Promoting Quality in Open and Distance Learning

September 2000

E-Learning

This is not a thorough review of what is available, but rather a random sampling of some of the material which may be of interest. Any good-quality search engine will turn up more.

Discussions & Seminars

The International Forum of Educational Technology and Society hosts discussions at ifets.ieee.org/ discussions/discuss.html
Past topics include "Problems and potential in web-based instruction, with particular focus on distance learning."

whilst the Open University's Institute of Technology site hosts forthcoming workshops and virtual seminars at iet.open.ac.uk/pdet/workshopdiary.html

and regular online seminars are run by the Web of Asynchronous Learning Networks; a list of forthcoming topics for discussion is at www.aln.org/seminars/topics.cfm

The Overview of Online Learning by Saul Carliner on www.lakewoodconferences.com is still a good place to start.

or for a recent discussion of quality issues, try the IHEP report "Quality on the Line", available fromwww.ihep.com/PUB.htm

Dirk Rodenburg tackles the ways in which discussions about learning technology can be broadened to include a more critical and effective approach to design and implementation, see horizon.unc.edu/TS/commentary/1999-11.asp

A case study about setting up an online course and a consideration of the prospects for online education can be found at www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/issue2/assee.htm

For an example of the application of modern information technology intended to increase quality and efficiency in learning, see www1.nks.no/eurodl/eurodlen/ index.html

From the University of Bradford comes a paper outlining web and intranet use to enhance the development of health care professionals, which also gives guidance on building web sites to support educational products, at www1.nks.no/eurodl/eurodlen/ index.html

The University of Illinois has produced a report on the pros and cons of online education after a year of research into its effectiveness, at vpaa.uillinois.edu/tid/report/toc.html

Stephen Andriole explores course development, delivery and evaluation in the context of an existing course at www.aln.org/alnweb/journal/issue2/ andriole.htm

Teaching and Learning

See also Gilly Salmon's and Ken Giles' "Creating and Implementing Successful Online Learning Environments: A Practitioner Perspective", also in Eurodl at: www1.nks.no/eurodl/eurodlen/ index.html

A host of other interesting papers and articles by Salmon can be found at: www oubs.open.ac.uk/gilly

Ben Shneiderman and colleagues at the University of Maryland have studied patterns of teaching and learning in the electronic classroom, see ftp.cs.umd.edu/pub/hcil/Reports-Abstracts-Bibliography/98-04HTML/98-04.html

ausweb.scu.edu.au/proceedings/webb/paper.html describes work done at the Sidney Institute of Technology where the Internet was substituted for classroom teaching in some IT subjects. For a comparison of face-to-face and online teaching, see: www1.nks.no/eurodl/eurodlen/index.html

www.aln.org/alnweb/journal is the website of "The Journal of Asynchronous learning Netowrks, which holds a range of articles on e-learning.

Whilst horizon.unc.edu/TS is the website of The Technology Sources, an electronic periodical designed to assist educators integrating information technology into teaching and in the management of educational organisations.