One definition of distance learning is that it provides educational access to students who are separated from faculty by time and geographic location. It may mean simply that pre-packaged text, audio, and/or video is delivered to a student who has little or no interaction with other students or the teacher. However, distance learning is increasingly more interactive and creative thanks to new-and-improved technologies. There are many paradigms of interactive distance education, some based on synchronous communication, some on asynchronous communication, or a combination of both. Examples range from the use of e-mail and mailing lists, live videoconferencing via compressed video, computer resources (via disk or CD), or to the concept of the "virtual classroom," with much of the learning environment happening on the World Wide Web. One thing is certain: interactive distance education will change the nature of classrooms, our campuses, and our attitudes towards traditional models of learning and teaching.
Two Excellent Resources to Start With (top)
Distance Education
Clearinghouse
At the University of Wisconsin - Extension. An excellent resource for everything
that has to do with distance education.
[Re]Envisioning
the Classroom in the Digital Age
To help scholars more easily and efficiently integrate
information technologies into the classroom, Matrix has created "[Re]Envisioning
the Classroom in the Digital Age." This site is dedicated to exploring
the best practices in humanities computing pedagogy. Matrix believes in the
use of technology to enhance the pedagogy and classroom practices already succeeding
in education such as the focus on Student Centered Classrooms, Point of Need
Education, and Active Learning Strategies.
K-12 Distance Education Resources (top)
Classroom Connect (Wentworth
Worldwide Media)
Lots of online education resources, mainly for K12.
NASA K12 Internet Initiative
Homepage
Home of NASA's K12 Internet Initiative. Provides grants and support for teachers
and students using the Internet, as well as opportunities to meet and interact
with NASA scientists.
Higher Education / University Education (top)
Internet2 (I2) is a collaborative effort to develop advanced Internet technology and applications vital to the research and education missions of higher education. Over 150 U.S. universities, working together with partners in industry and government, are leading the Internet2 project. Internet2 is working to enable applications, such as telemedicine, digital libraries and virtual laboratories that are not possible with the technology underlying today's Internet.
Cisco's
white paper "Networked Multimedia Overview"
This paper discusses the structure of the industry that is delivering multimedia,
the requirements that multimedia places on a network, and Cisco's products that
will enable multimedia both today and in the future. From 1995, but still quite
informative for those interested in network requirements and related concerns.
Distance Education
resources via the University of Alberta
University of Alberta: Faculty of Extension guide to Distance Education resources
on the Internet. Most resources are oriented toward the post-secondary level.
The Open University of the United Kingdom
Home Page
Britain's Open University is one of the first truly open institutions of higher
learning and has become a model for similar institutions throughout the world.
The OU is widely known for the high quality of its teaching materials, publications,
and its innovative use of television in collaboration with the BBC.
Teaching and Publishing in the World Wide Web
Classic discussion about using the Web for teaching and learning by Harry
M. Kriz.
Journal of Library Services
for Distance Education
Dealing with provision of library support to students enrolled in postsecondary
distance education programs.
Distance Education
at a Glance
Comprehensive overview of various topics of concern in distance education. Topics
include: An Overview, Strategies for Teaching at a Distance, Instructional
Development for DE, Evaluation for Distance Educators, Instructional Television,
Computers and Distance Education.
MSU Virtual University
Distance Learning Tools - To Help Instructors Build Online Classes & Resources (top)
WebCT is a tool that facilitates the creation of multiple, sophisticated World Wide Web-based educational environments by non-technical users on the same server. Can be used to create entire online courses, or simply to publish materials that supplement existing courses. WebCT uses Web browsers as the interface for the course building environment. Aside from facilitating the organization of course material on the Web, WebCT also provides a wide variety of tools and features that can be added to a course. Examples of these tools include a conferencing system, on-line chat, student progress tracking, group projects or group organization, student self-evaluation, grade maintenance and distribution, access control, navigation tools, auto marked quizzes, electronic mail, automatic index generation, course calendar, student homepages, course content searches and more. A leader in the market, costs are per server and dependent on number of student users. The interface can be customized by individual course designers, and includes so many options and tools that first-time users might very well be intimidated.
Blackboard.com is a free service, hosted on Blackboard.com's server, that enables instructors to add an online component to their classes, or host an entire course on the Web without knowing any HTML. Features include: Asynchronous Communication (threaded discussions), Synchronous Communication (real-time chat and whiteboard), Assessment Tools and Gradebook, Collaborative Work Groups, Content Creation (e.g. syllabus and course description pages), Database Reporting and CourseSite Statistics, Messaging System, Online File Exchange (between instructor and student), Online Tutorial, and User Tracking. Blackboard performs all backup and restore functions, software upgrades and maintenance on their secure servers. The interface is frame-based and easily navigable, though relatively graphics heavy, which makes it pretty but somewhat slow over modem connections.
Authorware 5 Attain from Macromedia is being touted by many distance learning software evaluators as the superior tool for instructional content development. The company explains that the benefits of this software are that "authors of any skill level can quickly develop media-rich interactive learning applications with the Authorware flowline and icons. Drag icons to the flowline to create the outline of your application and then use menus to add content and interactivity." The supposed advantage over other programs appears to be ability to integrate movies and sound. However, the same evaluators who call it the best software also say the learning curve for Authorware is steep. The price also seems relatively high, so this software is for those with more web authoring experience.
Convene is an online education service geared toward colleges and universities that want to get into distance education or expand their existing programs. Convene says it will do any or all of the following, depending on which solution works best for you: Train your faculty and students, teach you to adapt the curriculum, furnish the technology and materials, provide the host server and network administration, provide toll-free technical support for students and instructors, customize the program to fit your needs, and offer marketing consultation to help you succeed. Options include: Online course registration, interactive online testing, audio and video conferencing, whiteboard technology, streaming audio and video, student lounge, real-time chat, and more. The company is cagey about prices, volunteering nothing more on its website than that it is per-student fee, the size of which depends on the features and components you choose to include in your program.
Serf is a Web-based distance education environment developed at the University of Delaware. Serf makes it possible to create and deliver courses in a self-paced multimedia learning environment that enables students to navigate a syllabus, access instructional resources, communicate, and submit assignments over the Web. The institution that installs the Serf software will need to provide its own server, SQL database, and a Serf system administrator.
Instructional Systems Inc. offers about 30 courses available for licensing in subjects ranging from economics through history and computer science. Interested schools pay a fee for the use of ISI courseware, and must provide instructors themselves.
Web Based Learning Resources Library is a very large soft/courseware-focused resource for educators for delivery and management of courses via the Internet. Contains the following subsections on developing new Web-based courses: Asynchronous Web Based Software Suites, synchronous (real-time) Web Based Training solutions, H.323 MCU-based synchronous products, Personal Collaborative Environments, Web Based Education Development Tools, Course Development How Tos, Return on Investment and Cost Comparison Tools, Industry Standards for Web-based Learning, Technical Support for Distance Education, Service Providers and Consultants in Web-based learning, Glossary of Distance Education Terms.
TeleCampus is a virtual teaching and learning environment, in both English and French, providing resources for course developers, educators and learners. The Faculty & Developers area contains templates, course development guidelines and other tools as well as links to useful sites in the Distance Education Resources section. Be sure to have a look at Learning on the Web, an award-winning guide to becoming an online educator.
The World Lecture Hall (WLH) contains links to pages created by faculty worldwide who are using the Web to deliver class materials. If you want to see how others have done it, this is the place to go.
Guides, Newsletters, Discussion Forums (top)
SyllabusWeb focuses on the role of technology in education. Published ten times a year, each issue concentrates on a different area of educational technology. Includes Weekly Updates, Conference Calls, Product Guide, and an archive of previous articles.
DESIEN (Distance Education Systemwide Interactive Electronic Newsletter) is an interactive newsletter which is delivered the last business day of each month via an e-mail discussion list. Each issue offers original articles which emphasize distance education themes or focus items. News, updates, conference information, and contributions by subscribers are also regularly included. Old issues are online and searchable. Published by the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. See the Publications and Research page for articles and reports such as "Factors that Affect the Effective Use of Technology for Teaching and Learning," "Distance Education in Higher Education Institutions," and "Technology @ Your Fingertips: a guide to implementing technology solutions for education agencies and institutions ."
The Wellspring is a collaborative project from Instructional Systems Inc. and members of the Teachers College, Columbia University community. It is devoted to the needs of Distance Educators using the World Wide Web to deliver post-secondary courses to their students. Primary focus is on Web-based asynchronous courses, and the site features discussion forums, workshops, conference announcements, and reading rooms with papers that cover a wide range of distance learning topics.
Asynchronous Learning Networks. Check out in particular the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks and the ALN Magazine for articles and reviews related to distance learning. ALN also features workshops, online discussions, and a product catalog with its own discussion forum.
The Adult Education & Distance Learner’s Resource Center, geteducated.com, is a project of Lifelong Learning, an adult education and distance learning consulting firm. Lifelong Learning is also the publisher of the Virtual University Gazette, a free monthly e-mail newsletter for distance learning professionals working at the university and professional continuing education levels. The site includes articles and guides to distance learning.
Network Technology (top)
Next Generation Internet Initiative - Government, industry, and academia are currently collaborating on initiatives that, in the course of the next 2-4 years, will shape the Next Generation Internet (NGI) and dramatically transform Internet use. At the heart of this transformation will be a new broadband network for the integrated delivery of voice, video, and data. The Next Generation Internet initiative is a multi-agency Federal research and development program. The NGI initiative fosters research, development, and experimentation in the next generation of networking technologies. One of the most important aspects of the NGI will be the new functionality of end-to-end multimedia applications such as real-time interactive video. The NGI will allow for the integrated delivery of video, audio, and data--all on the same network infrastructure.
Accreditation (top)
The Distance Education and Training Council (formerly the National Home Study Council) is a non-profit educational association located in Washington, D.C. DETC serves as a clearinghouse of information about the distance study/correspondence field and sponsors a nationally recognized accrediting agency called the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. The DETC has approval from the U.S. Department of Education as the "nationally recognized accrediting agency" under the terms of Public Law. The Accrediting Commission is also recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Online Articles (top)
The Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication
Publishes original essays and research reports on interpersonal and group processes
in communication networks, including organizational, social and cultural levels
of analysis. A joint venture of the Annenberg School for Communication at USC
and the School of Business Administration, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
"How to Go From Class-Room to Web-Room as Painlessly as Possible," by Rik Hall, University of New Brunswick, 1998. A listing and brief description of steps you need to take in order to get ready to provide instruction on the web.
Bibliography of Distanced Learning Books (top)
Berge, Zane, and Mauri Collins. Computer Mediated Communication and the Online Classroom : Distance Learning. Hampton Press, 1995.
Brooks, David W. Web-Teaching : A Guide to Designing Interactive Teaching for the World Wide Web. Plenum Pub. Corp., 1997.
Chute, Alan G., Melody Thompson, and Burton Hancock. The McGraw-Hill Handbook of Distance Learning. McGraw-Hill, 1998.
Cyrs, Thomas E., ed. Teaching and Learning at a Distance : What It Takes to Effectively Design, Deliver, and Evaluate Programs. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1997.
Freeman, Howard, et al. The Virtual University : The Internet and Resource Based Learning. Kogan Page Ltd., 1999.
Haughey, Margaret, and Terry Anderson. Networked Learning: The Pedagogy of the Internet. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1998.
Inglis, Alistair, Peter Ling, and Vera Joosten. Delivering Digitally : Managing the Transition to the Knowledge Media . Kogan Page Ltd., 1999.
Mantyla, Karen J., and Richard Gividen. Distance Learning : A Step-By-Step Guide for Trainers. Amer. Society Training & Dev., 1997.
McCormack, Colin, and David Jones. Building a Web-Based Education System. John Wiley & Sons, 1997.
Khan, Badrul Huda, ed. Web-Based Instruction. Educational Technology Publications, 1997.
Palloff, Rena M., and Keith Pratt. Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace : Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999.
Peters, Otto. Learning and Teaching in Distance Education : Analyses and Interpretations from an International Perspective. Kogan Page Ltd., 1999.
Porter, Lynnette R. Creating the Virtual Classroom : Distance Learning With the Internet. John Wiley & Sons, 1997.