Study of Three Systems.- Subdivision Feedback Based 3D Facial Modeling for E-learning.- 3D Model and Motion Retrieval: The Extended Dimensions for Web-Based Learning.- Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Digital Lectern System.- Interactivity.- User Learning Experience in Web-BasedSystems: A Case Study.- Use of Web-Based Live Demos in Computer Science Courses.- Effective E-learning by Use of HCI and Web-Based Workflow Approach.- Internet-Based Interactive Package for Diagnostic Assessment on Learning of Fluid Mechanics.- A Kind of Smart Space for Remote Real-Time Interactive Learning Based on Pervasive Computing Mode.- Managing the Interactivity of Instructional Format and Cognitive Style Construct in Web-Mediated Learning Environments.- Intelligence in Online Education.- Intelligent Online Academic Management System.- Collaborative Supervision of Machine Learning as a Tool for Web-Based Education: A Teaching and Learning Triangle.- Mediator Based Open Multi-agent Architecture for Web Based Learning.- Intelligent Characters of Web-Based Learning Platform.- Innovative Curriculum in E-learning.- Knowledge Refinement Tools to Support Inductive Learning by Inquiry Examples.- Toward Supporting E-learning and Providing E-teaching Services for E-world.- A Framework for Evaluation of Learning Effectiveness in Online Courses.- Incorporating Motivational Elements in a Web-Based Learning Environment for Distance Students: A Malaysian Experience.- E-learning Solutions.- Assessment Management Using Software.- Using the Web as a Source of Graded Reading Material for Language Acquisition.- Modelling the Adoption of Web-Based Mobile Learning - An Innovation Translation Approach.- Adaptive Educational Hypermedia Based on Multiple Student Characteristics.- Distributed Web-Based Critiquing of Electronically Submitted Assessment.- In-Process Quantitative Evaluation for Network-Based Learning.- A Web-Based System to Teach Computer Operating System Theories and Usage to Elementary School Students.- Developing Learning Objects through Concepts and Contexts.-Building Reusable and Interactive E-learning Content Using Web.- CSCL.- Design and Implementation of VPL: A Virtual Programming Laboratory for Online Distance Learning.- A Framework to Support Schema Matching in E-learning.- Exploring the Foundations of Practicing Online Collaboration.- Synchronous Graphic-Interaction in CSCL.