Overview of assignments:

There will be significant number of different types of assignments, worth approximately 75% (EME 6936) or 60% (EME 7458) of your final grade. Each assignment has a reading component, a discussion component and a written or participation component. Everyone will be required to read the material, participate in the discussion and turn in written assignments on time. The breakdown of the points and due dates for each portion of the assignment can be seen in the assignment check list under Start Here! and also in the Course Work area of Blackboard. Some weeks discussion may weigh heavier than the written work and vice versa. Be sure you participate in discussions as instructed each week as they weigh heavily in your grade. All work is due on Wednesday night at Midnight as recorded by the university server time stamp.

Active participation is a critical component of building an effective online learning community. You are expected to be a regular and active participant in online discussions. This means you will post original material and thoughts as well as reply to posts submitted by others. Reading assignments will be made from a variety of online resources to prepare you to engage in the discussion. The quality of online asynchronous discussion will be driven by the extent of your preparation.

The purpose of the discussions is to promote a learning community and encourage critical thinking skills in order to assimilate the information that is being provided. Participation in the discussion forums will be graded using a rubric to be sure that grading is fair. To understand how the grades will be determined, you can review the discussion rubric posted in the Course Information area and at the top of each discussion assignment. The discussion questions have been specifically designed to encourage critical thinking and group discussion, so hopefully you will be encouraged to play an integral role in this process.

Discussion topics will be open as assignments are posted. Assignments will be posted in large chunks to allow you to work ahead if you wish. Postings that are submitted during the week (or two week) period scheduled for the discussion will be graded as long as they are submitted by Midnight on the last official posting day (Wednesday). Start early to allow everyone to complete the assigned postings and responses before they are due. Each topic will be officially closed (on Wednesday at midnight following the due date), so that we can be sure to move on. This process leaves a few days for everyone to finish discussing the topic and keeps us from continually having to revisit old discussions. We have a lot of material to cover in this course in a short amount of time, so it will be important that we move through the material at a certain pace. You will not be responsible for reading postings in old topics once the topic has closed, however, if the conversation is still of interest to you, it can be continued in the "Virtual Coffee House" which you will find under Your Groups in Blackboard.

Read the Syllabus and Course Guide First!

Read the following articles:

• Loraine Sherry. Issues in Distance Learning. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1(4), 337-365. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~lsherry/pubs/issues.html. (24 pages)
• McIsaac, M.S. & Gunawardena, C.N. (1996). Distance Education. In D.H. Jonassen, ed. Handbook of research for educational communications and technology: a project of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. 403-437. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.aect.org/intranet/publications/edtech/13/index.html. (36 pages - PDF version is available for printing at this site)

Review the Following Web Site Resources - (hint: these are good resources for later)

• Willis, B. (1995). Distance Education Research Guide # 1. Distance Learning Clearinghouse Overview University of Idaho, College of Engineering excerpted from Distance Education: A Practical Guide. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/dist1.html
• Distance Education: Why Distance Learning? Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.fae.plym.ac.uk/tele/vidconf1.html
• Phillips, V. (2002). The Virtual University Gazette's FAQ on Distance Learning, Accreditation, and College Degrees. geteducated.com, LLC Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.geteducated.com/articles/dlfaq.htm
• The Wellspring Online Community of Distance Educators. Distance Learning FAQ from the WellSpring Instructional Systems Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://wellspring.isinj.com/faq_dl.html
• Barron, A. (1999). Teacher's Guide to Distance Learning Chapters 1 & 3. Florida Center for Instructional Technology, Tampa. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://fcit.usf.edu/DISTANCE
• Institute for Distance Education, USM. (1997). Models of Distance Education Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.umuc.edu/ide/modlmenu.html
• Yoakam, M. Distance Learning: An Introduction excerpted from "Distance Learning: An Introduction" and was a collaborative effort of the Indiana University Center for Excellence in Education and the AT&T Center for Excellence in Distance Learning. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.ihets.org/consortium/ipse/fdhandbook/dist_lrn.html.

Check Blackboard assignments area to see what these entail...

D1 - Creating a Distance Learning Annotated Webography
D2- Definition Analysis
R1 - Reflective Remarks on Being a Distance Learner

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W1 - Online Self Introductions and Home Pages
W2 - Entrance Survey

Theories

Read the following article:

• Simonson, M. et al., Teaching and Learning at a Distance Foundations of Distance Education, Second Edition, Pearson Education (2003). Pages 36-52 on Theory and Distance Education. (Scanned as PDF) (16 pages)

Review the Following Web Site Resources - (hint: these are good resources for later)

• Select two theories of interest to you to review in detail:
  • Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database, Greg Kearsley, George Washington University.
  • Funderstanding - A site that specializes in education for kids. This site has some good descriptions of theories that may help to make it all a little clearer. Use this to flesh out the theories that you choose to reflect on
  • Distance Education - CU Denver School of Education

Trends

Read the following article:

• Chute, A, Thompson, M, and Hancock, B., The McGraw-Hill Handbook of Distance Learning, McGraw-Hill, New York. (1999) Pages 204-217 Looking at the Present, Looking to the Future. (Scanned as PDF) (11 pages)

Review the Following Web Site Resources, Select an Article, Read- (hint: these are good resources for later)

• Select one article of interest pertaining to trends in Distance Learning to review in detail. You can start with the following sites, but feel free to choose any you like. You might also look at the e-journal listing under resources.
  • Fast Company - An online and print based business magazine that deals with may technology subjects, try searching for Distance Education, Online Learning, E-Learning, or Distance Learning.
  • US Distance Learning Association - The United States Distance Learning Association provides content in many different educational arenas on Distance Learning in the United States. Start with the What's New area or choose a content area from the menu on the home page.
  • Chronicle of Higher Education - A daily print and online resource for the world of Higher Education. This journal provides many interesting aspects of Higher Education, but it has a special section on Distance Education. Although many of the articles require a membership, there are still many that can be read without one.
  • Distance-Educator.com is designed and written by professionals who have several decades of experience in educational radio, educational television, and the use of integrated telecommunications systems such as the Internet for teaching and learning. Dr. Saba, the founder of Distance-Educator.com is a major player in the field of Distance Education.

Check Blackboard assignments area to see what these entail...

D3 - Distance Education Theories
D4 - Trends in Distance Education

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G1 - Finalize virtual introductions and form groups. Groups are determined and have a private chat to define name, set schedules, choose roles and set the stage for productive group activity - Start reviewing requirements for group project.

Read the following articles:

• (1999). What's the Difference: A Review of Contemporary Research on the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Higher Education, Institute of Higher Education Policy. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.ihep.com/Pubs/PDF/Difference.pdf (48 pages)

Review the Following Web Site Resource:

• Willis, B. (1995). Distance Education Research Guide # 9. University of Idaho, College of Engineering excerpted from DISTANCE EDUCATION: A PRACTICAL GUIDE. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. Retrieved April 25, 2003, from http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/dist9.html.

Check Blackboard assignments area to see what these entail...

D5 - Distance Learning Research Discussion
G2 - Group Topic Discussion (discuss it, decide on a topic, report to instructor)

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W4 - IHEP, NSD, SD Summary and Reaction Paper

Review the Following Web Site Resources: ---You are not expected to read all these, so do not panic! ---

Possible topics for this week include the following or any others you wish to add. Here are some starting points for your research.

E-Learning
In Education: http://www.air.org/forum/pdf/E-Learning_Stokes.pdf
Office of Educational Technology: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/elearning/
US News: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/elearning/elhome.htm
UB: http://ubmail.ubalt.edu/~harsham/interactive.htm

ADA and Accessibility Issues
Government ADA site: http://www.section508.gov/
W3C Guidelines:
UT Designing for the Web: http://www.utexas.edu/web/guidelines/accessibility.html
ASTD Learning Circuits: http://www.learningcircuits.org/2001/aug2001/elearn.html

Copyright Issues
US Copyright Office (the motherload, but you may want to review some of this information and bookmark for future reference): http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
The Virtual SLA (Special Libraries Association) Copyright Resource Page (very complete!): http://www.sla.org/content/memberservice/inforesources/eips/reftool/copyrtweb.cfm
Copyright and Fair Use (ALA-American Libraries Assoc.): http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/ALA_Washington/Issues2/Copyright1/Copyright.htm
Computers & Libraries: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jun98/story2.htm
University of Illinois-Urbana- Copyright for Educators: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/copyright-2002/

Industry Standards
ASTD Learning Circuits: http://www.learningcircuits.org/nov2000/standards.html
IEEE: http://ltsc.ieee.org/

Learning Objects
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning: http://www.irrodl.org/content/v2.1/downes.html
Educational Technology and Society: http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_2_2000/discuss_summary_0200.html
The Instructional Use of Learning Objects: http://reusability.org/read/
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/CIE/AOP/learningobjects.html

Digital Divide
Study-The Digital Divide and Student Satisfaction: http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_3_2002/jung.html
Office of Educational Technology-ED Programs that Help Bridge the Digital Divide: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/digdiv.html

Designing and Developing Distance Learning
Barron, A. (1999). Teacher's Guide to Distance Learning Chapter 10 Implementing Distance Learning. Florida Center for Instructional Technology, Tampa. [Online] http://fcit.usf.edu/DISTANCE/chap10.htm
Willis, B. (1992). IPSE - Instructional Design and Development for Distance Education. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources [online] http://www.ihets.org/consortium/ipse/fdhandbook/inst_dd.html
Willis, B. (1992).IPSE - Strategies for Teaching at a Distance. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources [online] http://www.ihets.org/consortium/ipse/fdhandbook/inst_d.html
Mayton, G. (1996). The Course Design Document Division of Education Lewis-Clark State College. [Online] http://www.lcsc.edu/Education/cetl/cdd.html
Evaluation - Formative and Summative: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/informatics/techme/evaluati.htm
Big Dog's ISD Site: http://www.nwlink.com/%7Edonclark/hrd/sat.html
Quality Distance Education (QDE): Instructional Design http://www.uwex.edu/disted/design.html

For more ideas, try this site:
Instructional Technology Council - Distance Education Reports and Abstracts http://www.itcnetwork.org/reports.htm#Costs%20for%20Distance%20Learning

Check Blackboard assignments area to see what these entail...

D6/W4 - Choose one you are interested in and contribute to the round table

The writing assignment here is combined with the discussion...

Read the following articles:

• Twiggs, C. (Fall/Winter 1997). Letter by Carol Twiggs. NLII Viewpoint, Retrieved October 4, 2002, from http://www.educause.edu/nlii/articles/carol.html. (4 pages)
• Tang, B. (May 2000). "What's the difference between synchronous and asynchronous training?". ASTD Learning Circuts' Answer Geek, Retrieved October 4, 2002, from http://www.learningcircuits.org/may2000/may2000_geek.html (2 pages)

Understanding the tools for Asynchronous and Synchronous Delivery

The following readings selections should be used to understand both synchronous and asynchronous delivery of distance education.

First, this site:

• Learning Technologies Resource Center. (?). Learning Technology Tools, Selecting the Right Tool for Learning, Retrieved October 4, 2002, from http://www.opm.gov/hrd/lead/ltrc/showcase.html.

contains a matrix which provides information at-a-glance in order to compare and contrast the different types of technology available in both synchronous modes and asynchronous modes. In addition, the matrix shows how the technologies can be used for both groups and individuals. A distinction is made on this site between delivering simple information vs applying or demonstrating what’s been learned. This site contains links to examples that may help make more sense of the different technologies and how they can be used. Review the site to the level you feel comfortable without getting too lost in cyber space.

Asynchronous Tools

Anytime, anyplace learning is a commonly used description for asynchronous forms of distance or distributed learning. Print-based correspondence is generally considered the first example of asynchronous distance learning. Audio and videotapes of classroom lectures, and telecourses (such as those produced by the PBS adult learning services arm) gained prominence in the last few decades. More recently, the Internet and web-based learning added more options to the anytime, anyplace choices for learners constrained by time and/or place.

The part of our reading assignment about asynchronous tools is listed below with links provided. You are expected to complete the readings for Week 8 before you begin posting comments in the online discussion related to the assigned reading. The discussion will be more fruitful and each of us will get more out of it if everyone prepares by reading these articles before posting.

• Willis, B. (1995). Distance Education Research Guides 5, 6, 7, & 11. University of Idaho, College of Engineering excerpted from Distance Education: A Practical Guide. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications., Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/distglan.html.

Be sure to read all 4 of these:

1. "Guide 5: Instructional Television," at http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/dist5.html
2. "Guide 6: Computers in Education" at http://uidaho.edu/evo/dist6.html
3. "Guide 7: Print in Distance Education," at http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/dist7.html
4. "Guide 11: Distance Education and the WWW" at http://uidaho.edu/evo/dist11.html

Synchronous Tools

Traditional classroom-based education is considered synchronous or "same time, same place" learning, requiring students and teacher to appear at a designated time in the same room. Synchronous distance learning models preserve the shared time dimension, but add multiple locations for more convenient student access. This is what I term same time, some place learning. Typically, participation requires specialized equipment or distance learning classroom environments, including one-way video, two-way audio environments and fully interactive video conferencing—classroom based or via desktop conferencing. Recent advances are making it possible to conduct synchronous learning online as well. We will explore one of these options in the next few weeks.

The part of our reading assignment about synchronous tools is listed below with links provided. You are expected to complete the readings for Week 8 before you begin posting comments in the online discussion related to the assigned reading. The discussion will be more fruitful and each of us will get more out of it if everyone prepares by reading these articles before posting.

• Willis, B. (1995). Distance Education Research Guides 10. University of Idaho, College of Engineering excerpted from Distance Education: A Practical Guide. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications., Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.uidaho.edu/evo/dist10.html.
• Pachnowski. L."Connecting Two Dichotomous Environments through Distance Learning Technologies," Cause/Effect, 1999, 22 (3), 37-42., Retrieved October 4, 2002 http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/cem9937.html
• Cerny, M. & Heines, J."Evaluating Distance Education Across Twelve Time Zones," T.H.E. Journal, 2001, 28 (7)., Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A3296.cfm
• Zsiray, S.; Smith, T.; West, R."Desktop Videoconferencing," T.H.E. Journal, 2001, 28 (8)., Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A3362.cfm
• Barron, Tom "Online Learning Goes Synchronous", ASTD Leaning Circuits. Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.learningcircuits.org/jan2000/trends.html

Decision Making for Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Environments

Making decisions on how to use the tools we have been reading about can be a difficult job. Many of you will find yourself in a position either as an instructor, a designer or an administrator to make decisions on the tools and the application of those tools. The next selections of reading are meant to provide you with some ideas on how you would make those decisions.

There are many forms of distance education in the united states. The following table from Moore & Kearsley's book "Distance Education, A systems View" pg. 57 Table 3-6 summarizes the main characteristics of the four major approaches they discuss in their book in terms of degree of interaction (i.e.. Contact with faculty and students), degree of flexibility (i.e., enrollment and completion of courses), level of learning, and primary media used. On pg. 96, Table 5-3 discusses some of the strengths and weaknesses of the different delivery methods. These tables along with some of the articles you will find below should help you formulate an idea of how you would select delivery methods for your environment and students. There is no one perfect solution, so you will need to think through your own situations or those you might see in your future and consider how you would make the decisions on what to do.

Table 3-6 Comparison of Distance Education Approaches

Table 5-3 Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Media

• Bates, T. () Chapter 3 Selecting Technologies Sorting out the Differences. Technology, open learning and distance education. Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://itesm.cstudies.ubc.ca/561g/canada/resources/bates_ch3.html.
  • This chapter talks about the different decision processes that are often used to determine what technologies will be used for teaching. It then discusses better approaches based on cost factors and learning needs.
• Nystrom, H. E., & Rodriguez, D. (?). Distance Education: Internet Tool Selection Process, Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.umr.edu/~disteduc/paper.html
• Graziadei , W. D. et. al.. (?). Building Asynchronous and Synchronous Teaching-Learning Environments: Exploring a Course/Classroom Management System Solution, Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/monograph/CD/Technological_Tools/Graziadei.asp
• Hofmann, J., (January 2000). Choosing a Synchronous Learning Solution, ASTD Learning Circuts. Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://www.learningcircuits.org/jan2000/choose.html
• Learning on Demand, found using Wilson Select through the USF Virtual Library - Panitz, Beth ASEE Prism v. 7 no8 (Apr. 1998) p. 18-24. ISSN: 1056-8077 Number BED198011570
• Choosing & Using Technologies in Education & Training Checklist for Planning Retrieved October 4, 2002 from http://home.vicnet.net.au/~cute/tech2_fr.htm.

Check Blackboard assignments area to see what these entail...

G3 - Part I of Project Due
E1 - Group and Self Evaluations
Paper Topic approval/ Outline (EME7458 Only)

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D7 - Asynchronous Learning Discussion

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W5 - Planning and designing an asynchronous lesson
W6 - Formative Evaluation of Partner's Lesson

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D8 - Synchronous Learning Discussion
R2 - Reflective Discussion

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P1 - Participating and summary of a Synchronous Event - Requires a microphone and speakers
P1b - Asynchronous Make-up/Alternative of Synchronous Event
W7 - Synchronous Distance Learning Role Play
XC1- Extra Credit - Opinion of Synchronous event

Review the following articles:

Distributed Learning: New Challenges and Opportunities for Institutional Leadership (387KB; pdf) http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/distributed-learning/distributed-learning-03.pdf. (25 Pages)

Levine, A. & Sun, J. C. (2002). Barriers to Distance Education. American Council on Education Center for Policy Analysis. Retrieved April 28, 2003 from http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/distributed-learning/distributed-learning-06.pdf. (22 Pages)

IHEP. (2000). Quality on the Line Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education. The Institute for Higher Education Policy. Retrieved April, 28 2003 from http://www.nea.org/he/abouthe/Quality.pdf. (33 Pages)

King,J. W. , et al. (2000, Spring). Policy Frameworks for Distance Education: Implications for Decision Makers. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 3(2). Retrieved April 25, 2003 from
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/king32.html (6 pages).

Marx, R. J. (1999). Conducting a Cost Comparison Excerpt from - The ASTD Media Selection Tool for Workplace Learning. Virginia: ASTD Publications Department. Supplement to assist in written assignment Tools: Conducting a Cost Comparison Word Document ( 24064 Bytes).

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D9 - Discussion on Administration and Evaluation of Distance Learning

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W8 - Design a Rubric to grade Distance Education Programs
W9 - Using another groups Rubric and providing feedback

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D10/G4 - Facilitate Your Project Discussion & Project Presentation
Optional - Facilitate Your Paper Discussion (EME7458 Only)

E3 - Group and Self Evaluations
G5 - Final Project Due
All Rewrites due!
Final Paper Due (EME7458 Only)
XC2 - Extra Credit - Take The Exit Survey

The final project for this course is designed to provide you the opportunity to analyze many of the primary issues in developing a Distance Education course, lesson or program. The project will be completed in your pre-assigned groups so collaborate on ideas and work in a team environment like you would in real life. The final project consists of a professional design document or proposal that should describe a specific Distance Learning course, lesson(s) or program for a specific audience, in a specific educational setting of your choosing. This can be a real course, lesson, or program (i.e., putting something that already exists into Distance Learning format). It can also be one that does not currently exist but you think should be offered. Ideally this proposal could be used for a real life situation for one of your team members or an organization in which you are involved.

The goal of this project is for you to design and plan a Distance Learning course, lesson or program, not to actually create it. Think of it as a proposal to an important group of people who will make the decision if the project will get funding. I will be grading your projects on the depth of analysis and will look to see that that the knowledge you should have gained in this course is reflected. This is not a life's work, so keep it concise. The document should be somewhere in the area of 10-20 pages double-spaced. You will also be required to present, in some fashion, the content and context of your project to the rest of the class in an asynchronous manner and facilitate a discussion about your ideas.

Paper
(EME7458 Only)