Following a review of the online delivery of distance education programs within the School of Information Studies (SIS) program at Charles Sturt University, a team of academics worked with an external consultant to design a purpose built SIS Learning Centre in Second Life (SL), a 3D virtual world environment in which people (via their avatars) may…

The Association Supporting Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) is a group of people interested in small college computing issues. It is a blend of people from all over the country who use computers in their teaching, academic support, and administrative support functions. ASCUE has a strong tradition of bringing its members together to pool their…

The South Carolina T3 (Troops-to-Teachers) Coalition Alternative Route to Teacher Certification (ARC) Coalition postbaccalaureate program is designed to provide requisite training and credentialing for retiring military personnel to become teachers, in the schools most in need. This program offers an opportunity to prepare for a teaching career…

Undergraduate education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been transformed by the campus-wide use of interactive learning and studio teaching. Rensselaer's 80/20 Model for interactive distance learning is a natural extension of its on-campus educational environment and will form the foundation for the future development of professional and…

In determining the scope of online delivery of programs currently being developed within the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne (Australia), a number of factors have been involved. Until recently, the traditional research focus at the University of Melbourne translated into little or scattered interest in developing programs for…

Educators who are responsible for the creation, management, and administration of educational programs are central to the planning process. Research suggests that program planning is not driven by theoretical constructs, but rather by the personal experiences and beliefs of individual planners. This study explores how individuals who plan online…

Discusses the author's experiences at the Learning and Teaching Online (LTOL) international conference (2001) held in Guangzhou (China). Explains the benefits of a low-cost, small-scale collaborative project between Utah State University and South China Normal University that can be conducted via email. (AEF)

Recognizing that adjunct faculty in a distance education program may not have convenient access to campus-based training activities, a self-paced 12-week training program was developed by Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). According to staffing by headcount, 63% of all faculty during Winter Term 1997 were part-time employees…

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how an evaluation framework was developed and implemented in order to support goals of an e-learning university. The paper discusses the aim of assessment to support institution-wide e-learning goals, the benefits and challenges of this approach to assessing the development of content for e-learning, a…

This paper describes the process of establishing an Internet-based online graduate degree program for teachers. At Webster University (Missouri), this program was the first online degree to be offered by the institution. The paper reviews Webster University's experiences and outlines a planning process that includes defining the rationale (risks)…

To expand online learning opportunities for K-12 students and educators, the Colorado Department of Education established a task force that evaluated programs in 16 other states. Four principles were identified as necessary to promoting equity, rewarding individual achievement, assuring quality and consistency, and adapting to diverse needs:…

Examines experiences of Park College (Missouri) (Park University as of January 1, 2000) in developing an online distance learning program that serves more than 1,700 students per term worldwide. Discusses the pilot course; first terms online; motivations and preconditions necessary for success; profit/nonprofit perspective; leadership; types of…

Community colleges should consider the advantages of providing Internet access to students, faculty, and non-teaching staff. Connecting more than 30 million users around the world, the Internet is a network of computer networks which allows people to send messages and retrieve files from users around the world. The World Wide Web, accessed via the…

This book offers suggestions for developing well-planned and effective computer-mediated distance learning. Part 1 lays the foundation for a distance education framework. Chapter 1 explores issues involved in teaching and learning when learning moves into the online environment. Chapter 2 looks at the essence of the framework--the importance of…

Discusses barriers to threaded-topic discussions in online teaching. Suggests a better way to enhance communication and promote collaborative learning: a jointly prepared, "shared document" format. Describes the development and use of Forum MATRIX, a software program designed to maximize the potential of the shared document format. (AEF)