Distance Education Resources

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This collection of distance education and mediated instruction development resources is intended for Indiana higher education staff, faculty, and administrators and others with professional interests in distance learning. Information here is regularly updated, most recently on October 5, 2000. IHETS staff welcomes comments and suggestions. Write webmaster@ihets.org.

Table of Contents (click any title to go to that section)

 

General Distance Education Resources
  • The Distance Education Clearinghouse
    "This web site brings together distance education information and resources from Wisconsin, national and international sources. New information and resources are being added ... on a continuing basis," report its organizers at the University of Wisconsin-Extension.

  • Distance Education Network
    European Association for International Education. Distance ed with a European flavor: the network collects resources in assessment, teacher training, copyright, interactivity, and seven other categories.

  • ADEC
    The Web site of the American Distance Education Consortium, state universities and land grant institutions providing distance education programs and services via technology. Lots of information on Internet and electronic trends, satellite delivery, accessibility, and standards and plans.

  • Distance Education Resources
    On the site of the Instructional Technology Council, this page features links to individual other sites of interest and also links to groupings of informaiton on topics like " Legislative and Grant Resources," "Reports and Abstracts," and " Online Courses."

  • Distance Education at a Glance: a Series of Guides
    From Engineering Outreach at the University of Idaho, a series of 14 quick guides to distance education terminology, technology, and practice.

  • Distance Learning on the Net
    Glenn Hoyle's site is "a selected and annotated bibliography with links ... to further distance learning and education resources on the Net." Hoyle chooses resources on the basis of their overall quality and reputation.

  • Distance Education Resources for Faculty and Developers
    This extensive collection (in Canada), organized into categories like "Instructional Design" and "Project Feasibility," accepts your additions.

  • The Distance Learning Resource Network (DLRN)
    This site, covering K12 as well as lifelong learning resources for distance education, also disseminates information about the Star Schools Program of the U. S. Department of Education.

  • Distance Learning Guidebook by Indiana Experts Distance Learning: A Guide to System Planning and Implementation, by Michael Yoakam (formerly with Indiana University), Nancy Franklin (Director of Distance Education at Indiana State University), and Ron Warren, is now in its third edition. Visit the book's Web site to read the Preface and first chapter, "Introduction to Distance Learning," with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

  • Resources for Distance Education
    This extensive collection of links maintained by Charles Darling, a professor at Capital Community-Technical College in Hartford, Connecticut includes sections on intellectual property concerns, providers' lists, and sets of links to online journals and print publications.

  • Distance Education: School of Education, University of Colorado at Denver
    Goodly collection of links in four categories: Literature and Research, Resources, Distance Ed Providers, Related Topics.

  • Distance Education Courses Offered by Higher Education Institutions
    A survey released in October 1997 by the National Center for Education Statistics offering "the first nationally representative data about distance education course offerings in higher education institutions." Also, more this to the next-to-last position in the group "General Distance Education Resources."
 

Virtual Universities

  • Indiana College Network
    Indiana's virtual university, in operation since 1994.

  • To Be or Not To Be ... A Virtual University
    Essay by IHETS' Executive Director Dave King about Indiana's place in the world of virtual universities.

  • Examples of State "Virtual Universities" for Electronic Learning
    More than a dozen states currently have virtual universities either operating or in development. This chart, prepared by IHETS staff in mid-2000, lists some of the projects with links to their sites, summarizes the baseline services provided, gives an idea of the approximate annual budget where that information is available, and in some cases adds other relevant information.

  • Statewide Virtual Universities
    On the site of the Instructional Telecommunications Council. This page starts with a link to an extensive list of statewide virtual networks, at least some of which qualify as "virtual universities." Scroll on down the page for the Johnstone Taxonomy of Virtual Learning Consortia, a classification system devised by Sally Johnstone of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications.

  • Virtual Universities Gazette
    This free online publication by "Geteducated.com" offers the chance to sign up for the monthly email publication, as well as a complete archive of back issues.

  • Archive of Recent Articles from The Technology Source on Virtual Universities
    Articles on virtual university developments from a peer-reviewed online journal. As of November 2000, this archive featured eight perspectives on the subject, published from March 1999 through August 2000.

 

Teaching With Technology

  • The Faculty Connection
    This website (here in Indiana) is designed to assist faculty of post-secondary institutions to become familiar with issues, examples and discussion topics associated with using emerging technologies in teaching and learning.

  • Teaching with Technology
    From the University of Oregon, this site includes some material that is specific to UO - but also has a wealth of useful ideas on topics such as enriching discussions with technology, improving lectures, and online assessment.

  • Online University Teaching Centers
    From the University of Kansas. An extensive and well-organized collection of links to centers worldwide (at left of screen; scrollable and clickable). The listing for the US is organized by states.

  • Resources for Teaching and Learning with Technology
    Resources on "research related to teaching and learning that is either applicable to teaching with technology or specific to effective teaching with technology." Compiled in 1998 by faculty, for faculty at the University of North Carolina. Part bibliography, part "Webliography." Annotated. Divided into six sections: Guidelines and Strategies, Examples and Case Studies, Commentaries and Editorials, Bibliographies and Metalists, Journals, and Research Centers and Universities. High quality.
 

Resources Maintained on the IHETS Web Site

  • Guiding Principles for Faculty in Distance Learning
    A set of guidelines which define good practice in distance learning from the faculty perspective of teaching and learning. Intended to give faculty a clear benchmark for designing, developing, delivering, and assessing distance learning courses and/or programs, these guidelines were drafted by an inter-institutional group at the request of the Working Group of the Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education and approved by the Working Group in the summer of 2000.

  • Indiana College Network
    This site, which provides information about the distance education courses and programs of many Indiana colleges and universities with a focus on learners' needs, features searchable databases of courses and of satellite reception sites.

  • Online Conflict Management among Adult Learners
    A no-nonsense, practical summary of methods for stimulating collaborative teamwork, this article appeared in January 2000 in the ITC News. It is reproduced on the IHETS site with their permission.

  • IP Videoconferencing Tutorials
    These tutorials are provided by IHETS to help you become familiar with IP videoconferencing on the Indiana Telecommunications Network (ITN).
  • Beginnings: Initial Experiences in Teaching Via Distance Education
    This collection of sixteen papers (1997) by faculty at Indiana institutions, intended to provide support and advice to those who may be preparing to teach distance education courses or to teach via a method they have not previously used, is also of interest to those planning, marketing, or administering distance education programs. The papers were solicited and peer-reviewed by the Faculty Development Committee of the Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education (IPSE).

  • Enhancements: How Using Technology Changes What Faculty Do
    The 24 articles published here (1998) collectively constitute an answer to the question based on the experiences and work of Indiana higher education faculty. Papers were solicited and peer-reviewed by the Faculty Development Committee of the Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education (IPSE).

  • Faculty Development Handbook
    This handbook (1995) contains useful material for distance education instructors on research in distance education, instructional development, copyright and intellectual property, and people in Indiana involved with distance education.
 

Teaching or Instructional Development Centers at Indiana Institutions
Ball State University
Indiana State University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Purdue University

University of Southern Indiana

 

Specific Technologies: the World Wide Web: Collections
  • Merlot
    This "collection of high quality interactive online learning materials, assignments, reviews, and people" is a place to search for modules, simulations, and other learning objects by discipline. Indiana is participating in the project.
  • World Lecture Hall from the University of Texas, Austin
    Links to Web-based class materials and pages created by faculty worldwide, grouped by discipline, with instructions for adding your materials to the collection.      

Specific Technologies: the World Wide Web: Internet Course Management Applications

  • Blackboard
    A course platform once known as "Blackboard CourseInfo" is now integrated into an all-in-one portal product (including online student services as well as the course design and management functions). The product, its creators say, is now in use at thousands of universities.

  • Web CT
    A widely used application that "facilitates the creation of sophisticated World Wide Web-based educational environments." Originally created at the University of British Colulmbia, it is now a commercial product.

  • Ecollege
    This "dot-com," like Blackboard, offers software at various levels - one product that allows integration into the overall campus environment, another that can be adopted for management of individual courses.

  • Convene Convene's learning platform, ac@deme, incorporates faculty/instructor training and emphasizes collaborative learning.

  • First Class from Centrinity
    Developed as a communications environment, this application is centered around its messaging and conferencing capabilities.

  • LearningSpace
    A course management system based on Lotus Notes.

  • Top Class from WBT Systems.
    This software for web-based instruction caters to a corporate market and is described by its creator as a "learning management system," but has had some history of use in Indiana institutions.

  • OnCourse from Indiana University Indiana University's locally developed course management system. It provides links into IU's student information system.
  • OSC WebEd The heart of this site's offerings is extensive comparative information on a very large group of online course tools and course management applications. An initiatve of the Ohio Supercomputer Center.

  • A Comparative Analysis Comparisons and reviews of dozens of online educational delivery applications.
    The site lets you select any two applications to compare side by side - Blackboard and Web CT, for instance. From Canada's Centre for Curriculum Transfer and Technology.

  • Course Server Software For Online Teaching
    A compilation and comparative analysis with links to and brief descriptions of a group of tools including Blackboard, LearningSpace, ToolBook II, TopClass, WebCT, and many others, including a few Australian products (not surprisingly, since the page is from Australia's Murdoch University).
 

Specific Technologies: Video conferencing
  • Distance Learning Faculty Guide from Emporia State University, New York
    This article explores the situation of faculty using distance education for the first time and includes pointers both for instructor preparation and student preparation. References included.

  • Videoconferencing for Learning from Pacific Bell
    This site provides basic information about videoconferencing technology and instructional applications as well as resources to help educators connect with others interested in videoconferencing as a means to teach and learn.

  • Tips for Videoconferencing from the University of California, Santa Barbara
    A checklist of tips for making a videoconference a success.

  • Faculty Training Manual from Georgia Southern University
    A three-part set of handbook materials from a workshop for faculty teaching via interactive video. While Part I is specific to this technology; Part II, "Policy and Logistical Management Issues," and Part III, "Effective Distance Learning Instructional Strategies," apply across technologies.

  • IP Videoconferencing Tutorials
    These tutorials are provided by IHETS to help you become familiar with IP videoconferencing on the Indiana Telecommunications Network (ITN).

 

 

Online Publications

  • Learners Online, Inc.
    Targeting K12 educators, the Web site of this publication offers weekly online lessons in a variety of subject areas with the appropriate grade levels indicated and an archive of past lessons, as well as a sample online issue of the publication itself (available by paid subscription or for schools to license for their teachers).

  • Syllabus Magazine
    Syllabus specializes in "useful information on technology used to enhance education." Their archives include highlights from several issues devoted to distance learning, with full texts of articles by leading practitioners in the field and product buying guides.

  • The Technology Source, James L. Morrison, Ed.
    This peer-reviewed bimonthly periodical has the mission of providing "thoughtful, illuminating articles that will assist educators as they face the challenge of integrating information technology tools into teaching and into managing educational organizations." It is housed at the University of California; corporate partners SCT, Compaq, and SmartForce sponsor the site.

  • The National Teaching and Learning Forum
    A print-and-electronic publication on teaching. The online editions excerpt a feature article each month; the standards of the prose and of the online presentation are both high.