Product Description
”This book is an effective blend of theory and practice — one that instructors, students, and administrators in higher education should keep close at hand for quick reference and practical advice on what works in distance learning.” –Laurie P. Dringus, Nova Southeastern University, Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences
”A fine addition to the literature about distance learning. The key topics concerning gender, strategy, assessment, instru… More >>
#1 by Felix Diaz on February 5, 2010 - 12:49 am
I was shocked to receive the book with the cover bound backwards; to use the book, I have to turn the book to the back cover.
I never expected something like this from Amazon without prior disclosure. I kept the book because I need it.
I’ll definitely disclose this anomaly when I sell the book after using it.
I am very leery about buying from Amazon again.
Felix Diaz
Rating: 2 / 5
#2 by Soren on February 5, 2010 - 3:36 am
This book is very helpful, especially for the planning stages of Distance Ed. However, one gets the idea that the writers are trying to sound like academics on purpose. The style in which it was written is very wordy unnecessarily, and quite laborious to read.
Also, while most institutions of higher learning adopt constructivist views, one would do well to research the true history and philosophy behind constructivism…it has some rather glaring flaws.
All in all, it is a fine book.
Rating: 3 / 5
#3 by Nancy Savenko on February 5, 2010 - 3:59 am
Greetings! This book is a must read for any administrator, faculty, or staff personnel looking to survive or thrive in the increasingly important but competitive market of delivering distance learning in higher education. The author’s, professors experienced with various facets of online education, succinctly address essential components needed to design, deliver, and evaluate an effective online degree program. In addition, the author’s outline the theoretical foundation for distance learning, include considerations to address the challenges of diverse learners’, provide useful information to both assess student learning and increase student engagement, and identify issues and red flags for accreditation or reaffirmation of accreditation.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by T. Corsico Piccolino on February 5, 2010 - 4:47 am
This is probably one of the best comprehensive texts concerning online educational programs that I’ve ever read. It’s an excellent blend of theory and practice and it covers every aspect of designing and implementing successful online education programs. This text covers everything from understanding gender & cultural learner differences to effective course design and initiating student discussions to strategic planning and student assessments. This is an excellent text for any DE library.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Timothy Spaulding on February 5, 2010 - 6:32 am
What makes the book special and sets it apart from others on the market is that it considers distance learning at the college and university levels from the program level rather than the course level. There are numerous books on how to design and deliver an effective online course, but far fewer which consider how to design and deliver an effective online degree program.
To borrow from the book’s description: “This useful resource describes best practices for designing online programs and courses. Providing a roadmap for those wishing to design and implement a distance learning program, this up-to-date volume explains how to facilitate and moderate interactions using a constructivist approach, presents strategies that respond to race- and gender-related challenges, provides a model for evaluating distance education programs, identifies strategies that promote valid and reliable evaluations of online teaching, and addresses institution and distance education program accreditation issues.” The book is divided as follows.
Chapter 1 – Concepts of Distance Learning: theoretical foundations of distance learning including constructivism, adult teaching and learning, computer-mediated communication, sense of community, presence, self-directed and autonomous learning, and social equity; and communication tools and conferencing tools
Chapter 2 – Gender: gendered impacts of online technologies, gender-specific teaching roles, gender-specific learning differences, and strategies for overcoming gender challenges to online learning
Chapter 3 – Culture: situational challenges (e.g., digital divide, personal costs, computer-mediated communication, and racism), dispositional challenges (e.g., field dependency, high/low context communication, and collectivism/individualism), and multicultural education
Chapter 4 – Strategic Planning: identification of program need, the strategic planning process, distance education planning challenges and strategies
Chapter 5 – Program and Course Design: program and course design models, instructional design approaches, online learning technologies, copyright and fair use standards, and accessibility in distance education
Chapter 6 – Assessment of Student Learning: types of assessments (e.g., independent work and group work) and academic dishonesty (e.g., identity fraud and plagiarism)
Chapter 7 – Online Discussions: planning student engagement (e.g., socioemotional interactions, task-oriented interactions, feedback, burnout, and participation rubrics) and conducting online (i.e., facilitating and moderating discussions) discussions
Chapter 8 – Program Evaluation: evaluability assessment, types of evaluation, standards and benchmarks
Chapter 9 – Institution and Program Accreditation: accreditation process and distance education
Chapter 10 – Course Evaluation: multistage course evaluation model
Chapter 11 – Summary and Conclusion
Appendix A – Example Extract from a Strategic Plan
Appendix B – Analytic Participation Rubric
Appendix C – Evidence of Quality Distance Learning Programs
Glossary
References
Index
About the Authors
Rating: 5 / 5