Three separate baseline decisions are recommended when designing an undergraduate course prior to considering any course content. The "Three S" course design decisions include determining (1) the "setting" (on-campus, online or hybrid), (2) the learning "style" (passive or active), and (3) the learning…

Discussion of quality in higher education focuses on quality assurance of Web-based learning in distance education, based on experiences at the Open University of Hong Kong. Highlights include problems with distance education; a literature review; traditional learning versus Web-based learning; and the changing role of faculty. (Contains 63…

Describes a pilot study that compared three course formats in an undergraduate course: traditional format, Web-based section, and a hybrid that mixed traditional and Web-based methods. Discusses student performance, student satisfaction, instructor experiences; and implications and recommendations for Web-based courses. (LRW)

This study examined pretest and posttest scores, homework grades, research paper grades, final exam scores, final course grades, learning styles, and ages of distance education and traditional students enrolled in a business communications class to determine if distance education is better, worse, or as good as traditional education. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the growing use of distance education focuses on a study that compared the learning styles of community college students who enrolled in an off-campus online course via the Internet and those who were taking the same course on-campus. Examines demographic characteristics, employment and occupational status, and educational…

Changing your Learning Management System (LMS) presents challenges not only to instructional faculty, but also to the students who depend on these systems to completely deliver or support their courses. In assessing the transition for students experiencing an upgrade in the campus LMS, a number of findings have real implications for developing a…

This introductory-level presentation demonstrates how to evaluate the materials and teaching in online courses. Topics covered include similarities with evaluation of on-ground teaching, factors unique to online courses, technological considerations, helping administrators unfamiliar with online courses, and national standards, rubrics, and…