September 2009
10 Things I've Learned About Teaching Online
eLearn Magazine
An online instructor draws on five years of experience to share lessons learned with other online instructors who are just starting out.
Student Perceptions of the Use of Instructor-Made Videos in Online and Face-to-Face Classes
MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Discusses results of a study examining students’ perceptions of instructor-made videos used to explain course assignments, syllabus requirements, weekly discussion topics, and exam reviews.
Supporting Online Faculty - Revisiting the Seven Principles (A Few Years Later)
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Drawing on Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles of Good Practice, this article visits the need for effective faculty support and development in online education. Also see in this issue
The Professional Adjunct: An Emerging Trend in Online Instruction.
Special Issue on Distance Learning in Africa
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Nine papers focusing on case studies and research reports provide a snapshot of distance education practices, trends, and issues in Africa.
August 2009
Knowledge Transfer from Virtual Environments
eLearn Magazine
Explores knowledge acquisition in simulated learning environments and suggests six characteristics to ensure knowledge transfer from virtual training to the real world.
Student Identity Verification and the Higher Education Opportunity Act: A Faculty Perspective
International Journal of Instructional Techology & Distance Learning
Reports exploratory survey findings on the types of student identity verification used by institutions, the perceived need for improvement, and the role of faculty.
Time to Develop One Hour of Training
Learning Circuits
Reports results from a survey of industry peers to provide insight into how long it takes to develop one hour of instruction for various delivery methods and the factors that impact development.
Assessing the Factors Deemed to Support Individual Student Intrinsic Motivation in
Technology Supported Online and Face-to-Face Discussion
Journal of Information Technology Education
Investigates factors that support students' intrinsic motivation in online discussions and presents a model based on perceived competence, challenge, feedback, choice, interest, and curiosity
July 2009
E-Learning and Constructivism: From Theory to Application
Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects
Draws on constructivist theory to present a learner-centered model and examples for designing e-learning assignments/activities that incorporate design, collaboration, and assessment elements.
Also in this issue see
Analyzing Responses, Moves, and Roles in Online Discussions.
Effective Instructor Feedback: Perceptions of Online Graduate Students
Journal of Educators Online
Discusses five major implications of students' perceptions of instructor feedback with regard to the content (“what should be included in effective feedback?”) and the process (“how should effective feedback be provided?”).
Lost in Translation: Importance of Effective Communication in Online Education
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Reviews communication research as it relates to online education and provides recommendations for integrating effective online communication into instruction to increase student connectivity, engagement, and retention.
A Review of Podcasting in Higher Education: Its Influence on the Traditional Lecture
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
Explores the role of podcasting for teaching and learning, including recent literature about the uses of podcasting for supporting, enhancing, and replacing the traditional lecture.
June 2009
Student Perceptions of Groupwork in an Online Course: Benefits and Challenges
Journal of Distance Education
Reports study findings on student experiences with online groups, identifies benefits and challenges, and provides suggestions for improving groupwork practices.
Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Based on findings from several graduate-level cohorts, this study recommends seven instructional strategies, rather than grades per se, as important to improving the quality of group collaboration. Also see in this issue Questions of Culture in Distance Learning: A Research Review for cultural differences in group learning.
Themed Section: Integrity and Identity Authentication in Online Education
MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Five papers discuss the methods and pedagogies that faculty use to address issues of academic integrity, plagiarism, test monitoring, and student verification in online courses.
The Identification of Key Issues in the Development of Sustainable e-Learning and Virtual Campus Initiatives
Electronic Journal of e-Learning
Describes important factors underlying best practices in the implementation and sustainability of virtual campuses, as part of a two-year European Commission study.
May 2009
Technology's Impact on Learning Outcomes: Can It Be Measured?
THE Journal
Discusses some misconceptions that create barriers to evaluating the effectiveness of technology for student learning.
Culturally Accessible E-Learning: An Overdue Global Business Imperative
Learning Circuits
Examines the impact of cultural differences on program success and presents examples of cultural adaptation that should be done in different situations.
The Potential for Adaptable Accessible Learning Objects: A Case Study in Accessible Vodcasting
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
Describes the educational use of vodcasting for mobile learning and highlights potential value, limitations, and problem areas.
Portfolios: A Learning and Development Tool
Chief Learning Officer
Discusses the value and potential uses of portfolios for workplace learning and employee development.
April 2009
A New Era for Accessibility
Learning Circuits
Describes new computer-based technologies that make it easier to format multimedia content for access by people with disabilities.
Employer Perceptions of Online Degrees: A Literature Review
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Explores the perceptions of potential employers about online degrees in comparison with those earned in a traditional format, including conditions influencing acceptance and reticence.
“Am I making sense here?”: What Blogging Reveals about Undergraduate Student Understanding
Journal of Online Interactive Learning
Reports findings on how blogs can extend learning and transfer, and presents implications for using blogs in online course environments.
Exploring Teachers Perceptions of Web-Based Tools
Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects
This study on the use of learning objects in K-12 instruction found teachers viewed learning objects as effective, easy to use, and engaging. A barrier was the time it took to locate good learning objects and prepare support materials.
March 2009
Virtual World Learning Spaces: Developing a Second Life Operating Room Simulation
Educause Quarterly
Describes how course objectives and learning tasks can drive the appropriate use of technology in developing a virtual learning space; includes audio and visual examples of Second Life capabilities and course components.
Designing Online Learning Environments for Distance Learning
International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning
Presents guidelines for the design of online courses based on a survey of learner perceptions and satisfaction with various design features, including content page layout, graphics, animations, learning activities, and quizzes.
The Effectiveness and Development of Online Discussions
MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Emphasizes the importance of online discussion design and describes six ways that instructors can help students to have more effective discussions.
What Is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge?
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE)
Describes how the TPACK theoretical framework can help teachers to successfully integrate technology into teaching by understanding the relationships among content, pedagogy, and technology. Also in this issue see Examining TPACK Among K-12 Online
Distance Educators in the United States.
February 2009
Research and Practice in K-12 Online Learning: A Review of Open Access Literature
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
This literature review identifies themes of steady growth and a focus on the benefits, challenges, and broad effectiveness of K-12 online learning as well as the emergence of standards for effective practices.
Why Wikis?
Campus Technology
Discusses ways in which a wiki can support online knowledge construction and collaboration. Also in this issue see 3 Challenges to Wiki Use in Instruction.
From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom
Innovate: Journal of Online Education
Argues that the digital immigrant/native paradigm is less relevant than understanding how digital technology can make people not just smarter but wiser.
Successful E-learning in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
European Journal of Open and Distance Learning (EURDL)
Describes e-learning experiences and success factors derived from case studies of eighteen enterprises in eight European countries.
January 2009
Executing Blended Learning
Chief Learning Office
Presents tips on how to successfully design, build, and deliver a blended learning solution.
Interaction in Blended EFL Learning: Principles and Practice
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Reports findings on the benefits and limitations of using blended learning to teach English as a second language, particularly the role of interaction. Also in this issue see Facebook in the Language Classroom:
Promises and Possibilities.
Encouraging Critical Thinking in Online Threaded Discussions
Journal of Educators Online
Reports findings that online discussions are related to higher levels of critical thinking, but instructor facilitation should use purposeful, selective, and probing questions.
December 2008
Visual Stereotypes and Virtual Pedagogical Agents
Educational Technology & Society
Analyzes examples of visual stereotypes and discusses the impact of virtual characters on digital learning environments, including learner expectations and pedagogical design considerations.
Web 2.0 Storytelling: Emergence of a New Genre
Educause Review
Examines how the use of Web 2.0 tools for digital storytelling introduces new strategies for applying microcontent and social media for teaching and learning.
Comparison of Student and Instructor Perceptions of Best Practices
in Online Technology Courses
Merlot Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Reports study results investigating the perceptions of online students and instructors on the use of Chickering and Gamson's seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education.
Team-based Online Course Development: A Case Study of Collaboration Models
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Reviews collaborative approaches to online course development and discusses the implications for flexibility, ownership of the process, and communication among team members.
November 2008
Information Presentation for Effective E-Learning
Educause Quarterly
Suggests ideas and guideposts to improve the learning design of online course webpages, including the use of graphical elements.
Learning, Animated
Learning Circuits
Discusses ideas for developing training that uses simulations, games, and virtual worlds to support the learning process, including the design team's role.
The Case Against Pre-Testing For Online Courses
eLearn Magazine
Examines the question, Are pre-tests really necessary for online courses? and suggests steps to measure student mastery of new skills at the end of a course.
Changing Relationship: Who is the Learner and who is
the Teacher in the Online Educational Landscape?
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
Reports study results on how student-led online discussions affect the instructor's role,
student-teacher relationships, interaction, and community.
October 2008
Four papers on the implications of learning theory for distance education and course design:
Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Analyzes the place of connectivism within the context of current theories of learning to determine if it has anything new to offer as a learning theory or as an approach to teaching for the 21st Century.
Beyond the Theoretical Impasse: Extending the applications of Transactional Distance Theory
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Reviews Transactional Distance Theory and argues it should be accepted as a global theory for the further development and sustainability of quality distance education.
Transforming e-Learning into ee-Learning: The Centrality of Sociocultural Participation
Innovate: Journal of Online Education
Presents a theoretical framework for understanding and analyzing the processes of cognitive development as they relate to learner experience, participation, supportive course structures, and authentic online environments.
Cognitive Load Theory and the Role of Learner Experience: An Abbreviated Review for Educational Practitioners
AACE Journal
Provides an overview of cognitive load theory (CLT) and discusses major implications for learning, including instructional designs that may be problematic or beneficial when considered from a CLT perspective.
September 2008
Virtual Worlds
Educause Review
Focus issue of several articles examining the impact of social networking and simulation technologies on teaching, learning, and higher education.
The Mean Business of Second Life: Teaching Entrepreneurship, Technology and e-Commerce in Immersive Environments
Merlot Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Describes the benefits, challenges, and pedagogical issues of using Second Life to teach a business administration course, including student and instructor reactions to the learning experience and use of avatars.
Factors Affecting Faculty Members’ Decision to Teach or Not to Teach Online in Higher Education
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
This study found that faculty members' online-teaching decisions were strongly influenced by their philosophical views and self-efficacy beliefs about the value of online technology for student learning. Positive beliefs outweighed time constraints in decisions to teach online.
Disciplinary Differences in E-learning Instructional Design: The Case of Mathematics
Journal of Distance Education
In this investigation of disciplinary differences in the instructional design of e-learning, mathematics instructors were less likely to view common e-learning models and course management systems as well-suited to their discipline. For three more articles on math instruction, see (1)
Student Preferences, Satisfaction, and Perceived Learning in an Online Mathematics Class, (2) Integrating Content, Pedagogy, and Reflective Practice: Innovative New Distance Learning Courses and Programs for Mathematics Teachers, and (3)
Mathematics Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs and Conceptions of Appropriate Technology Use.
August 2008
M-Learning Devices: Performance to Go
Learning Circuits
Analyzes mobile technology capabilities that affect the interactive delivery of information, but identifies the real issue as
how we use the capabilities to provide learning.
Also see Authoring Best Practices for Mobile Learning Content Development
Multimedia Technologies and Familiar Spaces: 21st-Century Teaching for 21st-Century Learners
CITE Journal: Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education
Discusses why teachers need to use multimedia technologies within the context of students' 21st century skills; includes samples to demonstrate essential technology skills for the next generation of teachers.
Instructor's Scaffolding in Support of Student's Metacognition through a Teacher Education Online Course - A Case Study
Journal of Interactive Online Learning
Examines the relationship between the instructor's feedback and students' metacognitive processes in an online course on democracy and multiculturalism.
Online Webinars for Continuing Medical Education:
An Effective Method of Live Distance Learning
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Describes a proof-of-concept study to design and deliver pharmacology courses to large numbers of pharmacists at a distance, including overseas military.
July 2008
Who is Responsible for E-Learning Success in Higher Education? A
Stakeholders' Analysis
Educational Technology & Society
Describes the various stakeholder groups involved in e-learning implementation and derives a Stakeholders' Responsiblity Matrix to summarize the responsibilities of each group.
Comparing the Distance Learning-Related Course Development Approach and Faculty Support and Rewards Structure at AACSB Accredited Institutions between 2001 and 2006
Journal of Educators Online (JEO)
Findings suggest faculty in business schools receive limited support for online teaching and are not taking advantage of training options. Similar to 2001, faculty continue to use an individual instead of a team approach to course development, and they learned development and delivery techniques on their own.
Prospects for the Use of Mobile Technologies in Science Education
AACE Journal
This study with middle school students found a positive impact in using mobile devices for learning; but design frameworks are needed to better understand the theoretical, pedagogical, and mediating effects of mobile technologies on science learning.
June 2008
A Seismic Shift in Epistemology
Educause Review
Suggests ways to think about the implications of new Internet/Web 2.0 tools for education, learning, and knowledge.
Future Learning Landscapes: Transforming Pedagogy through Social Software
Innovate: Journal of Online Education
Discusses a new pedagogical model of learning made possible by the emergence of Web 2.0 social software.
Academic Staff Attitudes Towards Electronic Learning in Arts and Sciences
European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (EURDL)
Presents study results suggesting differences between sciences and arts staff in their perceptions of e-learning, its potential benefits, and the technologies involved.
A Strategic Planning Process Model for Distance Education
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Describes a 10-phased strategic planning model for implementing distance education programs that was developed by a panel of peer-nominated experts.
May 2008
Toolbox or Trap? Course Management Systems and Pedagogy
Educause Quarterly
Discusses reasons why the default design of commercial course management systems may limit instructional creativity and pedagogical approaches, particularly for novice users.
Reflective Practices Among Language Arts Teachers: The Use of Weblogs
CITE Journal: Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education
Presents results indicating that teachers in the study used their blogs as reflective journals and that the depth of reflection varied from casual to metareflective posts that could lead to changes in practice. Also see Peer assisted learning and blogging: A strategy to
promote reflective practice during clinical fieldwork.
Learning Objects Update: Review and Critical Approach to Content
Aggregation
Educational Techology & Society
Reviews the literature on learning objects, identifies current issues, and proposes a learning content hierarchy.
April 2008
Digital Age Assessment: Part 2
Technology & Learning Magazine
A look at how various technology tools can be used in formative student assessments to improve feedback and reporting opportunities. See Digital Age Assessment: Part 1 for a review of five other tools to monitor student progress.
How to Motivate Your Students
eLearn Magazine
Offers some helpful tips on motivating students inside and outside the online classroom.
Perceptions of Roles and Responsibilities in
Online Learning: A Case Study
Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects
Reports research results on students’ perceptions of their roles as online learners and the expectations they have of online teachers. Includes recommendations for proactive management of student expectations.
An Inclusive Approach to Online Learning Environments: Models and Resources
Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
Reviews the literature on cultural differences in learning and describes instructional design models that accommodate multicultural diversity.
March 2008
Designing and Developing E-learning Projects: A Three-Tiered Approach
eLearn Magazine
Describes an approach to classifying e-learning projects in order to tailor instructional design to different levels of effort and investment.
Sustaining an Online Community of Practice: A Case Study
Journal of Distance Education
Discusses findings on the challenges involved in developing and sustaining online communities of practice to support professional learning over time.
Persistence in Online Classes: A Study of Perceptions
among Community College Stakeholders
MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Identifies factors that support student completion of online courses from the perspectives of administrators, faculty, and students.
Exploratory Study of the Relationship between Self-Directed Learning and Academic Performance in a Web-Based Learning Environment
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Analyzes the results of six empirical studies about the effects of self-directed learning on academic success in web-based courses.
February 2008
Distances and Access to Education
Six collaborating journals
This joint website features more than 25 articles from six participating journals on the issues, concerns, and roles of distance education in providing access or right to education worldwide.
Technology-Enhanced Learning in Developing Nations: A Review
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Identifies significant challenges faced by developing countries when attempting to make learning more accessible by using Internet technologies for poorer populations.
Using blogging for higher order learning in large cohort university teaching: A case study
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology
Details the aims, design, implementation, and evaluation results of a blogging project, including the educational value and problem areas.
Online Teaching and Classroom Change: The Trans-Classroom Teacher in the Age of the Internet
Innovate: Journal of Online Education
Do teachers who move between face-to-face and online classrooms transfer ideas, strategies, and practices from one to the other? This study reports survey results from 215 high school teachers on transfer between the two environments.
January 2008
Predictions for 2008
e-Learn Magazine
Annual look at e-learning's near future trends and developments by 23 experts and prognosticators.
Ten Tips for Getting Learners to Take E-Courses
Learning Circuits Magazine
Discusses practical strategies and incentives to promote employee usage of e-learning within corporations and other organizations.
Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0
Educause Review
The authors argue that the Open Educational Resources movement and Web 2.0 resources are creating new kinds of open participatory learning ecosystems that will support active, passion-based learning: Learning 2.0.
Implementing Educational Technology in Higher Education:
A Strategic Approach
Journal of Educators Online (JEO)
Outlines a four-step framework for a strategic change process that can be used by educators for selecting and implementing educational technologies within their setting, in particular, online course management systems.
December 2007
Course Assessment Practices and Student Learning Strategies in Online Courses
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
Examines the relationship between student assessment methods and learning strategies in 60 online courses and suggests ways that assessment practices lead to different types of learning.
New Levels of Student Participatory Learning: A WikiText for the Introductory Course in Education
Journal of Online Interactive Learning
Describes the reactions of students to using wiki tools to collaboratively write their own textbook in an education course and the impact on their involvement in learning.
Creativity in Online Courses: Perceptions of MBA Students
Journal of Online Teaching and Learning
Investigates perceptions of how online courses enhance or detract from the development of creative thinking and innovation among business students.
Developing an International Distance Education Program: A Blended Learning Approach
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Describes how universities in two countries used a seven-phase model to co-develop an international, blended learning program that considered cultural differences in language, teaching philosophy, and education.
November 2007
Analyze This!
Learning Circuits
Discusses new web analytics software that enables e-learning developers to collect metrics on learner engagement in online courses, including time spent on individual course pages and media components.
Accommodating Culture and Cultural Diversity in Online Teaching
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET)
Reports on a project aimed at understanding cultural characteristics and what strategies are effective in teaching a culturally diverse cohort of online students.
Learning to Feel: Education, Affective Outcomes and the Use of Online Teaching and Learning
European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (EURODL)
Compares the results of two pilot courses using different online delivery modes for soft skill development and affective gain in customer service training in the workplace.
October 2007
Active Learning and Technology: Designing Change for Faculty, Students, and Institutions
Educause Review
Discusses the importance of faculty development in continuously improving and sustaining shifts in pedagogy, and describes strategies for overcoming resistance to change. Also in this issue see
Faculty 2.0 which describes some of the ways technology is changing the teaching role in higher education.
The Online Learner: Characteristics and Pedagogical Implications
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education
Describes the emerging characteristics of the online learner, the skills needed to learn online, and the pedagogical implications for dialogical models that support learning.
Open Courseware Futures: Creating a Parallel Universe
E-Journal of Electronic Science and Technology (e-JIST)
Examines major organizations involved in the open source and open courseware movement and discusses implications for increasing global access to knowledge.
Special Theme Issue: Social Network Sites
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Describes features of social network websites, presents a history of their development, reviews existing scholarship, and profiles examples.
September 2007
Special Issue on Online Learning in K-12 Schools and Teacher Education
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
Contains six papers emphasizing online learning applications in K-12 environments, including teacher experiences, differences between online and blended learning, collaborative activity design, and a survey of administrators.
Current Administrative Structures Used for Online Degree Program Offerings in Higher Education
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
This study of more than 300 institutions identifies the nature and extent of six general administrative structures currently used by colleges and universities in offering fully online degrees.
Key Elements of Building Online Community: Comparing Faculty
and Student Perceptions
Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Reports the survey results of fourteen online courses asking instructors and students their perceptions about the challenges and essential elements of community in online classes. Both groups viewed community as very important but differed in their rankings of essential elements.
August 2007
Implementing Authentic Tasks in Web-Based Learning Environments
Educause Quarterly
Describes the characteristics of authentic activities, task design, and facilitation tips to improve student interaction and learning outcomes.
Adventure Learning: Situating Learning in an Authentic Context
Innovate: Journal of Online Education
Describes a learning project that connected students to explorers and researchers participating in a trans-Arctic dogsled expedition to provide students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences.
Evaluation and Application of Andragogical Assumptions to the
Adult Online Learning Environment
Journal of Interactive Online Learning
Analyzes the major principles of andragogy and discusses why they are an ideal starting point for educators to use in creating a learner centered approach to online education.
Understanding E-Learning 2.0
Learning Circuits
Introduces the basic concepts, technologies, and changes represented by e-learning 2.0 in order to inform workplace learning professionals about the possibilities.
July 2007
Dialogue-Intensive Learning
eLearn Magazine
Compares three online discussion models and provides tips for creating, managing, and sustaining a "dialogue-intensive" model that fosters interaction.
Simulation-Based Training: The Evidence is In
Chief Learning Officer
Reviews earlier research on the effectiveness of computer-based simulations that provides a foundation for today's new generation of virtual learning developers of simulations and games.
Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) in Web-based Classes: Preliminary Findings and a Call for Further Research
Journal of Educators Online
Discusses why SETs may be lower for online classes compared to on-campus classes and the implications for instructor training in online teaching and administrative support for course design, content organization, and editing.
A Web 2.0 Learning Platform: Harnessing Collective Intelligence
Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
Compares the differences in 19th, 20th, and 21st Century learning models and argues that e-learning standards need to consider the community-generating content and social networking capabilities of new Web technologies.
June 2007
Theme Issue on Mobile Learning
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
The papers in this special issue clarify the concept of mobile learning, discuss developments to date, and describe applications around the world.
Walk this Way: Healthcare Leads the Way in Mobile Learning
Learning Circuits
This study reports on the use of mobile devices for a variety of health care applications, and points to increasing usage for keeping up-to-date with best medical practices, anytime-anywhere information availability, and personalized learning.
Podcasts: Improving Quality and Accessibility
THE Journal
Discusses tips and tools for improving the audio, content, and speaker presentation quality of podcasts, along with making them more accessible to learners with disabilities.
Teaching Online: Three Perspectives, Three Approaches
AACE Journal
Three case studies describe differing approaches to online teaching, including techniques, lessons learned, and examples of interaction activities.
May 2007
E-Learning at the Crossroads: What Price Quality?
Educause Quarterly
Discusses several challenges facing the rapid growth of distance education, including the role of part-time instructors, program quality, faculty incentives and disincentives, and willingness for institutional innovation.
Leadership Influence on Corporate Change Involving Distance Training
Online Journal of Distance Education Administration
Examines the set of skills needed by corporate learning leaders to sustain distance learning programs within their organizations.
Wiki as a Teaching Tool
Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects
Explains wiki usage, investigates
its contribution to various learning paradigms, and examines the current literature on wiki use in education.
April 2007
A Conceptual Model for Understanding Self-Directed Learning in Online Environments
Journal of Interactive Online Learning
Introduces a framework for understanding self-directed learning in online learning contexts and discusses Implications for research and practice.
Predicting Student Satisfaction in Distance Education and Learning Environments
Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
Describes a study using the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) as a research instrument to evaluate the characteristics of online learning environments.
Serving the Online Learner
Campus Technology
Presents examples of online advising and support services that promote a relationship between the e-learner and the institution.
March 2007
Technology Literacy and the MySpace Generation
techLearning
If the digital native is constantly evolving, how can educators keep up?
Ten Core Principles for Designing Effective Learning Environments:
Insights from Brain Research and Pedagogical Theory
Innovate
Suggests ways online technology can help educators create learning environments that respect student needs, foster collaboration, and promote deeperlevels of engagement with the course content (register online for free subscription).
Confronting Challenges in Online Teaching: The WebQuest Solution
MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Describes how WebQuests were used to engage nursing students in authentic scenarios that integrated several learning outcomes within a single assignment.
February 2007
Mitigating Conflict in Online Student Teams
eLearn Magazine
Presents
basic guidelines for preventing team conflicts before they happen and resolving them when they do.
Entering the Interaction Age: Implementing a Future Vision for Campus Learning Spaces
Educause Review
Argues we are moving from an Information Age to an Interaction Age where technology not only supports human-to-human interaction but also provides tools for people to interact around and through information.
eLearning: Going the Distance
THE Journal
Discusses why virtual schools are here to stay by offering students freedom of time, space, and pace, and the potential for better academic performance.
January 2007
Invisible Motivation of Online Adult Learners During Contract Learning
Journal of Educators Online
Study found students felt more self-directed and motivated during contract learning, but what they really liked was being able to select assignments that were relevant to their interests.
Using Peer Feedback to Enhance the Quality of Student Online Postings: An Exploratory Study
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Despite students' preferences for instructor feedback, giving peer feedback reinforces their learning and the quality of students' postings.
From Application to Graduation and Beyond:
Exploring User Engagement with e-Portfolios
European Journal of Open and Distance Learning (EURODL)
Examines the use of e-portfolios within different education and work contexts, including students' attitudes, their engagement with e-portfolio tools, and benefits for skills development.
The Problem with Rapid E-Learning
Learning Circuits
Explores some of the pitfalls of rapid e-learning and how to overcome them. Also see
Rapid E-Learning Grows Up for tool enhancements with a positive impact.
December 2006
Combined Effect of Instructional and Learner Variables on Course Outcomes within An Online Learning Environment
Journal of Online Interactive Learning
Examines differences in learner satisfaction and learning outcomes based on learner characteristics and study habits in an online course.
An Examination of Online Instructor Presence via
Threaded Discussion Participation
Journal of Online Learning and Teaching
Examines faculty perceptions of the extent to which instructor interactivity, operationalized as participation in online threaded discussions, should be evaluated to establish clear expectations for instructor presence in the online classroom.
Learners' Perspectives on What is Missing from Online Learning: Interpretations through the Community of Inquiry Framework
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Discusses insights obtained from interviews with ten learners about what it is they miss about face-to-face contact when learning online.
How Blended Learning Can Support a Faculty Development Community of Inquiry
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
This study focuses on understanding the social and teaching presence required to create a blended faculty development community of inquiry.
November 2006
Why Collaborative Storyboard Technology Is Mission Critical
Learning Circuits
Describes how collaborative storyboarding can be used to design e-learning more efficiently, including specifying the content and learning outcomes.
E-Conferencing for Instruction: What Works?
Educause Quarterly
A study of e-conferencing tools found relationships between specific tools and certain pedagogical principles.
Comparing Weblogs to Threaded Discussion Tools in Online Educational Contexts
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Research provides insights into the academic value of blogging tools for discourse and the opportunities the tools offer beyond current learning management systems and threaded discussions.
Formative Evaluation: A Practical Guide
eLearn Magazine
Describes how the four stages of a formative evaluation process can be used to increase the effectiveness of an online course.
October 2006
Moderation, Response Rate, and Message Interactivity:
Features of Online Communities and Their Effects on Intent to Participate
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Two experiments indicate that both structural features of interfaces and content features of interactions affect people's intent to participate in online communities.
A Systemic Plan of Technology Integration
Educational Technology & Society
Proposes a plan for educational researchers,
practitioners, and policymakers involved in the change process to implement successful technology
integration in the context of teacher education.
Can Factors Related to Self-Regulated Learning
Predict Learning Achievement in Undergraduate Asynchronous Web-based Courses?
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
This study determined a significant correlation among three predictors of success in online learning, including individual self-efficacy in having a “can do” attitude and expectancy of positive outcomes.
An Aptitude-Treatment-Interaction-Approach on Motivation and
Student's Self-Regulated Multimedia-Based Learning
Interactive Educational Multimedia
Using Keller's ARCS model, this study tested the effects of instructional design strategies on individual differences in multimedia learning and motivation.
September 2006
Electronic Student Assessment - The Power of the Portfolio
Campus Technology Magazine
Describes examples of how e-portfolios are used to evaluate student progress and to change the learning process, and provides 20 "smart tips and practices".
Multimedia Presentation Software Solutions for Internet-Based Courses
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Discusses multimedia presentation software (MPS) and suggests criteria for selecting, implementing, and administering MPS solutions to maximize accessibility and student learning while minimizing expense. Also see in this issue Podcasting: Co-opting MP3 Players for Education and Training Purposes.
Faculty Development as Community Building
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
Describes a community of practice approach to faculty development that aims to create a culture of teaching and a sense of
connectedness; provides suggestions for applying the approach in open and distance education contexts.
Online Course Design from a Communities-of-Practice Perspective
eLearn Magazine
Explores a design for learning that connects people across time and distance so they develop practices for sharing and creating information and knowledge rather than just acquiring it. The design uses the dynamics and tensions of one media cycle to stimulate learning in the next.
August 2006
Podcasting Lectures
Educause Quarterly
Describes a pilot project to evaluate the choice of media to use, including podcasting, to provide access to recorded lectures.
Be Constructive: Blogs, Podcasts, and Wikis as Constructivist Learning Tools
Learning Solutions eMagazine
Reviews types of applications and design considerations in using these new technologies for learning.
Managing Courses, Defining Learning:
What Faculty, Students, and Administrators Want
Educause Review
Discusses the pros and cons of learning/course management systems and asks, what do faculty, students, and administrators want from
the next-generation e-learning environment?
July 2006
Do Chickering and Gamson's Seven Principles Also Apply to Online MBAs?
Journal of Educators Online
Using a sample of 24 online MBA courses, this study tests whether or not principles of effective classroom teaching may be used as starting points for developing and teaching web-based courses.
Increasing Access in Online Higher Education
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
This special issue investigates, from multiple prospectives, how access to higher education can be increased through further integration of online education.
Balancing Top-Down, Bottom-Up, and Peer-to-Peer Approaches to Sustaining Distance Training
Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education
Explores the balance between various approaches to sustaining distance training, and the implications for creating a learning culture in the organization.
June 2006
Best Practices for Online Business Education
The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
This integrative review of literature on online best practices is intended as a quick reference for those designing online business courses, but it is useful for other fields as well.
Student Success in Face-To-Face and Distance Teleclass Environments: A matter of contact?
The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL)
This research study indicates three predictors of student success in distance learning: reading comprehension, confidence in abilities needed to succeed in the class, and willingness to contact the instructor and ask for help when needed.
Implementing Learning-How-to-Learn Strategies
Chief Learning Officer
Reviews the fundamentals of knowing how to learn, particularly metacognitive abilities, as being critical to organizational success and lifelong learning.
Open Content and the Emerging Global Meta-University
Educause Review
Argues that open-access projects are stimulating a broader open-content movement, which in turn is leading to the emergence of a meta-university—an accessible, dynamic, and communally constructed framework of open materials and platforms on which much of higher education worldwide can be constructed or enhanced.
May 2006
Special Issue on Institutional Transformation
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
This issue contains several articles on institutional commitment and cost effectiveness, surveying the ways online education is changing higher education in the United States, providing institutional case studies, and analyzing business models.
The Role of Emotion in Creating Instructor and Learner Presence in the Distance Education Experience
Journal of Cognitive Affective Learning,
Reviews the literature on the role of emotion in creating presence, and builds on models to create a framework for practice and discuss implications for future research.
Pedagogy Considerations for E-learning
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Examines changes in pedagogy to increase effectiveness of e-learning by incorporating instructional strategies that take into account personalized learning and content-to-learner adaptability.
April 2006
Reusing Learning Objects in Three Settings:
Implications for Online Instruction
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Discusses the use of sharable content objects in three types of online courses (blended, collaborative, and self-paced) to evaluate reusability, design considerations, and learning effectiveness.
Strategies to Build a Cross-National Virtual World
AACE Journal
Describes how an online virtual world, called Euroland, supported knowledge building and collaborative learning among seven primary and secondary classrooms in two countries.
Identifying and measuring individual engagement in critical thinking in
online discussions: An exploratory case study
Educational Technology & Society
Reports on the development of a model for identifying and
measuring individual engagement in critical thinking in an online discussion.
Evaluation of an Online Student Induction and Support Package for Online Learners
European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning (EURDL)
Describes the evaluation of an online primer and survival guide to prepare face-to-face and fully online students for learning online.
March 2006
Learning Hands-on Skills in an Online Environment: The Effectiveness of Streaming Demonstration Animation
Journal of Interactive Online Learning
This study uses action research
techniques and describes the application of onscreen-action-capture software to the design of
hands-on demonstrations that help students to learn multimedia skills.
Encouraging Student Participation in an Online Course Using ‘Pull’ Initiatives
Electronic Journal of E-Learning (EJEL)
Reports on a study involving the use of quizzes and games to increase participation and engagement in online discussions.
Building an Evaluation Plan for Fully Online Degree Programs
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
Describes the research undertaken to develop an evaluation plan for an online graduate degree program, with the aims of assessing goal attainment, determining a roadmap for program improvement, and providing a framework for future decision-making.
Web 2.0: A New Wave of Innovation for Teaching and Learning?
Educause Review
Discusses openness, microcontent, and social software (blogs, wikis, trackback, podcasting, videoblogs, and other networking tools) as being the emergent concepts defining the new Web 2.0 movement.
February 2006
Special Issue on Online Collaboration
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks
Seven papers address the challenge: What are the best ways to do collaboration, especially collaboration for teaching and learning?
Time Management Strategies for Online Teaching
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Reviews the literature and analyzes examples of class records to formulate six strategies to make online teaching more efficient and effective
An Introduction to Current Trends and Benefits of Mobile Wireless Technology Use in Higher Education
AACE Journal
Examines current information on mobile wireless technologies and answers three questions about types of applications, benefits, and access.
Teaching Facts with Fun, Online Games
Learning Circuits
Describes simple online games to encourage the Gamer Generation to stay engaged with e-learning.
January 2006
Creating Concept Maps: Integrating Constructivism Principles into Online Classes
International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning
Illustrates how students can construct concept maps to facilitate research, interpretation, product development, collaboration, and assessment of conceptual materials.
Designing Metacognitive Maps for Web-Based Learning
Journal of Educational Technology & Society
Describes how metacognitive supports can be embedded as visual on-screen maps and planning spaces to help learners build skills in planning, monitoring, evaluating, and revising.
E-Learning—A Financial and Strategic Perspective
Educause Quarterly
Compares several e-learning programs as examples of different strategies for achieving acceptable financial returns from e-learning.
Compiled and reviewed by Christine H. Olgren
