A is for Assessment: Identifying Online Assessment Practices and Perceptions
http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN01_Issue/article02.html
It is often difficult for teachers to assess student performance in a traditional classroom setting. Due to the nature of the online environment, this task becomes even more challenging. Mary I. Dereshiwsky, an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Research at Northern Arizona University's Center for Excellence in Education, discusses the results of a survey that was distributed via e-mail to Educational Leadership faculty teaching Web-based courses. Dereshiwsky discusses her findings and compares online assessment methods with traditional assessment methods. This article was published in the January 2002 edition of Ed at a Distance.

The Academic Culture and the IT Culture: Their Effect on Teaching and Scholarship
http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm04/erm0462.asp
Edward L. Ayre and Hugh P. Kelly wrote an article in 2003 titled, "Why IT Has Not Paid Off as We Hoped (Yet)" (http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm03/erm0361.asp), and the article sparked quite a bit of talk on the topic. Their current article, published in the November/December (vol. 39, no. 6), is intended to keep the conversation alive. In addition to examining the IT culture of academic institutions, the authors also address a number of inconsistencies that exist between the two, such as "The university is built to be both a protected ivory tower and a fearless creator of the future." and "Each university is profoundly unique and also profoundly like every other university."

Side note: My favorite part of this article is the definition of the term geek (courtesy of the dictionary function of Microsoft Word).

Accreditation and Assuring Quality in Distance Learning
http://www.chea.org/Research/Accred-Distance-5-9-02.pdf?pubID=246
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is a private, non-profit organization that coordinates accreditation activities in the U. S. This 2002 CHEA report details the effect of distance learning on higher education, and outlines some of the accreditation challenges faced in the world of distance education. Information regarding what is currently being done to tackle these issues is also addressed.

After Losing Millions, Columbia U. Will Close Its Online-Learning Venture
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/01/2003010701t.htm
Fathom, Columbia University's for-profit Web-based course and seminar venture will dissolve and probably go off-line in March. The program included resources from the American Film Institute, the New York Public Library, the Science Museum in London plus materials from other prominent institutions. Even though Fathom received widespread media attention, it never made a profit. This January 7, 2003 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses this online "experiment" and addresses elements that may have led to its downfall.

ALN Magazine
http://www.aln.org/publications/magazine/index.asp
ALN Magazine is one of the publications produced by Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN). Accessible issues date back to March 1997. Another publication produced by ALN includes the Journal of Asynchronous Networks, and it is available at http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/index.asp.

alt.education.distance FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) v 8.0
http://personalpages.tds.net/~rlaws/dlfaqv8.html
The FAQ section of the alt.education.distance site is broken down into 12 sections including topics that range from the history of distance learning to tips on determining the quality of a distance learning school to the implications of online education in distance learning.

Alternative Futures for Distance Learning: The Force and the Darkside
http://eies.njit.edu/~turoff/Papers/darkaln.html
Murray Turoff, Distinguished Professor of Computer and Information Science at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, presented portions of this paper in his keynote presentation at the UNESCO/Open University International Colloquium in 1997. It was also part of his talk at the Third International ALN meeting in October 1997. Turoff states that there are forces out there shaping distance learning in higher education. He explores the issue of whether or not these forces will produce desirable outcomes or will shift distance learning to the "darkside".

The American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE)
http://www.ajde.com/index.htm
AJDE is a peer-reviewed , internationally recognized publication dedicated to addressing issues in research as they pertain to distance education. Articles found in this publication are designed to be of interest to teachers, trainers, adult educators and anyone involved in education, training and communications. Michael G. Moore, the American Center for the Study of Distance Education at Penn State University, is the editor of AJDE.

Anytime, Anyplace and the Community College: Ten Emerging Insights
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v8n1/v8n1_milliron1.asp
Mark David Milliron, President and CEO of League for Innovation in the Community College, and Mary Prentice, Assistant Professor, Educational Management and Development Department, New Mexico State University, reviewed a series of articles that explore online education initiatives undertaken by cutting-edge institutions. Ten emerging insight resulted from the authors' review, and these include issues such as remember the human touch, learn for a lifetime, and put learning first. This article was published in the February 2004 (vol. 8, no. 1) issue of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks.

Army's Distance-Education Program Adds 12 More Institutions
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/01/2003012802t.htm
The demand for online courses from soldiers around the world has been increasing, and officials affiliated with the Army's distance education initiative called eArmyU have selected 12 new institutions to join the program. Twenty colleges are already participating, and this January 28, 2003 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the popularity of eArmyU and what the additional institutions will offer to students.

Asking the Really Tough Questions: Policy Issues for Distance Learning
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/danley11.html
Is selecting the technology the easiest part of developing distance education programs? Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley, Vice President for Educational Technology Services at Monroe Community College, and Marie J. Fetzer, assistant to the Vice President for Educational Technology Services at Monroe Community College, discuss policy questions and issues that are outside the realm of technology that may create problems and delay initiatives down the road.

Back to School
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A1393-2002Aug27&notFound=true
Gerald Heeger developed a for-profit model for the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Online program. By the fall of 2001, that program was considered to be a financial failure, had run into federal regulatory snags and was integrated back into the university fold. Virtual classrooms, in general, have been given a "failing grade", but many indicate that for every failed online program there are several successful ones. This August 27, 2002 Washington Post article discusses the future of online programs and how it is the only option for many students.

Baking Soda, Vinegar and Measuring Cups Become Lab Materials for Online Chemistry Course
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/11/2002111201t.htm
Doris R. Kimbrough, an associate chemistry professor at the University of Colorado at Denver, and Jimmy Reeves, an associate chemistry professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington have "cooked up" a way for online students to fulfill their science lab requirements without going to a chemistry lab. Experiments using ingredients easily found at local grocery stores or Wal-Mart are conducted in the students' kitchens. More details about this online chemistry lab component are discussed in this November 12, 2002 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Barriers to Distance Education
http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/distributed-learning/distributed-learning-06.pdf
New technologies, like the Internet, have changed the higher education playing field. Distance education initiatives have allowed institutions to reach a larger number of students than ever before. This paper by Arthur Levine and Jeffrey C. Sun discusses some of the barriers within higher education such as the need for distance education, student issues, external competition and money concerns. External barriers including accreditation and professional organizations are also addressed.

Best Educational E-Practices (BEEP)
http://www.spcollege.edu/eagle/BEEP/issues.htm
BEEP is an online publication prepared by Project Eagle St. Petersburg College (Florida) that dates back to October 2000 and is posted once a month. Project Eagle began in 1999 after St. Petersburg College received a federal grant for $5 million to develop a national model designed to increase access to 4-year degrees and workforce training programs for students attending community colleges.

Best Practices for Administrative Evaluation of Online Faculty
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/summer72/tobin72.html
Institutions and accrediting agencies have begun to investigate how to evaluate the quality of online programs. Thomas J. Tobin, Instructional Development Librarian at Southern Illinois University discusses a number of measurable characteristics that can be used to evaluate an online instructor's performance. Tobin also outlines the "Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses." This article was one of three selected as a "Best Paper" among DLA 2004 proceedings, Jekyll Island, Georgia, May 23-26, 2004, and it appears in the Summer 2004 (Vol. VII, No. II) issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Best Practices for Online Information-Literacy Courses
http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/archives/2004/spring/03/index.html
Thomas J. Tobin, an instructional development librarian at Southern Illinois University, examines a number of issues surrounding bibliographic instruction to remote patrons. Some of the topics addressed in this article include, (1) mental models of library users; (2) standards for information literacy; (3) methods used to offer bibliographic instruction, such as video, stand-alone tutorials, and course integrated models. This article appears in the Spring 2004 issue (Vol. 2, No. 4) of the Journal of Interactive Online Learning.

Bogus Degree Sites Shut Down
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/2829237.stm
Bogus institutions, operated by an Israeli man and woman, were shut down following a joint operation in the UK and the US. The institutions are thought to have made millions of pounds, and this brief article from the March 7, 2003 edition of the BBC News provides details about the investigation and the actions taken against this operation.

Bork: Recent Papers
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~bork/papers.html
Alfred Bork, professor emeritus in Information and Computer Science at the University of California at Irvine, has posted papers he has presented at conferences or has had published dealing with distance education issues.

Brave New Universities
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_5/margolis/index.html
Some people like historian David Noble (http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_1/noble/index.html) believe that the Internet will prove to be the downfall of the "great democratic higher education system". Michael Margolis, professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, discusses whether or not Noble's view will play out in the future of the "high-tech" university in this article published by FirstMonday.

Bridging the Digital Divide: The Impact of Race on Computer Access and Internet Use
http://www2000.ogsm.vanderbilt.edu/research/papers/html/manuscripts/race/science.html
Thomas P. Novak and Donna L. Hoffman, associate professors at Vanderbilt University and co-directors of Project 2000, a research center designed to study the commercialization of new and emerging technologies, examined the differences between whites and African Americans in the U. S. in terms of computer access. This paper, which presents their findings, is a longer version of the article, "Bridging the Racial Divide on the Internet" originally published in the April 17, 1998 issue of Science.

Building Accessible Curriculum and Courseware Tools: Education Beyond the Campus
http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/rd/library/papers/accesscurric.html
Laurie Harrison, Jan Richards and Jutta Treviranus at the Adaptive Technology Resource Center, University of Toronto, discuss the benefits of online learning for those with disabilities. They also outline steps that need to be observed in order to ensure that new educational initiatives are accessible to students who use adaptive technologies.

Building Effective Blended Learning Programs
http://bookstoread.com/framework/blended-learning.pdf
Are blended learning environments more effective ways to deliver instruction than previous online education initiatives? This article by Harvey Singh, founder of NavoWave, an e-learning and e-performance solutions company, has two objectives: (1) provide a comprehensive view of blended learning and discuss possible dimensions and ingredients (learning delivery methods) of blended learning programs; and (2) provide a model to create the appropriate blend by ensuring that each ingredient, individually and collectively, adds to a meaningful learning experience. Singh's findings and his conclusion based on this information appear in the November - December 2003 issue (vol. 43, no. 6, 51-54) of Educational Technology.

California Community Colleges Turn to Web Conferencing to Save Travel Money
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/10/2002102502t.htm
California, like many states, is experiencing budget problems that are affecting educational institutions. Since travel money will not be available in 2003 due to budget cuts, the California Community College System is connecting their 108 campuses through a Web-based teleconferencing service that meets accessibility requirements. The service, known as CCC Confer, is a system developed by HorizonLive (New York), and the community colleges hope to start using it for virtual meetings early next year.

California Virtual Campus: Professional Development Center
http://pdc.cvc.edu/news/
This joint project by El Camino and Santa Monica Colleges provides links to the latest new articles dealing with distance education issues.

Can Web Course Replace the Classroom in Principles of Microeconomics?
http://www.msu.edu/~brownb/brown-liedholm%20aea%202002.pdf
Byron W. Brown and Carl E. Liedholm, Department of Economics at Michigan State University (MSU), gathered student data from their principles of macroeconomics courses at MSU and used that information to discuss the effects of the online education versus face-to-face instruction on student learning.

CataList: The Official Catalog of LISTSERV Lists
http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html
CataList provides information on over 69,000 public LISTSERVs accessible on the Internet. Information about mailing lists of interest can located as well as facts about the LISTSERV host site at CataList.

The Changing Faces of Virtual Education
http://www.col.org/virtualed
This study by Dr. Glenn Farrell on the latest developments in online education was released by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in July 2001. It is a follow-up on the 1999 COL study that examined the trends in "virtual" delivery of higher education. A copy of the 1999 study, "The Development of Virtual Education: A Global Perspective 1999" can be found at http://www.col.org/virtualed/index.htm. Funding for both reports was provided by the British Department for International Development.

The Chronicle Issues in Depth Distance Education
http://chronicle.com/indepth/distance
This site pulls together a collection of articles from the Chronicle of Higher Education that discuss various issues pertaining to distance education in the world of higher education. Articles are divided into three categories: the players, the issues and reports & opinion articles.

The Chronicle of Higher Education Information Technology
http://chronicle.com/infotech
The Information Technology section of the Chronicle of Higher Education is not a distance education specific site, but articles covering issues and concerns surrounding the field of distance education are often posted.

College Online Learning Programs Falter
http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/31/3e3a5451cefaf
Many for-profit distance education ventures have had to shut down often because of financial difficulties. Even though these initiatives designed to bring in huge revenues have not succeeded, this does not mean that institutions have stopped offering online programs. Numerous institutions continue to provide non-profit, distance education offerings to students. Some are also using distance education tools to enhance the traditional classroom experience, and this article from the January 31, 2003 issue of the DailyPennsylvanian.com discusses the ways online learning is changing.

Colleges Demand that Fakedegrees.com Remove Their Names from Its Web Site
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/08/2002082701t.htm
Numerous colleges and universities have ordered the phony diploma site, fakedegrees.com, to remove their institution's name from that company's site. Fakedegrees.com has complied within the hour to some cease-and-desist orders while other institutions are still waiting to have their names removed from the site.

Compensation Models in Distance Education: A National Survey Questionnaire Revisited
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring71/schifter71.html
Distance education has become a more common entity across many college campuses, and it is no longer undertaken by just those who consider themselves to be tech-savvy. Since more faculty are involving in distance education initiative, Catherine Schifter, College of Education, Temple University, conducted a national survey to examine compensation and incentive "packages" for faculty involved in distance education. Schifter also compares the results of this study to those found in the survey she conducted in 1999. This article was published in the Spring 2004 (vol. VII, no. 1) issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Course Management Systems and the Reinvention of Instruction
http://thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A5070.cfm
People get into teaching for various reasons, and some of those reasons do not always translate well in the classroom. The Course Management System (CMS) allows teachers who may feel that there just isn't enough time to cover everything the ability to enhance and embellish their courses without adding hours to the day. This October 2004 T.H.E Journal Web exclusive addresses topics such as, (a) making use of the CMS; (b) CMS as a supplement; and (c) CMS as organizing the course.

Creating a Quality Online Masters Program
http://www.cdlr.tamu.edu/dec_2003/decProceedings/1-Allen-Creating%20a%20Quality%20Online%20Masters%20Program.pdf
Texas A & M University developed a completely online masters program designed primarily for K-12 mathematics teachers. G. Donald Allen, Michael S. Pilant, and Jon T. Pitts, Department of Mathematics at Texas A & M University outline the inception, development, and implementation of this program. Topics such as faculty recruitment, program services, student performance, and intellectual property are also addressed in this December 2003 article.

A Critical Discourse in Multimedia Design: A Pedagogical Perspective to Creating Engaging Online Courseware
http://www.usq.edu.au/electpub/e-jist/docs/Vol7_no2/FullPapers/CriticalDisc_MM.htm
A number of articles have taken a look at the role multimedia play in the design of online courses. Muthukumar S. L., Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, takes this investigation one step farther to examine whether elements of cognitive psychology contribute to the effectiveness of the design. This article was published in the E-Journal of Instructional Science and Technology (Vol. 7, No. 2).

Current Developments and Best Practices in Open and Distance Learning
http://www.irrodl.org/content/v1.1/carmo_et_al.pdf
It is often easy to describe the characteristics of open and distance learning (ODL) programs in operation at various institutions. The challenge comes in attempting to assess the quality of these programs due to its subjective nature. Armando Rocha Trindade, Hermano Carno and Jose Bidarra discuss distance learning as we know it today, functions of an ODL system, curriculum development, the Internet in an ODL system and the evolution of the university in this article from the June 2000 issue of the International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.

CyberAtlas: Internet Statistics and Market Research for Web Marketers
http://cyberatlas.internet.com
CyberAtlas is an award-winning site that was founded in 1996 and acquired by internet.com in August 1998. Their motto is the "Web marketer's guide to online facts." CyberAtlas compiles research reports dealing with the Internet industry from around the world, including e-learning, and publishes them at this site.

Delivering Instruction on the World Wide Web
http://www.svsu.edu/%7Emcmanus/papers/wbi.html
This paper prepared by Thomas Fox McManus at the University of Texas at Austin discusses when and why to use the Web for instruction, plus hardware and software basics, design tips and other examples.

DEOS-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU: Archives
http://lists.psu.edu/archives/deos-l.html
The archives of the distance education online symposium (DEOS-L) are searchable or browsable by month going back to February 2000. A search feature is also provided at the site. This site is provided and maintained by the Information Technologies Services at Penn State University.

The Design and Delivery of Effective Web-based Instruction: An Analysis of Faculty Concerns
http://a-cme.org/PDFfiles/2003-Paper28.pdf
R. Nicolas Gerlich and LaVelle Mills, West Texas A & M University, take a look at new changes being made in higher education. The authors' primary focus is on the ways faculty members are affected by online learning, and how these initiatives impact their students. Topics addressed in this paper include the impact of online instruction on teaching and learning, and faculty concerns. Details about the authors' findings and the conclusions based on that data can be found in this February 9, 2004 article published by the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators.

Designing and Studying Learning Experiences that Use Multiple Interactive Media to Bridge Distance and Time
http://www.lesley.edu/faculty/tbrownlb/T502/index.htm
Chris Dede, Tara Brown L’Bahy and Pam Whitehouse, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education) prepared this chapter for Current Perspectives on Applied Information Technologies (vol. 1). This chapter analyzes the design and educational outcomes of a Harvard Graduate School of Education course, Learning Media that Bridge Distance and Time. The impact of integrating interactive media into the learning experience and student reactions to interactions across multiple media are examined.

Developing a Distance Education Policy for 21st Century Learning
http://www.acenet.edu/washington/distance_ed/2000/03march/distance_ed.html
What factors should be taken into consideration once an institution's existing policies on intellectual property in distance education are examined? This article focuses on points that should be addressed in the next step including ownership of distance education courses, faculty issues & concerns, commercialization and teaching beyond state and international borders. Significant writing contributions by Debra M. Parrish, Esq. and Alexander Wells Parrish (Pittsburgh) were made to this article published by the American Council on Education's Division of Government & Public Affairs.

Developing an Effective Online Course
http://www.cvc1.org/PDFs/fac_manual.pdf
This book was designed to accompany the online course, "Developing an Effective Online Course" by Valerie Landau, Round World Media. The course materials, created for the Bay Area California Virtual Campus Center, address issues such as evaluation criteria and critique of existing courses, surveying online courses, developing an online assignment, and Web design and accessibility.

Differentiating Needs: Customer Demand for Online Training
http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/research/2002/nr2f02.pdf
A lot of research has concentrated on the developer or delivery perspective, but little information has spotlighted the customer's perspective. The Australian Flexible Learning Framework Research Program recognized this, and decided to conduct this study to fill this gap. This 106-page document outlines the group's findings, and identifies key trends - some may require simple tweaking while others may necessitate more work to bring them to fruition. The conclusions of this study are broken down by specific markets, potential markets, and business models, just to name a few.

Digital Diploma Mills: The Automation of Higher Education
http://firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_1/noble/index.html
Historian David Noble examines the "coercive" nature of online education and the development of course materials that are distributed via the Web without the benefit of professor participation. Noble discusses whether these new trends in the "knowledge-based" society are truly progressive or merely a step back to the days of mass production.

Distance Education: A Consumer's Guide
http://www.wiche.edu/telecom/resources/publications/conguide
The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET), an organization founded in 1989 by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), is dedicated to the effective use of technology in higher education. This site addresses issues students should consider before taking a distance education course. Topics like selecting a school, accreditation and evaluating distance education programs are covered.

Distance Education and Accommodations for Students with Learning Disabilities: Implications for Postsecondary Service Providers
http://www.resourceroom.net/Sharestrats/02distance_ed.asp
Demand for distance education initiatives has been on the rise, but accessibility have not kept up in some instances. Manju Banerjee, a research and education consultant with Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), explores this this issue and how students with learning disabilities are affected by this trend. This article originally appeared in the Spring 2002 issue of Perspectives.

Distance Education and the WWW
http://tecfa.unige.ch/edu-comp/edu-ws94/contrib/peraya.fm.html
Daniel Peraya, a professor at the University of Geneva, drafted this position paper that discusses some of the "theoretical and methodological" elements of using technology in educational settings.

Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003017.pdf
This free, 95-page publication was released in July 2003, and it presents data on national estimates on distance education at 2-year and 4-year institutions. Areas addressed include the number and proportion of institutions offering distance education courses during the 2000–2001 12-month academic year, distance education enrollments and course offerings, distance education degree and certificate programs, distance education technologies, participation in distance education consortia, accommodations in distance education courses for students with disabilities, distance education program goals, and factors that keep institutions from starting or expanding distance education offerings. This report is only available online at this time, but a print version is forthcoming.

Distance Education Better, Worse, Or As Good As Traditional Education
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter44/tucker44.html
Sheila Tucker, East Carolina University, studied test results, homework grades, research paper grades, final course grades and the ages of traditional and distance education students enrolled in a business communication class. Her goal was to determine the learning differences between the two formats and whether or not one was better than the other. Tucker's findings were published in the Winter 2001 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Distance Education Is Harder on Women than on Men, Study Finds
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v48/i05/05a04802.htm
Cheris Kramarae, a visiting researcher at the University of Oregon, conducted online and in-person interviews with 500 distance education students, and of those, 462 were women. Her report, "The Third Shift: Women Learning Online", released by the American Association of University Women, finds that women who take online courses tend to tack on a "third shift" to their day. This September 28, 2001 Chronicle of Higher Education article discusses Kramarae's report, and examines some of the reasons why women add even more to their busy schedules. A copy of the report can be purchased at http://www.aauw.org/.

Distance Education Leadership for the New Century
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer62/beaudoin62.html
Technological advances have been changing the way courses are designed and delivered. These advances are changing faculty roles in the field of distance education, and many are now encouraged by their institutions to modify and accept new opportunities as they arise. Michael F. Beaudoin, an education professor at the University of New England, discusses how those involved in distance education are no longer considered to be "mavericks" and are becoming facilitators as their campuses move to adopt alternative educational innovations. This paper was one of three selected as a "Best Paper" among DLA 2003 proceedings, Jekyll Island, Georgia, June 1-4, 2003, and it appears in the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (Vol. VI, No. II, Summer 2003).

Distance Education's Best Kept Secrets
http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=673
Barry Willis, a professor of education and Associate Vice President for Educational Outreach at the University of Idaho, discusses the difference between the rhetoric and the reality surrounding distance education. This article appears in Commentary, a publication of the Michigan Virtual University, and was originally published in the May/June 2000 issue of The Technology Source.

Distance Learning: Trends in the U. S.
http://www.tbc.dk/pdf/michael_moore.pdf
Distance education, as well as education in general, is undergoing some dramatic shifts, and more and more institutions are adopting some type of Web-based distance education program in response to these changes. Michael G. Moore, Director of the American Center for Study of Distance Education at Penn State University discusses the various distance education models and providers plus he addresses issues that have surfaced as a result of the virtual university.

Distance Learning: The Pros and Cons of Getting an Education Online
http://www.sfbg.com/SFLife/34/28/education.html
Charlie Bertsch states that the "futuristic" vision associated with distance education is still rather futuristic in nature with many courses available to students being no better than correspondence courses. Advantages, such as flexibility and ease of scheduling may outweigh some of the negative aspects for some students. Bertsch discusses benefits and pitfalls associated with distance education courses and programs.

Distance Learning: Core Academic Values, Quality, and Regional Accreditation
http://www.chea.org/Research/core-values.cfm
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation published this article by Judith S. Eaton on the topic of accreditation in the world of distance learning. In her article, Eaton discusses the core academic values of regional accreditation, core academic values & the challenges they face and steps for rethinking values & accreditation standards.

Distance Learning in the Millennium: Where is it Going
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/hyatt11.html
Sue Hyatt, Director of Distance Learning at Chattanooga State Technical Community College takes a look at whether or not distance education will replace traditional college campus and discusses issues surrounding the future of distance learning. This article originally appeared in the Spring 1998 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Distance Learning Programs for Non-Traditional Students in the Business Disciplines
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter64/tesone64.html
The authors of this article teach online courses at institutions, such as Nova Southeastern, the United States Sports Academy, Baker College, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Hawaii, and this article presents their comparison of face-to-face instruction to courses delivered online. Their focus is primarily on the differences between exchanges that occur in the "traditional" classroom to computer mediated communication. Their findings are presented in this article that appears in the Winter 2003 issue (vol. VI, no. IV) of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Distributed Education in the 21st Century Implications for Quality Assurance
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer52/pond52.html
Wallace K. Pond, Chief Academic Officer for Education America Online, discusses the history of formal education & quality, contemporary challenges for quality assurance & accreditation, new paradigms to address these issues and quality assurance as it relates to distance education. This article was published in the Summer 2002 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Distance Education Strategy: Mental Models and Strategic Choices
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/summer72/adams72.html
In recent years, there has been a rapid proliferation of distance education initiatives in higher education. With this growth also come a number of challenges that many in these arenas have to face. John C. Adams, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Alan T. Seagren, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, examine the distance education approaches taken by three Midwestern community colleges, and compare the strategies taken by these institutions. This article was published in the Summer 2004 (Vol. VII, No. II) issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

EDTECH Discussion List
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb/list.html
EDTECH is a moderated list that was founded in 1989. It is designed to facilitate discussion among faculty, educators, students and others interested in the field of education technology. Subscription information is available at this site.

Educational Technology Fails to Deliver on Its Promises, Report Says (must be subscribed to the Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/06/2004062401n.htm
At one point in time, many said that online learning and other technological advances would change the face of education. Even though face-to-face and remote online education initiatives have expanded, a number of faculty member still have not integrated this technology into their curriculum. This article from the June 24, 2004 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education takes a look at the reality versus the hype surrounding educational technology.

Educational Technology Review (ETR)
http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/issue3/current.cfm
ETR, originally available only in print is now an online publication produced by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). It is designed to be a forum that allows AACE members to share their thoughts and ideas about educational technology issues.

The Effect of Motivational Scaffolding on the Effectiveness of Distance Learning
http://all.successcenter.ohio-state.edu/references/ScaffDist-Procras%20AERA%2004.htm
Bruce W. Tuckman, Ph.D., Ohio State University, examines the effect motivational scaffolding has on students in an online learning environment. Two Web-based courses, one with motivational scaffolding and one without, were studied. The only difference between the courses was one included elements, such as chat to facilitate study skills support and instructor office hours. Results of this study can be found in this paper presented at AERA in San Diego, 2004.

Effective Online Teachine--How Far Do the Frameworks Go?
http://www.ericit.org/fulltext/IR021460.pdf
What makes an effective online teacher? Is it a matter of instructors who thrive in this new educational environment acquiring special skills or technical knowledge? Cathy Gunn, School of Education, University of Auckland (New Zealand), analyzes the existing models for adult education and examines how these guidelines can be implemented to be a model for online instruction. The various methods, designs and principles are addressed as well as conclusions that can be drawn from this study. This article was published on June 17, 2003 in the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology.

eLearn Magazine
http://www.elearnmag.org
eLearn Magazine is the first Web-only product published by ACM, a non-profit organization focused on computer-related fields and founded in 1947. Articles, columns and features are compiled by a number of expert sources including professional journalists with computer and education experience, industry leaders and academics who are at the forefront of their fields. In addition to news information, links to case studies, in-depth tutorials, reviews and other online publications are provided.

eLearning in Higher Education
http://www.hper.indiana.edu/icts/elearning_times/elearning_highered.html
This newsletter, produced by the School of Health, Physical Education & Recreation (HPER)'s Instructional Consulting & Technology Services (ICTS) department at Indiana University, is designed for educators interested in distance education issues. Articles on topics such as instructional design, learning objects, Web course usability, online community, and assessment are covered.

E-Learning: The Hype and the Reality
http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/2004/12/conole-2004-12-t.html
E-learning is changing the way education traditionally has operated. Anytime and anyplace learning opportunities continue to expand, and researchers from disciplines such as education, computer science, and psychology are becoming more involved in examining this phenomenon. Grainne Conole, School of Education, University of Southampton, examines pertinent topics, and outlines a framework for e-learning. This article was published in the September 28, 2004 issue of the Journal of Interactive Media in Education (JIME).

E-Learning Magazine
http://www.elearningmag.com/elearning/
PC Magazine has called E-Learning Magazine a publication that "tackles the nitty-gritty and helps business grapple with issues like outsourcing the infrastructure, training remote employees, and not insignificantly – managing it all."
Information included in this publication include:

• E-learning News Updated Daily
• Enriched Content – Expanded Stories
• Industry's Most Comprehensive Events Calendar
• Searchable Archives – Find Just What You’re Looking For!
• Easy to Use Interactive Buyers' Guide
• Key Information in E-Newsletters
  

Electronic Journals in the Field of Education
http://aera-cr.ed.asu.edu/links.html
AERA SIG Communication of Research has compiled this list of links to online publications related to the field of education. Only free, full-text, scholarly, peer-reviewed e-journals are included, and many listed subjects dealing with online learning and technology in education.

Electronics and the Dim Future of the University
http://www.asis.org/annual-96/noam.html
Higher education has been rather stable for over 2500 years, but technological advances may create changes that challenge that stability. Eli M. Noam, professor of finance and economics at Columbia University, presented this paper at the ASIS 1996 Annual meeting. Noam examines the future role of the university and the impact technology will have on its survival. This article was originally published in the October 13, 1995 issue of Science.

E-Mail Discussion Lists
http://www.edwebproject.org/lists.html
E-mail Discussion Lists is a mega collection of education-related listservs. The focus of the site is on general education, K-12 education, education technology and education reform.

An Emerging Set of Guiding Principles and Practices for the Design and Development of Distance Education
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/ide/docs/guiding_principles.pdf
This report focuses on the Faculty Initiative, whose mission was to "develop a deeper understanding of the issues and opportunities presented by distance education, create new teaching and learning approaches and empower faculty to become leaders in the effective use of distance education". This project was funded by a grant from the AT & T Foundation to Penn State University in collaboration with Lincoln University and Cheyney University.

Empathic Instructional Design
http://www.elearningpost.com/features/archives/001003.asp
The authors of this February 18, 2002 article from elearningpost define empathic design as a "user-centered approach to design that can lead to innovative e-learning". They discuss ways that this design technique can move online courses to a realm beyond "e-reading" and "digital page turning" education.

Entering the Mainstream: The Quality and Extent of Online Education in the United State, 2003 and 2004
http://www.sloan-c.org/resources/survey.asp
This 27-document examines the state of online education and the changes that have occurred over the past couple of years. The study focuses on issues such as, (a) the growth of online enrollments; (b) student satisfaction with online courses; (c) online learning as long term strategy; and (d) measuring the quality of online learning. This document, produced by the Sloan Consortium, represents the second annual study on this topic.

UPDATE (11/21/04): Additional information about this document can be found in this November 15, 2004 article from the Chronicle of Higher Education. "Online-Education Survey Finds Boom in Enrollment and Broad Satisfaction With Courses" can be accessed at http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/11/2004111503n.htm.

Evaluating Individual Student Learning: Implications from Four Models of Assessment
http://www.league.org/publication/abstracts/learning/lelabs0501.html
This League for Innovation article from May 2001 by Mary Hjelm, General Education Division Manager at Eastern Idaho Technical College, and Ronald L. Baker, Associate Executive Director for the Commission on Colleges and Universities of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and Universities, discusses the mounting pressure placed on higher education institutions, including community colleges, to demonstrate student learning. Hjelm and Baker present and discuss four different assessment models.

The Evolution of Virtual Education
http://ipdweb.np.edu.sg/lt/mar02/pdf/virt%20ed%20history.pdf
Glen Farrell, study team leader at the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) provides this summary of the study conducted by COL and issued in July 2001. The study entitled "The Changing Face of Virtual Education" examined the latest "macro developments" taking place in virtual education.

Faculty Development and Learning Object Technology: Bridging the Gap
http://www.uwsa.edu/ttt/articles/ploetz3.htm
This article by Patricia Ploetz, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, begins by presenting an actual scenario that occurred between faculty and technology experts that stemmed from learning object technology. The problem, faculty perspectives, and how the gap between the two sides was bridged are outlined. This article was published in the February 2004 issue (vol. 10, no. 4) of Teaching with Technology Today.

Faculty Training for Online Teaching
http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/articleprintversion.cfm?aid=5010
It's no secret that training is a key component in a successful program. The same holds true when developing online education initiative and recruiting faculty to teach those types of courses. In October 2002, an online survey was sent to 64 faculty who teach online mathematics courses. Peg Pankowski, Dean of Information Technology and Telecommunications at the Community College of Southern Nevada, discusses the results of the survey and outlines recommendations for training faculty to teach online courses. This article was published in the September 2004 issue of T.H.E. Journal.

A Federal Rule Bedevils Online Institutions
http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i16/16a02901.htm
The 50-percent rule was passed in 1992 in an attempt to thwart the efforts of diploma mills and fraudulent correspondence courses, but many believe this law has actually hampered efforts of legitimate distance education institutions. This article from the December 12, 2003 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the coverage of the 50-percent rule, and the push from several lawmakers to put an end to this law or at least severely weaken it. What changes in the 50-percent rule mean to online education institutions and their students are also addressed.

FirstMonday
http://www.firstmonday.dk
FirstMonday is one of the first peer reviewed publications published on the Internet. It began in May 1996 and is focused on articles dealing with the Internet and technological infrastructure. No passwords or fees are required to access FirstMonday, and interested parties can sign up for e-mail notification of available new issues.

Five Pillars of Quality Online Education
http://www.aln.org/effective/pillarreport1.pdf
This publication is a "synthesis of research-based insights and comments gathered from papers presented at the recent Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) invitational workshop held in Lake George, NY on September 26 - 28, 2002." Categories identified as part of the five pillars include learning effectiveness, student satisfaction, faculty satisfaction, cost effectiveness, and access.

Formal Course Design and the Student Learning Experience
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v7n3/v7n3_myers.asp
Do collaborative efforts between faculty and professional course designers have an impact on student learning and satisfaction? The authors of this September 2003 article examine surveys that were submitted to five different groups at Washington State University to assess the impact course design and faculty development initiatives have on the student learning process. The results of their findings and what impact this will have on future research in this area are discussed in this article published in the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (vol. 7, issue 3).

Four Fictional Views of the Future of Learning
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~bork/fiction.pdf
Afred Bork, professor emeritus in Information and Computer Science at the University of California at Irvine, initially published this editorial in The Internet and Higher Education. In it, he discusses the need for educational solutions that go beyond current models, and explores four fictional accounts. Bork examines 3 fictional accounts from science fiction and 1 from the fictional section of a non-fiction book, addresses the similarities between them, and explores their potential for the development of a new educational paradigm.

A Framework for Pedagogical Evaluation of Virtual Learning Environments
http://www.jtap.ac.uk/reports/htm/jtap-041.html
Sandy Britain and Oleg Liber, the authors of this article, define virtual learning environments as "learning management software systems that synthesise the functionality of computer-mediated communications software (e-mail, bulletin boards, newsgroups etc) and on-line methods of delivering course materials (e.g. the WWW)." This report focuses on these Web-based software systems and their role in teaching and learning.

Future Learning: Distance Education in the Community Colleges
http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/ERIC/digests/DIG9502.HTML
Sarah Parrott addresses several different aspect of distance education and its affect on community colleges in this digest presented in the ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges. Parrott discusses the technology involved in distance education, distance education students, costs, impact on student learning & access and faculty resistance.

The Future of the University in an Age of Knowledge
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v1n2/v1n2_duderstadt.asp
Information technology is rapidly changing the way people live, and the higher education environment is also being affected by these changes. James J. Duderstadt, President Emeritus and University Professor of Science & Engineering at the University of Michigan, discusses the shifting paradigm faced by higher education institutions and the changes that these institutions must undergo in order to adapt to emerging technologies. This article appeared in the August 1997 issue of JALN.

Global Learning, 2008
http://teleeducation.nb.ca/content/pdf/english/global_learning.pdf
Will e-learning follow in the footsteps of the automobile and the pharmaceutical industries, and undergo significant transformations? Clark Aldrich discusses some of the successes associated with current e-learning models and also points out some of the potential downfalls if it stays on this path.

Guidelines for Converting Existing Courses into Web-Based Format
http://www.ericit.org/fulltext/IR021607.pdf
The Internet and other Web-based instruction (WBI) tools are relatively new to the field of education. No tested models exist at the present time, and many instructors have had to convert traditional courses into a Web-based format with little to no guidance. This four-part paper by Hakan Tuzun at Indiana University Bloomington presents findings from the literature and concludes that there is a definite need for consistency in the migration to WBI.

Guidelines for Distance Education: Principles of Good Practice
http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/anthro/acac/Documents/Guidelines1.htm
Regional accrediting associations throughout the United States agreed that the guidelines outlined on this site are a way to "facilitate the evaluation of distance education in the U. S." The points presented at this site are an expansion of the principles outlined by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). Another set of guidelines adapted from WICHE and posted on the Higher Learning Commission site (http://www.ncacihe.org/index.html) can be found at:

Guidelines for Distance Education
http://www.ncacihe.org/resources/guidelines/gdistance.html

Guiding Principles: Overview
http://www.acenet.edu/calec/dist_learning/dl_principlesIntro.cfm
The American Council on Education has posted this set of guiding principles that are not designed to be a "how-to" but instead "focus on understanding and embracing the changing nature of the educational and training process". Areas addressed by these principles include learning design, learner support, organizational commitment, learning outcomes and technology.

Handbook of Distance Education for Adult Learners
http://projectideal.org/pdf/handbook/DEHandbk2ndEd.pdf
Many of the issues discussed in the second edition of the Handbook are derived from experiences encountered with teachers in all Project IDEA states during the 2002-2003 school year. This publication is divided into five chapters, and topics include recruitment, orientation of distance learning students, teaching at a distance, assessment of distance learning students, and administrative issues in distance learning.

How to Evaluate Distance Learning Programs
http://www.degreeinfo.com/article12_1.html
It may be challenging to distinguish which online degree programs are good and which ones are not so good. Kristin Hirst discusses three evaluation factors to consider when evaluating distance learning programs in this May 2002 DegreeInfo.com article.

How to Succeed in Distance Education (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i40/40a03101.htm
Businesses know that one of the keys to success includes being able to tap into the target audience group. Many non-profit and for-profit distance education providers have been able to do just that and their ever increasing enrollment figures prove it. Selling tips that can help these virtual institutions stay afloat in such a competitive market are addressed in this June 13, 2003 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education. Recommendations such as focusing on industry clients, emphasizing convenience and utilizing interactive technologies are discussed. Techniques from officials at 6 organization are also provided.

Illinois Online Network is Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality: Study of an Exemplary Faculty Development Program
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v7n2/v7n2_varvel.asp
The Illinois Online Network (ION), a joint effort between forty-eight Illinois community colleges and the University of Illinois, works to assist faculty in the development and design of online courses. One example of faculty development courses design to fulfill this goal is the "Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality" series. This article from the July 2003 issue of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks describes services provided by ION and discusses the effectiveness of large-scale professional development programs like "Making the Virtual Classroom a Reality."

The Importance of Policies in E-Learning Instruction
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0433.pdf
Shirley Waterhouse and Rodney O. Rodgers examine the importance of implementing policies in the e-learning environment. Topics discussed include student privacy, e-mail, student codes of conduct, and intellectual property rights. This article, published in the no. 3, 2004 issue of Educause Quarterly, has been adapted from a chapter in The Power of Elearning: The Essential Guide to Teaching in the Digital Age by Shirley Waterhouse (to be released October 2004).

The Imagination Gap: Making Web-based Instructional Resources Accessible to Students and Colleagues with Disabilities
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/currents/spring02/slatin.html
John Slatin, Director of the Institute of Technology and Learning (ITAL) at the University of Texas at Austin, discusses the challenges of Web access, guidelines & standards as design resources and techniques for testing access in this Spring 2002 article published in Currents in Electronic Literacy. Slatin, who is visually impaired, has been working with accessibility issues since 1985.

Impacts of College-Level Courses via Asynchronous Learning Networks: Some Preliminary Results
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v1n2/v1n2_hiltz.asp
New Jersey Institute of Technology has been using an asynchronous learning network called the Virtual Classroom™ to deliver college course to their students. Starr Roxanne Hiltz, Department of Computer and Information Science at the New Jersey Institute of Technology discusses their experience with this network and the impact it has had on students as well as future implications for faculty and higher education in this August 1997 article from the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN).

Implementing the Seven Principles
http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html
In 1987, the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" was first published. Since that time, new technologies for teaching and learning have been implemented in the higher education arena. In "Implementing the Seven Principles", Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann discuss ways the new technologies can be used to promote the principles outlined in the 1987 article.

Improved Data on Program Costs and Guidelines on Quality Assessments Needed to Inform Federal Policy
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04279.pdf
When distance education opportunities via video or Internet first surfaced, some were concerned about occurrences of misconduct and fraud. These feelings of apprehension resulted in federal restrictions that proved to affect even reputable institutions that were providing distance education opportunities to their students. One example of the restrictions implemented at that time included the percentage of distance education courses an institution could provide and still qualify for federal student aid. The U. S. General Accounting Office (GAO) conducted a study to determine how the restrictions affect an institution's ability to offer student aid, and whether these restrictions are still longer necessary. The GAO's findings can be found in this February 2004 report.

Improving Faculty Use of Technology in a Small Campus Community
http://thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A5169.cfm
The San Diego State University-Imperial Valley Campus (SDSU-IVC) received a grant to further develop faculty use of technology in the classroom. This article from the January 2005 issue of T.H.E. Journal discusses activities and initiative implemented at SDSU-IVC, a small institution with approximately 900 students and 29 full-time faculty members, as a result of the grant dollars. The results of this project and future plans are also presented.

Increasing Students' Interactivity in an Online Course
http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/archives/2004/winter/03/index.html
M. Cecil Smith and Amy Winking-Diaz, Northern Illinois University, examine the effects of integrating different instructional strategies into an online, adult education course. The purpose was to "increase students’ engagement with the course materials, heighten their online discussions, and deepen their thinking about course-related concepts, theoretical principles, and research findings." A description of the course, the strategies used, and the authors' findings can be found in this article that appeared in the Winter 2004 (Vol. 2, No. 3) issue of the Journal of Interactive Online Learning.

Innovate
http://innovateonline.info
Innovate is a new online publication dedicated to e-learning topics, issues, and concerns. The second issue (December 2004/January 2005) contains articles such as, (1) Strategies for Using Information Technology to Improve Institutional Performance; (2) Beyond PowerPoint: Visual Presentation Tools for Online Learning; and (3) Guidelines for Establishing Interactivity in Online Courses. The site does require readers to sign in, but registration is free.

Innovations in Distance Education (IDE)
http://www.outreach.psu.edu/DE/IDE
IDE is an Outreach and Cooperative Extension project of Penn State University. The project was launched in 1995 and was initially funded in part by AT & T. IDE's goal was to help faculty members at Penn State, Lincoln and Cheyney universities utilize distance education opportunities to create new and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

Innovations in Online Learning: Moving Beyond No Significant Difference
http://www.center.rpi.edu/PewSym/mono4.html
College campuses and the higher education community are much different today than they were in the 1980s and 1990s. In December 2000, a group of faculty and administrators met in Phoenix, AZ to discuss ways to move online education away from merely being "as good as" the traditional learning environment.

"Innovations in Online Learning" was one of the monographs produced by the Pew Symposia in Learning and Technology, and additional publications can be found at http://www.center.rpi.edu/PewSym1.html.

Instructional Immediacy and the Seven Principles: Strategies for Facilitating Online Courses
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/hutchins63.html
Holly M. Hutchins, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Technology and Cognition at the University of North Texas discusses the current research that is being conducted in the area of Web-based instruction and what is lacking in terms of its coverage. The author also addresses several issues including: (1) the instructor role in Web-based instruction; (2) faculty attitudes; (3) instructional immediacy; (4) and the (5) Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (Chickering & Gramson, 1986). Future directions for researchers and educators concerned with instructional effectiveness in Web-based courses are examined. This article was published in the December 10, 2003 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (Vol. VI, No. III, Fall 2003).

Integrating Laboratories into Online Distance Education Courses
http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=666
Courses in certain subject areas require a hands-on lab component, and educators at the University of Missouri at Columbia have integrated video, lab kits, field trips, local resources, and Web materials into an asynchronous learning network course. Deborah O'Bannon, Jill Scott, Margaret Gunderson and James S. Noble detail the process in this article that was originally published in the January/February 2000 issue of The Technology Sources and reprinted with permission by the Michigan Virtual University.

Interactive Education: Impact of the Internet on Learning & Teaching
http://ubmail.ubalt.edu/~harsham/interactive.htm
Dr. Hossein Arsham, The Wright Distinguished Research Professor in Decision Science and Statistics, believes that online students and instructors are partners in the education process. He developed this guide to help those involved in distance education to create and implement successful online courses and programs.

International Journal of Educational Technology (IJET)
http://www.outreach.uiuc.edu/ijet/index.html
IJET is a free, international, refereed online publication that deals with issues surrounding educational technology. It is sponsored by the faculty, staff and students at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Western Australia and the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. IJET is published twice a year.

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
http://www.irrodl.org/
IRRODL is a refereed e-journal that is published twice a year and is designed to "advance theory, research and practice in open and distance learning worldwide."

The Internet Goes to College: How Students are Living in the Future with Today's Technology
http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/pdfs/PIP_College_Report.pdf
Today's college students use the Internet heavily and have integrated it into their everyday live. These students tend to be more comfortable with technology since they have grown up with computers. Pew Internet & American Life sponsored this project and released it September 15, 2002. Steve Jones, Senior Research Fellow is the principal author of this report that discusses how the Internet has enhanced the college educational experience and ways college social life has changed as the result of the Internet.

Is Distance Learning Worth It?: Helping to Determine the Costs of Online Courses
http://www.marshall.edu/distance/distancelearning.pdf
Brian Morgan, Director at the Center for Instructional Technology at Marshall University, examines the real and perceived costs of online education in this 125 report. He also provides a Web site to accompany this article, and the site can be found at http://webpages.marshall.edu/~morgan16/onlinecosts/.

Is E-learning really the Future or a Risk
http://www.acm.org/ubiquity/views/c_shoniregun_3.pdf
Charles A. Shoniregun and Sarah-Jane Gray, both college educators from the UK, discuss technological advances that have influenced education over the years. The main focus of this article is on the role electronic resources have played in recent educational initiatives. E-learning, the impact of the e-learning sourcing decision, the return on investment to e-learning, and the option of blended learning, are just a few of the topics discussed in this April 30, 2004 article from the Association for Computing Machinery.

ITForum
http://itech1.coe.uga.edu/ITForum/home.html
ITForum is a listserv for those interested in issues that impact the field of instructional technology. The list is open to anyone interested in this subject matter, and a special invitation has been extended to IT graduate students. ITForum was founded in 1994 and is sponsored by the Department of Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia. Dan Surry at the University of Alabama is the moderator. One rather unique thing about ITForum is that special discussions are conducted periodically throughout the year by leaders in information technology.

Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN)
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/index.asp
JALN is a publication produced by the Sloan Center of Online Education (SCOLE) at Onlin and Babson Colleges for Sloan-C. The goal of this journal is to be the "central resource for knowledge about ALN", and archived issues date back to March 1997.

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (JCAL)
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/ktru/jcaljrnl.htm
JCAL is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, international publication on topics in the field of information technology. It is designed to be a vehicle to foster collaborative research and communication between researchers and practitioners. Robert Lewis, a professor in the Department of Educational Research at the University of Lancaster (UK) is the current editor of JCAL.

Journal of Computer Mediated Communication (JCMC)
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/
JCMC is a free, peer-reviewed journal that has been published on the Web since 1995. It is sponsored by the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California, and Margaret McLaughlin, Annenberg School of Communication, and Sheizaf Rafaeli, Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Haifa are the editors of JCMC.

Journal of Distance Education (JDE)
http://www.cade-aced.ca/en_pub.php
JDE is a publication produced by the Canadian Association of Distance Education (CADE), and it is hosted at Athabasca University. Full text articles dating back to 1986 can be accessed at this site.

Journal of Education, Community and Values
http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/
This e-journal is a publication of the Berglund Center for Internet Studies (BCIS), an organization whose mission is to study the impact of the Internet on people and society. It is published 10 times a year and is produced at Pacific University (Oregon).

Journal of Interactive Media in Education (JIME)
http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/
JIME is a publication that was launched in September 1996 and is focused on the theoretical and practical aspects of interactive media in education. This online journal does not have a set publication schedule, but articles are sent through the peer-review process as they are received.

Journal of Library Service in Distance Education (JLSDE)
http://www.westga.edu/~library/jlsde/
JLSDE is a peer-reviewed online journal that publishes articles that discuss issues and concerns surrounding information and research services to students who are enrolled in college-level online courses. Carol Goodson, off-campus services librarian at the State University of West Georgia, is the editor.

Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment (JTLA)
http://www.bc.edu/research/intasc/jtla.html
JTLA is a peer-review, interdisciplinary e-journal that focuses on issues affecting computer-based technology and learning & assessment in the K-12 to higher education arenas. Michael Russell, Boston College is the current editor of JTLA.

Journals Related to Web-Based Education
http://webclass.cqu.edu.au/Resources/Journals/index.txt.html
Colin McCormack, a lecturer in Information Systems in the Department of Accounting, Finance and Information Systems at University College Cork, and David Jones, a lecturer in the Faculty of Informatics and Communication at Central Queensland University developed this list of links to journals dealing with various aspects of distance education.

Kaplan Announces Plan To Move Into Teacher Education (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access).
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/04/2003040102n.htm
Kaplan is expanding its higher education initiatives by adding a new full-service school of education to its offerings. The school is scheduled to open in the 2004-2005 academic year. Kaplan plans to attract a "high caliber person into teaching" and will offer the teacher education program via distance education. Kaplan's plans for this new school and information about the person selected to run it are outlined in this article from the April 1, 2003 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Learning MarketSpace
http://www.center.rpi.edu/LForum/LdfLM.html
This monthly electronic newsletter is a publication of The Leadership Forum at the Center for Academic Transformation, and it is written by Carol Twigg and Bob Heterick. It provides "leading-edge assessment of and future-oriented thinking about issues and developments concerning the nexus of higher education and information technology".

Articles presented address the following areas and issues:

• The value of corporate/higher education collaboration
  
• Virtual university initiatives and developments
  
• On-campus cultural resistance or backlash
  
• New developments in technology which force a re-thinking of assumptions about academic practices
  
• Cost containment efforts
  
• Public policy issues with implications for the learning marketspace

Issues available at this site date back to the Inaugural issue dated July 1, 1999.

Learning Together: Exploring Group Interactions Online
http://cade.athabascau.ca/vol19.1/GABRIEL_article.pdf
Martha Gabriel, an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island, examines a constructivist approach to learning in an online environment. The research activities centered around an elective online Master of Education course, and Gabriel was one of the instructors. Interviews were conducted with the participants, and three themes emerged. A discussion about this project and its findings can be found in the Spring 2004 (Vol. 19, No. 1) issue of the Journal of Distance Education.

Lessons from Launching an Online MBA Program
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter64/hergert64.htm
The College of Business at San Diego State University is one of the largest in the U.S. In the spring of 2000, they introduced an online version of its M.B.A program. Michael Hergert, in the College of Business at San Diego State University, outlines the lessons learned from this endeavor, including the planning, implementation, and the assessment of the program. This article appears in the Winter 2003 (vol. VI, no. IV) issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Managing Distance Learning: New Challenges for Faculty
http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/dist-fac.pdf
Institutions spend a lot of resources training faculty to deal with the technical and administrative aspects of online instruction. Lisa Kimball argues in this article, published in the Spring of 1998, that more time, effort and money needs to be focused on faculty to manage other aspects associated with teaching online including the management of metaphor, meaning, cultures, roles, time, awareness, collaboration and faculty development.

Measuring MBA Student Learning: Does Distance Make a Difference?
http://www.irrodl.org/content/v3.2/kretovics.html
Are face-to-face interactions between students and their instructors key elements in the learning process? Can distance learning vehicles be just as effective as traditional classroom methods? Mark Kretovics, Kent State University, and Jim McCambridge, Colorado State University, examine these questions and focus on three different types of instructional programs: on-campus, distance and executive MBA. The author's findings are addressed in this article from the October 2002 issue of International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.

Measuring Success: Strategies for Distance Education
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0213.pdf
Barbara Lockee, an associate professor of instructional technology at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), and Mike Moore and John Burton, both professors of instructional technology at Virginia Tech, examine the various stages and types of evaluation methods that can be carried out to assess distance education programs. They also present suggestions for developing an evaluation plan in this 2002 EDUCAUSE Quarterly article.

Medical Schools Team Up to Form Online Medical School
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/443292
Students who leave their home countries to receive their medical school degree often do not return to practice medicine in that country. In order to slow down this type of "brain drain", over 50 medical schools in 16 countries have teamed up to form the first online medical school. Free registration is required to access this October 30, 2002 Medscape article.

Meeting the Competition: College and University Presidents, Faculty and State Legislators View the New Competitive Academic Arena
http://www.futuresproject.org/whats_new/publicagenda_report.htm
Public Agenda, a non-profit public opinion and research organization, prepared this report that was sponsored by The Futures Project: Policy for Higher Education in a Changing World. Forty-seven academic leaders participated in discussions, moderated by Public Agenda, that focused on the mounting pressures and market forces that are reshaping higher education and the challenges institutions face trying to compete in a national and international competitive environment created by the new technologies.

More information about the Futures Project, a higher education think tank based at Brown University's A. Alfred Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, can be found at http://www.futuresproject.org/.

More Professors Teach by Using Other Colleges' Online Courses
http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v51/i08/08a02801.htm
Faculty who do not have the time to develop their own online courses are buying "ready-to-deliver" courses from other institutions. This trend is allowing many to beef up their online course presence without breaking the bank. Groups like the League for Innovation in the Community College are supporting these efforts, but not everyone thinks that the lack of faculty of involvement in course development will be a good idea in the long run. This October 15, 2004 Chronicle of Higher Education article examines the pros and cons, and those who visit the site can even join an online discussion on the topic.

(My) Three Principles of Effective Online Pedagogy
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v8n3/v8n3_pelz.asp
Bill Pelz, a professor of psychology at Herkimer County Community College, was awarded the 2003 Sloan-C award for Excellence in Online Teaching and was asked to share his thoughts and opinions. In his article on that topic, published in the June 2004 (vol. 13, no. 8) issue of the Journal of Asynchonous Learning Networks, Pelz outlines the three strategies that has helped him successfully teach online courses. The three include the following: (1) Let the students do (most of) the work; (2) Interactivity is the heart and soul of successful asynchronous learning; and (3) Strive for presence.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
http://nces.ed.gov
NCES, a federal entity within the U. S. Department of Education and the Office of Educational Research & Improvement, is responsible for collecting and analyzing data dealing with educational issues in the U. S. and throughout the world. Browse the NCES categories such as surveys and quick tables or use the search feature to locate information available at this site.

National Center for Online Learning Research (NCOLR)
http://ncolr.uidaho.com/research/research.asp
The mission of NCOLR is to "construct, study, and disseminate guidelines for the development and evaluation of online learning environments". Those involved in this project include the University of Idaho, IMITS (Institute for Mathematics, Interactive Technologies, and Science), the University of Alabama, NOVA/NASA University Network, and First Step Research, with funding from the United States Department of Education in the FIPSE Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships Program. Links to distance education journals, online course design models, information about teaching online courses and other e-learning resources can be found at the NCOLR site.

National U. Creates a For-Profit Company to Run Growing Online Program
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/11/2002112602t.htm
National University started offering distance learning programs in 1996, and they recently announced that they have turned this educational vehicle into a for-profit venture called Spectrum Pacific Learning Company. This November 26, 2002 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the details behind this new initiative and why National University decided to head in this direction.

NCOLR: Journals Relevant to Online Learning Issues
http://ncolr.uidaho.com/research/links.asp#one
This section of the NCOLR site provides links to numerous journals related to distance education.

New School U. and Britain's Open U. Create a Distance-Education Partnership
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/01/2003012801t.htm
Open University, one of the oldest and largest distance education programs in the world, announced its plans to partner with New School University in an attempt to expand into the U.S. market. This article from the January 28, 2003 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education provides details about this partnership and discusses the strategy that both sides hope will lead to a successful venture.

Nonprofit Group will Build a Repository of Online Course Content (must be subscribed to the Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/09/2004090802n.htm
Since the creation of online courses is so labor intensive, many believe that colleges will begin to outsource this activity. The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (CA) plans to develop an online course repository, called the National Repository of Online Courses, to meet this need. Right now, the Illinois State Board of Education has signed on to use the materials for high school AP courses. Details about the repository can be found in the September 8, 2004 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Offering Entire Degrees Online is Key to Success in Distance Education, Report Finds (must be subscribed to the Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2005/01/2005012605n.htm
A new report to be released on February 1, 2005 finds that institutions that offer complete online degree programs are more successful that those that simply create individual online courses. Rob Abel, president of the Alliance for Higher Education, is the author of the report, "Achieving Success in Internet-Supported Learning in Higher Education," and this article from the January 26, 2005 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education discusses Abel's findings. A brief discussion about the methodology and comments from some of the institutions profiled in the report can also be found. Access to the entire report will be available at http://www.a-hec.org/e-learning_study.html.

Online Ads for U. of Phoenix Irk Officials at Other Colleges
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/02/2003020302t.htm
Web searchers looking for information on several colleges, like Alfred University, may have viewed advertisements that suggested that the institutions are affiliated with the University of Phoenix. Administrators at the University of Phoenix insist that a vendor for the institution produced the ads without permission, and this February 7, 2003 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the reactions and issues surrounding this controversial ad campaign.

The Online Chronicle of Distance Education and Communication
http://www.fcae.nova.edu/disted
Nova Southeastern University created this online publication that is published quarterly. Its focus is on issues surrounding distance education and online communication. Past issues date back to Spring 1994.

Online Course Development: What Does It Cost?
http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=9676
Now that most institutions have the basic infrastructure for electronically mediated learning, have the costs associated with online course development dropped? Judith V. Boettcher, an independent consultant specializing in distance learning, examines the resources that are put into learning management systems, the number of hours of instruction, and the effects of technology developments and models of instruction. One thing that is pointed out is that "the most comprehensive resource" available on this topic is The Technology Costing Methodology Handbook, and it is available at http://www.wcet.info/projects/tcm/TCM_Handbook_Final.pdf. This article appeared in the July 1, 2004 issue of Syllabus.

On-Line Course Effectiveness: An Analysis of Student Interaction and Perceptions of Learning
http://cade.athabascau.ca/vol18.1/rovai.pdf
Alfred P. Rovai and Kirk T. Barnum analyzed nineteen online graduate courses at an accredited, non-denominational Christian university in Virginia. The purpose of the study was to ascertain how graduate students perceive learning in a variety of online courses. Courses studied in this particular case used the Blackboard course management system. The authors discuss topics such as interaction and learning, and they outline the methodology used to conduct this study. An analysis of their findings has been published in the Spring 2003 (vol. 18, no. 1, p. 57-73) edition of the Journal of Distance Education.

Online Discussions and Perceived Learning
http://www.alnresearch.org/Data_Files/articles/full_text/wu_Hiltz(2003).pdf
Dezhi Wu and Starr Roxanne Hiltz, College of Computing Sciences at the New Jersey Institute of Technology conducted a study in Spring 2002 to investigate the affect online discussions have on student learning. Both online and face-to-face courses have integrated online discussions into the curriculum but it wasn't clear whether this improved students' perceived learning. Undergraduate and graduate students completed the questionnaire and this article discusses the author's findings.

Online-Ed
http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/reserve/online-ed/mailouts/indexmo.shtml
Online-Ed is an Australian based moderated list that focuses on issues pertaining to online education. This is not a chat list, but guest speakers who are leaders in the field are invited to share their thoughts on particular topics.

Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration (OJDLA)
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/jmain11.html
OJDLA is a free, peer-reviewed publication that is published quarterly on the Web. Its focus is on management issues surrounding distance education programs.

Online-Lab Software Simulates Chemical Interactions -- and Explosions
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/12/2002121001t.htm
Brian F. Woodfield, an assistant professor of chemistry at Brigham Young University, developed a computer software program that simulates chemistry lab experiments. This article from the December 10, 2002 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education describes how the software works, which institutions are using it and the potential options available for distance learning students.

Online Learning: Before You Begin
http://teleeducation.nb.ca/english/article.cfm?sbsec_ID=64&sec_id=9
This TeleEducaton NB site provides links to resources in 14 different categories to help students who are considering enrolling in online courses.

Online Learning Costs More . . . Or Does It?
http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/0200/twigg.html
Some people have come to believe that that online courses do not save money over traditional teaching methods even though this delivery method has been touted as a cost-effective solution. Carol Twigg, executive director of the Center for Academic Transformation, examines what is behind this belief and discusses the actual costs associated with online courses in this March 2000 article from eOTI, the electronic publication of the Internet Society.

Online Learning Needs in Technology Education
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v13n1/flowers.html
More and more institutions are offering distance education courses and programs. Jim Flowers, an associate professor and Director of Online Education for the Department of Industry and Technology at Ball State University (IN), examines some of the needs of online students, especially at the graduate level, that were uncovered using a needs assessment instrument. The results of this survey plus recommendations for educational providers can be found in this Fall 2001 article from the Journal of Technology Education.

Online Teaching and Learning: Faculty Reflections
http://www2002.org/CDROM/poster/179/
Dr. Joan Wines and Julius Bianchi, California Lutheran University, conducted post-project evaluations and interviews to assess faculty perceptions regarding the use of online technology in the classroom. The author's findings can be found in this 2002 poster session.

Orientation Practices for Effective Distributed Learning Coursework: Students Speak Their Minds
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall73/brescia73.html
Over the years, more and more colleges have been migrating their face-to-face courses to an online or hybrid environment. Not all students, especially ones who are expecting a "traditional" course, are happy about this move. This study was conducted to examine the thoughts of graduate students who participated in a course that was conducted almost exclusively online. Student reaction to this course can be found in this Fall 2004 (vol. VII, no. III) article from the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Overcoming Barriers to Distance Training and Education
http://www.emoderators.com/barriers/cho.html
Soomyung Kim Cho, a graduate student in instructional system development at UMBC with a focus on distance education, and Zane L. Berge, Director of Training Systems, Instructional Systems Development Graduate Program at the University of Maryland System, UMBC campus, discuss obstacles that many encounter in the development and implementation of distance learning initiatives. Berge and his colleagues have been studying barriers since 1998, and links to those findings can be found at http://www.emoderators.com/barriers/index.shtml. The current article was originally published in the February 8, 2002 issue of Education at a Distance.

Paradigms for On-Line Learning: A Case Study in the Design and Implementation of an Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) Course
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v1n2/v1n2_bourne.asp
John R. Bourne, Eric McMaster, Jennifer Rieger and J. Olin Campbell, Center for Innovation in Engineering at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) explore various paradigms for online courses and programs. They also examine improvements that have been made to ALN courses and points to consider when developing an ALN course or program. The authors also take a look at the differences and similarities between ALN and traditional courses.

Perceptions of Faculty on the Effects of Distance Learning Technology on Faculty Preparation Time
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/pachnowski64.html
Lynne Pachnowski, and Joseph Jurczyk, both from the University of Akron, wanted to determine the perceptions regarding various factors associated with teaching a distance learning course. The authors surveyed faculty involved in video-conferencing or online distance learning initiatives for a three consecutive semester period to assess the impressions and opinions about facets such as technical support, training, equipment and preparation time. This article published in the September 29, 2003 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration discusses whether or not this teaching environment does in fact get less cumbersome with repetition.

Peterson's: Articles about Distance Learning
http://iiswinprd03.petersons.com/distanceLearning/articles.asp
Peterson's has compiled a list of articles addressing distance learning issues and concerns. Topics include accreditation, study tips for distance learning, red flags to watch out for when choosing a distance learning program, a self-assessments quiz and face-to-face versus online communication.

Pew Research Center for People and the Press
http://people-press.org/

• Pew Internet and American Life Project
  http://www.pewinternet.org/index.asp
  Pew Internet and American Life is a non-profit initiative of the Pew Research Center for People and the Press. The goal of this project is to be an authoritative, unbiased sources for "timely information on the Internet's growth and societal impact". One example of some of the types of research created through this project is the report "The Internet Goes to College: How Students are Living in the Future with Today's Technology" at http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=71.

• Pew Symposia in Learning and Technology
  http://www.center.rpi.edu/PewSym1.html
  The Pew Symposia in Learning and Technology brings together 20 national experts who are leaders in their fields to examine a particular topic and produce a monograph based on those discussions. The issues address surround student learning and ways to develop the most cost effective methods of teaching and learning in order to facilitate the learning process.

  Examples of monograph topics include Improving Learning & Reducing Costs: Redesigning Large-Enrollment Courses and Who Owns Online Courses and Course Materials? Intellectual Property Policies for a New Learning Environment.

Phoenix Rises: The University's Online Program Attracts Students, Profits, and Praise
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i10/10a02901.htm
This November 1, 2002 Chronicle of Higher Education article discusses the rapid growth and popularity of the University of Phoenix. It addresses the "Phoenix philosophy" of being a student-center focused institution rather than the "tenured-faculty centered" design of many traditional college campuses. The article also discusses the institution's use of tried and true technologies rather than experimental emerging technologies, and points out that the University of Phoenix's financial success has increased its visibility and has sparked new interest in the institution's combined business/education model.

Phoenix's Unusual Way of Crafting Courses (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i23/23a01001.htm
What would a fictional instructor named Joe do? That is what the University of Phoenix hypothesizes when they design and develop course curriculums. This approach, which rarely takes more than two days, leaves little to chance, and many in higher education are watching Phoenix closely. Details about this systematic grid and reactions to the method are discussed in this February 14, 2003 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Prepared to Teach Online? Perspectives of Faculty in the University of North Carolina System
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall73/kosak73.html
Do faculty who teach online courses receive enough training and support? In order to gain some perspective on the situation, faculty who had taught online courses within the University of North Carolina system were asked to complete an online survey. This article, published in the Fall 2004 (Vol. VII, No. III) issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration discusses the results of the survey, and the authors address issues and suggestions that were raised by the participating faculty.

Professors Seek Compensation for Online Courses
http://chronicle.com/free/v50/i49/49a02701.htm
Online compensation has become a hot topic on many college campuses. Faculty want to get time off or extra pay for their efforts in developing and teaching online courses. Some administrators disagree and believe that "producing them [online courses] should be part of a faculty member's workload." Victories, losses and additional details about this debate can be found in the August 13, 2004 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Probing for Plagiarism in the Virtual Classroom
http://www.syllabus.com/article.asp?id=7627
Colleges moving into the realm of distance education are making it easier for students to learn any time, any place and anywhere. Are these new virtual classrooms also making it easier for students to cheat? Lindsey S. Hamlin, a graduate research associate and William T. Ryan, a DBA, both at Florida Atlantic University discuss virtual cheating versus tradition misconduct affecting institutions of higher education. The authors also examine ways instructors can detect & deter cheating in their classrooms plus they provide a list of selected anti-plagiarism sites. This article originally appeared in the May 1, 2003 issue of Syllabus.

A Profile of Participation in Distance Education: 1999-2000
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003154.pdf
This 70 page National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report profiles undergraduate, graduate and first-professional students who were enrolled in distance education programs offered at U. S. postsecondary institutions during the 1999-2000 academic year. The findings of this report are based on data from the 1999-2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study conducted by the U. S. Department of Education, and examine areas such as participation in distance education courses, distance education technology used by students and student satisfaction with distance education courses.

Putting the Distance Learning Comparison Study in Perspective: Its Role as Personal Journey Research
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/spring71/meyer71.html
Faculty need evidence to convince them that their efforts may be best served developing and teaching online courses. Students need resources to help them locate courses that fit their needs. If they look beyond the usual grade comparison studies, both groups will find that the research is lacking. Katrina Meyer, an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of North Dakota, examines this issue, and discusses topics such as, (1) the impact of technology on learning, (2) the existence of a good comparison study, and (3) possible explanations for this situation. This article was published in the Spring 2004 issue (Vol. VII, No. 1) of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Research and Evaluation Needs for Distance Education A Delphi Study
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/fall33/rockwell33.html
Kay Rockwell, professor of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL), Jack Furgason, program evaluation assistant at UNL and David B. Marx, professor of Biometry also at UNL had distance educators participate in a Delphi study in order to identify and rank future evaluation needs and issues in this area. Four theme emerged from their findings:

1. Cooperation and collaboration among institutions.
   
2. Designing the educational experience for the distance learner.
   
3. Teacher preparation.
   
4. Educational outcomes.

The authors discuss their data gathering methodology and results in this online report.

The Role of the Marketplace: Flawed Assumptions Contributed to the Failure of Dot-Coms and Virtual Universities
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0320.pdf
Many of the new dot-com companies and online learning institutions in recent years had all the markings of a successful venture: significant financial resources, media attention and support from influential players such as entrepreneurs, governors and university presidents. Even with these key elements in place, it was not enough to keep many of them in business. Katrina A. Meyer, an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the Higher Education Program at the University of North Dakota (Grand Forks), explores three false assumptions that may have contributed to the dom-com bust in this Educause Quarterly article (Volume 23, Number 3, 2003). Meyer also discusses lessons that can be learned from the mistakes made by the dot-coms and briefly examines approaches that may or may not work in the future.

Role of Social Presence Choice of Online or Face-to-Face Group Format, and Satisfaction with Perceived Knowledge Gained in a Distance Learning Environment
http://www.alumni-osu.org/midwest/midwest%20papers/Stein%20&%20Wanstreet--Done.pdf
A number of elements contribute to student satisfaction as it relates to learning and achievement. David S. Stein and Constance E. Wanstreet, Ohio State University, examine three questions in this study: (a) the role of learner choice in selecting whether to collaborate in physical space or cyberspace, (b) efforts to compensate for the psychological gap inherent in distance education, and (c) the ability of learners to perceive and establish social presence in collaborative work. The authors' conclusions and how they can be applied in practice are outlined in this publication that was presented at the 2003 Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education.

Seven Principles of Good Teaching Practice
http://www.agron.iastate.edu/nciss/kingsat2.html
Dr. James W. King at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln outlines seven principles of good teaching practice. They include: (1) student-faculty contact; (2) cooperation among students; (3) active learning; (4) prompt feedback; (5) time on task; (6) high expectations; and (7) respects diverse talents and ways of learning. Dr. King elaborates on these seven points, and offers suggestions applicable to regular classroom and distance education environments.

Six Factors to Consider when Planning Online Distance Learning Programs in Higher Education
http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/spring61/levy61.htm
New technologies have made it possible for students to learn anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Colleges attempting to provide online distance learning (ODL) opportunities are facing challenges that differ from those experienced in the traditional learning environment. Suzanne Levy, Ed.D, Allan Hancock College, has conducted a literature review on the topic of academic online initiatives and outlines six "areas of consideration" when developing ODL programs. This article was published in the Spring 2003 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

The Social Dimension of Asynchronous Learning Networks
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/v2n1/v2n1_wegerif.asp
Studies of Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) often focus on education aspects associated with this type of learning environment. Rupert Wegerif, Centre for Language & Communication at the Open University, believes that social dimensions also need to be examined in order to effectively and accurately evaluate this teaching and learning method. Wegerif reports on a study of the Teaching and Learning Online course offered by the Institute of Educational Technology at Open University that supports his theory.

A Social Network Study of the Growth of Community Among Distance Learners
http://informationr.net/ir/4-1/paper49.html
A report by Caroline Haythornthwaite, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, that details the "preliminary results from a social network study of the experience of community…among a class of 14 distance learners" in the LEEP program at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Other resources by Haythornthwaite related to the topic of computer-supported distributed learners can be found at http://alexia.lis.uiuc.edu/~haythorn/CSDL.html.

Space, Collaboration and the Credible City: Academic Work in the Virtual University
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol1/issue1/acker/ACKTEXT.HTM
Stephen R. Acker, associate professor in communications and research associate at the Center for the Advanced Study of Telecommunications at Ohio State University, discusses issues surrounding research collaboration in physical and electronic spaces. Acker examines the costs associated with these endeavors, the role physical space plays in collaborative efforts and the impact of work accomplished in combined physical & electronic environments.

Standards for Quality Online Courses
http://standards.mivu.org/standards
MVU, the Michigan Virtual University, has posted 4 different categories addressing the following:

1. Technology Standards;
   
2. Usability Standards;
   
3. Accessibility Standards; and
   
4. Instructional Design Standards

Stronger Students Benefit More from Online Course, Texas Study Finds
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/06/2002061001u.htm
Two Texas Tech University professors conducted a study with students who were first given a comprehension test and then enrolled in a freshman-level introduction to psychology course. Ninety-four of the students were placed in a "traditional" classroom setting while 95 took an online version of the same psychology course. William S. Maki, a psychology professor and Ruth H. Maki, chairwoman of the psychology department, conducted their study from 1999-2001 and found that those who did well on the comprehension test also performed well in the online course. More information about their study can be found in this June 10, 2002 article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

A copy of their report "Multimedia Comprehension Skill Predicts Differential Outcomes of Web-Based and Lecture Courses," was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied and is available at http://www.apa.org/journals/xap/press_releases/june_2002/xap8285.pdf.

StudentAffairs On-Line
http://www.studentaffairs.com/ejournal/Fall_2002/
Articles and book reviews dealing with a wide variety of technology in education issues can be found in this online publication sponsored by Student Affairs.com.

Students Crowd e-Classrooms
http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/edu01.html
Many students and corporations are jumping on the online learning bandwagon as a way to take college-level and professional development courses without the time and place restrictions associated with traditional education programs. This Chicago Sun-Times article from May 1, 2000 discusses the past and the future of distance learning initiatives.

Students Have Mixed Views of Technology's Impact on Teaching, Survey Finds (must be subscribed to the Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/08/2004080403n.htm
The Educause Center for Applied Research surveyed a group of about 4374 freshman and seniors to get their opinions about "academic technology." This survey revealed that students find that technological advances make things, like checking grades, more convenient, but those surveyed did not necessarily think technology alone improves overall learning. This article, published in the August 4, 2004 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, discusses the survey's findings and briefly examines the myth that all students love technology.

The Study of Distance Education by Distance Education
http://itdl.org/Journal/Sep_04/article03.htm
Nathan K. Lindsay, a doctoral student at Michigan State University, and Scott L. Howell, Assistant to the Dean, Division of Continuing Education and Adjunct Faculty, Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University examine the training and growth of distance education. The authors take a look at, (a) who the distance education graduate programs are that have emerged to provide academic preparation and leadership in distance education, (b) what some of the characteristics of these programs are, and (c) whether or not the growth in the academic discipline of distance education is keeping pace with growth in the distance education industry. This article appears in the September 2004 issue of the International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning.

Studying and Improving the Use of Technology to Support Collaborative Learning: An Illustration of Flashlight Methods and Tools
http://www.tltgroup.org/resources/F_Illustrative_1.htm
Stephen C. Ehrmann, PhD, explores the concept of studying and improving the use of technology to support and improve collaborative learning through the Flashlight program. This essay also provides an example of the types of surveys that can be created with Flashlight Online.

Superstars Online
http://www.prospect.org/print/V11/22/green-j-3.html
University administrators and professors are clashing over issues that have surfaced as the result of online learning. While some are battling concerns over things like intellectual property, others are concerned about job cuts that are being made by administrators who perceive online education to be a cost-effective replacement. Joshua Green discusses these and other matters surrounding distance education.

A Survey Documents Growth in Distance Education in Late 1990s (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/07/2003072102t.htm
Findings from a survey conducted by the U.S. Education Department indicates that there was a significant period of growth in distance education initiatives in the late 1990s. More colleges offered distance education courses and more students enrolled in these educational alternatives during that time. The survey found that distance education is not acting as a replacement for traditional higher education offerings, but rather as an option for students who would not be able to participate otherwise. This article from the July 21, 2003 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education outlines additional details and conclusions from the center's study. A copy of the report can be accessed at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003017.

Survey Finds College Administrators Optimistic About the Future of Online Education (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2003/09/2003090401t.htm
Babson College, in conjunction with the Sloan consortium, conducted a survey on online education, and their findings were released in a report on Wednesday, September 3, 2003. Responses from representatives of about 1,000 private and public institutions indicate that their online offerings are as good as their traditional courses and may even surpass face-to-face courses in the near future. A discussion on the responses to this survey are presented in this article from the September 4, 2003 edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education.

A copy of the report titled, "Sizing the Opportunity: The Quality and Extent of Online Education in the United States, 2002 and 2003" is available on the Sloan Consortium's Web site at http://www.sloan-c.org/resources/survey.asp.

A Survey of Traditional and Distance Learning Higher Education Members
http://www.nea.org/he/abouthe/dlstudy.pdf
More and more institutions and faculty are offering distance education courses. This study conducted by the National Education Association (NEA) was designed to meet two goals: 1) Provide detailed information about distance education courses and the faculty who teach them; and 2) Explore opinions about distance learning held by faculty teaching distance education courses and by faculty teaching traditional courses. Interviews of 402 distance learning faculty and 130 traditional faculty were conducted from February 11 to March 6, 2000.

Survey of the Virtual Universities: Looking for Trends in Online Services for Faculty
http://oregonone.org/virtualUsurvey.htm
Are online service centers designed to meet the needs of faculty and staff involved in online teaching programs the next step in distance education initiatives? This survey, prepared by Holly Zanville, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Bonnie Morihara, Program Associate for Distance Learning at the Oregon University System, began in 2001, and was funded in part by a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.

Syllabus Magazine
http://www.syllabus.com
Syllabus claims to be the only monthly publication focused on the role of technology in higher education. It began publication in 1988, and its mission is to "inform educators on how technology can be used to support teaching, learning and administrative activities". Complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals in the U. S. who work in colleges, universities, vocational tech schools and other higher education institutions.

Sylvan to Sell Its K-12 Units and Focus Entirely on Higher Education (must be subscribed to The Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/03/2003031204n.htm
Sylvan Learning Systems, a company best known for its tutoring business, announced Tuesday, March 11, 2003 that it is selling off its K-12 units. The purchase of these units by Apollo Management LP will allow Sylvan to capitalize on online education and its network of international universities, the company's two fastest growing business segments. Details about the sale and Sylvan's future plans are outlined in this Chronicle of Higher Education article from March 12, 2003.

Information about the changes at Sylvan is also presented in an article from the March 11, 2003 issue of The Washington Post, and can be found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9433-2003Mar11.html.

The 24-Hour Professor: Online Teaching Redefines Faculty Members' Schedules, Duties, and Relationship
http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i38/38a03101.htm
Have professors who teach online courses signed on to a 24-hour job? Before the Internet, students had to talk to professors during scheduled class times or during office hours. Now, students can be in touch with their professors any time, day or night. This article from the May 31, 2002 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education discusses some of the benefits and the drawbacks professors face in teaching online courses.

Teaching at an Internet Distance Seminar
http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/reports_retreats/tid_toc.asp
In the 1998-1999 academic year, the University of Illinois conducted a year-long faculty seminar as a way to address faculty concerns about implementing technology for teaching. Members representing 16 different colleges from the three University of Illinois campuses (Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana-Champaign) participated in the discussions and focused primarily on pedagogy issues. This site presents the discussions and findings that stemmed from this seminar.

A pdf version of their report can be found at http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/tid/report/tid-final-12-5.pdf.

The Technology Source
http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp
The Technology Source is a bi-monthly, peer reviewed e-journal published by the Michigan Virtual University. Articles included in this publication are focused on issues dealing with the integration of information technology tools into teaching. Archived issues of The Technology Source date back to 1997.

Technology will Reshape Research Universities Dramatically, Science-Academy Report Predicts
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/11/2002110801t.htm
A new report, prepared by a committee of current & former college administrators, leaders of higher education groups, foundation & industry officials for the National Academy of Sciences, predicts that technology will dramatically change the way institutions are "organized, financed and governed". The report entitled, "Preparing for the Revolution: Information Technology and the Future of the Research", also discusses possible reactions to these changes. This article from the November 8, 2002 issues of the Chronicle of Higher Education, highlights some of the key points of this report.

A copy of "Preparing for the Revolution: Information Technology and the Future of the Research" can be found at http://books.nap.edu/books/030908640X/html/index.html.

Ten Effective Research Strategies for Distance Learning
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring71/wright71.html
Thomas C. Wright and Scott L. Howell, Brigham Young University, have worked together to identify ten distance learning research strategies. The goal of this article is to help distance learning administrators stay on top of this rapidly changing field, and the strategies covered include accessing library expertise, distance education Web portals, and listservs/discussion groups. This article was published in the Spring 2004 (Vol. VIII, No. I) issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

T.H.E. Journal
http://www.thejournal.com
T. H. E. Journal is the "longest running, most widely read publication, serving educators for over 30 years" and is focused on technology and information based products and services. Subscriptions to this publication are free to educators in the U. S.

Theory and Practice of Online Learning
http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/
Terry Anderson and Fathi Elloumi, both on the faculty at Athabasca University, have edited this new (February 2004) book that is divided into four different parts. They include: (1) role and function of theory in online education development and delivery; (2) infrastructure and support for content development; (3) design and development of online courses; and (4) delivery, quality control, and student support of online courses. A PDF version of the entire book can be downloaded for free, or a copy can be purchased for $50.

Thirty-Two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/howell63.html
Strategic planning is a recommended course of action for those involved in preparing for future distance education fluctuations and opportunities. Thirty-two trends have been outlined by the authors of this article as items that may affect distance learning and can be used by campus officials to plan accordingly. The trends presented are grouped into categories such as Student/Enrollment Trends, Faculty Trends, Academic Trends, Technology Trends, Economic Trends and Distance Learning Trends. This article was published in the Fall 2003 (vol. VI, no. III) edition of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

A Three-Prong Strategic Approach to Successful Distance Learning Delivery
http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v7n2/v7n2_scarafiotti.asp
Rio Salado College (Tempe, AZ), one of the ten Maricopa Community Colleges, has been recognized as an innovator and a best-practice site for online education initiatives. Carol Scarafiotti, Dean of Instruction at Rio Salado College, discusses the growth of their successful online programs and methods used for continuous improvement. Rio Salado's strategies and conclusions are examined in this article published in the July 2003 issue (vol. 7, no. 2) issue of the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks.

Thwarted Innovation: What Happened to E-learning and Why
http://www.irhe.upenn.edu/Docs/Jun2004/ThwartedInnovation.pdf
The authors, Robert Zemsky and William F. Massy, placed "Weatherstations" on college campuses and in corporate entities to track the changes in e-learning and examine why they occurred. This 76-page document is divided into six chapters that address issues such as the dynamics of innovation, plausible and implausible measurement, the corporate market for e-learning and troubling assumptions. Details about what may be in store for the future are also addressed. This document is final report for the Weatherstation Project, which was a cooperative effort between the Learning Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania and the Thomson Corporation.

Additional information about this report can be found in the July 9, 2004 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. This article can be accessed at http://chronicle.com/cgi2-bin/printable.cgi?article=http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v50/i44/44b00601.htm. (must be subscribed to the Chronicle of Higher Education to access)

Toward an Effective Quality Assurance Model
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter44/yeung44.html
Davey Yeung, a lecturer in Business & Information Technology at the Open University of Hong Kong, discusses some of the key factors and elements that are commonly believed to ensure quality online learning environments. In this article from the Winter 2001 issue of the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, Yeung examines how understanding key factors that contribute to successful distance education programs can assist administrators and educators in developing and implementing quality assurance mechanisms.

Tutorial Learning for the New Century
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~bork/tutorial_learning.pdf
Alfred Bork, professor emeritus in the Department of Information & Computer Science at the University of California at Irvin examines the future of learning as well as current and new paradigms that are affecting distance education for schools, universities and other institutions. This article is the expanded version of a paper that appeared in the millennium issue of EDUCAUSE Review.

Twelve Questions to Answer Before Offering a Web Based Curriculum
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer42/mcalister42.html
Academic institutions face new challenges and issues when they decide to implement online courses. M. Khris McAlister, professor in the Department of Accounting & Information Systems at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Julio C. Rivera, associate professor in the Department of Accounting & Information Systems at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Stephen F. Hallam, Dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Akron, discuss how some of these concerns have been addressed by examining policies established for correspondence courses. They point out, however, that some things that need to be resolved still remain in this Summer 2001 article from the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

Understanding the True Cost of Distance Learning
http://wings.buffalo.edu/publications/mcjrnl/v4n1/watch3.html
Online learning is being touted as a cost-saving alternative to the high cost of higher education. Terrence McCormack, Head of the M. Robert Koren Center for Clinical & Legal Education, Law Library at the State University of New York at Buffalo explores the "true" costs of distance education initiatives, and suggests that institutions need to examine appropriate technologies that fit their needs and acknowledge shortcomings associated with these technologies. This article appeared in the Summer 1996 issue of MC Journal: The Journal of Academic Media Librarianship.

Using Asynchronous Network Courses to Bridge Gaps in the Teeth of a University Curriculum With Imported Gold: Bridgework May Be Optimally Effective Only by Incurring High Labor Expenses
http://www.trinity.edu/~rjensen/255wp.htm
Will distance education programs on the Web replace physical college campuses in the future? Bob Jensen, Department of Business Administration at Trinity University, does not think so, and he discusses ways traditional education programs can continue to thrive and grow in this new environment. Jensen discusses topics such as corporate & university partnerships, types of ALN contracting, concerns about ALN in education and evaluation & assessment of ALN programs.

Virtual Degrees Virtually Tough
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54734,00.html
College-level courses and degree programs offered via the Internet may be convenient and economical, but how do programs through virtual universities translate in the real world? This August 28, 2002 article from Wired discusses how online offerings can be very beneficial to some individuals while not meaning much to others.

A Virtual Explosion: Trends in the Expansion of Distance Education
http://www.aft.org/higher_ed/downloadable/VirtualRevolution.pdf
The 1990s witnessed a dramatic increase in distance education offerings, particularly those offered via the Internet. This American Federation of Teacher's report takes a look at what caused this growth and the major trends that surfaced as a result of the implementation of distance education courses at many institutions. Other areas covered in this report include an analysis of quality issues such as faculty control over the curriculum, class size, and the role of same-time/same-place interchange in undergraduate education. Thomas J. Krieger, Research Director, United University Professors (SUNY)/New York State United Teachers/American Federation of Teachers/American Association of University Professors, is responsible for most of the research and content included in this report.

Virtual Harassment Women and Online Education
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue3_2/fergan
Studies have shown that female teachers are often subject to student harassment in traditional classroom settings. Julia K. Ferganchick-Neufang, a rhetoric and professional writing instructor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, explores the issue of student to teacher harassment, and examines situations that may prove to be problematic for female instructors who teach online courses.

The Virtual Lab Experiment
http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i21/21a03001.htm
Brian F. Woodfield, an assistant professor of chemistry at Brigham Young University has developed a hands-on laboratory simulation called Virtual ChemLab that allows remote students to fulfill part of their degree requirements without coming to campus. A number of other institutions are experimenting with the concept of a online lab component, and this article from the January 31, 2003 Chronicle of Higher Education discusses the Virtual ChemLab and other methods institutions have developed to teach lab courses at a distance.

A Virtual Laboratory Simulates Physics Experiments
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/12/2002121601t.htm
Professors at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro are developing a virtual lab that will allow distance education physics students to conduct physics experiments without going to the lab. The virtual lab, known as Learn Anytime Anywhere Physics (http://www.laaphysics.org/), includes computer simulations of common lab components such as tables, instruments and other students. This article from the December 16, 2002 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education indicates that the lab is still under development, and a trial version should be available in the spring of 2003.

Virtual Teaching in Higher Education
http://www.csun.edu/sociology/virexp.htm
In the Fall of 1996, an experiment involving 33 students enrolled in a Social Statistics course at California State University Northridge was conducted. The 33 students were randomly divided into two groups: one group was taught the course in a traditional classroom setting, while the other section took the equivalent course via the Web. Jerald G. Schutte at California State University Northridge discusses the results of this experiment and the findings that were contrary to their original hypotheses.

The Virtual University Gazette
http://www.geteducated.com/vugaz.htm
The Virtual University Gazette is a free, monthly online publication produced by geteducated.com (http://www.geteducated.com/). Its focus is on issues dealing with the Internet and its role in higher education. The popular geteducated.com publication "Best Distance Learning Graduate Schools" is also accessible from this site.

Web-Based Evaluations Let Instructors Poll Their Students Anonymously
http://chronicle.com/free/2002/01/2002010901t.htm
Bruce Ravelli, instructor of sociology at Mount Royal College (VA) along with designer Zvjezdan Patz developed the Free Assessment Summary Tool or FAST. Ravelli found in his own experiences that the scantron evaluations given to students at the end of the semester did not help him assess students' thoughts and opinions about his courses. FAST allows faculty to ask up to 20 open-ended questions with immediate results from students presented in a spreadsheet format.

Additional information about this assessment tool can be found at the FAST Web site at http://www.getfast.ca/.

The Web's Impact on Student Learning
http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A4401.cfm
What is the effect of technology on education? Katrina A. Meyer, Ph.D., University of North Dakota, set out to determine the impact of the Web on student learning and examined the current research and studies completed on college students. Meyer outlines three areas of the studies she reviewed, and they include:

1. The role of the individual;
2. Instructional design; and
3. 3) Specific skills that are enhanced by online environments.
   

These points plus other issues concerning new technologies as they are used in teaching and learning are discussed in this article from the May 2003 issue of T.H.E. Journal.

Western Governors U. Finally Wins Regional Accreditation
http://chronicle.com/free/2003/02/2003022601t.htm
On Tuesday, February, 25, 2003, Western Governors University received accreditation at the associate, baccalaureate and master's degree levels from four regional accreditation bodies that formed to evaluate the program. University officials believe that this is an important step for the program, and this article from the February 26, 2003 issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education discusses what accreditation means to Western Governors University and to online education.

Other sources on the WGU accreditation include the following:

• Western Governors U. Gains an Accreditation (Salt Lake Tribune)
  http://www.sltrib.com/2003/feb/02272003/utah/33300.asp
• WGU press release
  http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/about/accreditation.html
  

WGU Update:

Online U Programs Under Fire
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/jun/06072003/utah/utah.asp

What Colleges and Universities Need to Know about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/cem9913.html
Many aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) contain information of interest to higher education administrators and faculty. Casey Linde, a policy analyst for EDUCAUSE and based in their Washington, D. C. office, focuses on two points of note in this 1999 article published in CAUSE/EFFECT. The first point deals with limitations on infringement liability for "service providers", and the other one relates to the prohibition on circumvention of technological protection measures (TPMs).

What is Needed for Effective Learning on the Internet?
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~bork/effectivelearning.pdf
Alfred Bork, professor emeritus in Information & Computer Science department at the University of California at Irvine, discusses some of the problems associated with Internet-based programs in this article from the 2001 issue of Educational Technology & Society. Bork outlines 7 flaws associated with online distance learning, examines them from a learner's perspective, and addresses reasons for their existence.

When Good Technology Means Bad Teaching (must be subscribed to the Chronicle of Higher Education to access)
http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v51/i12/12a03101.htm
Technology has been integrated into a number of courses in the hopes of revamping the traditional face-to-face educational experience. But, not all the changes have been warmly received, and a number of students have stated that their campuses are riddled with technology abuse. Opinions about the use of technology in the classroom and how these advances can and have been abused are discussed in this November 12, 2004 article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Why People Can't Use eLearning http://infocentre.frontend.com/downloads/Why_people_can't_use_eLearning.pdf
E-learning providers will lose billions in lost revenues due to inaccessible interface design. Frontend, a provider of innovative, user-friendly interface solutions that are user-focused, prepared this May 2001 article to provide the following:

• Practical examples of usability problems with some eLearning products
  
• A discussion of important usability considerations for eLearning
  
• Guidelines on avoiding these problems
  
• Useful resources on usability and accessibility

Wired World, Virtual Campus: Universities and the Political Economy of Cyberspace
http://www.sfu.ca/~delany/wkndays.htm
Peter Childers and Paul Delany discuss two major forms of cyberspace that include corporate cyberspace and one associated with ARPAnet and its original Pentagon design to be a type of computer-mediated warfare. The authors also discuss the future of a wired university as well as the future role of cyberspace in the business world.

The World Wide Web: A Technology to Enhance Teaching and Learning
http://www.edu.yorku.ca/~rowston/article.html
New and emerging technologies, like the Web, are causing educators from K-12 to higher education to rethink teaching and learning. Ronald D. Owston, Professor of Education and Director of the Institute for Research in Learning Technologies at York University (Toronto, Canada) explores this issue, and attempts to answer the following questions about the integration of technology into the classroom:

• Does it make learning more accessible?
  
• Does it promote improved learning?
  
• Does it accomplish the above while containing, if not reducing, the per unit costs of education?
  

Additional articles by Dr. Owston can be found at http://www.edu.yorku.ca/~rowston/.

The World Wide Web: Its Uses as a Teaching Tool
http://info.ox.ac.uk/jtap/reports/teaching/chapter4.html
Stewart D. Lee, Susan Armitage, Paul Groves and Chris Stephens produced this document that is merely one section of a seven part report commissioned by the JISC Technology Application Programme. In this section on using the Web as a teaching tool, the authors discuss reasons for using the Web, resource-based learning concepts, tips for navigating the Web and ideas & suggestions for creating Web pages.

Links to the other 6 sections of the report, including information on computer-mediated communication, MUDS, MOOs, WOOs & IRCs plus instructional management systems can be found at http://info.ox.ac.uk/jtap/reports/teaching/index.html.

Back to Top of Page

Back to Distance Education Resources