'The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.'
Alvin Toffler

The information that can be included in this section changes hourly. What was once a trickle has become a roar. However, it should be noted that not all the roar has been subjected to rigorous research standards.

My intent is that this page will contain bits and pieces from the research articles I have managed to find time to read. It will be followed by a complete bibliography that includes articles found online that I intend to read soon. The intent of the overall page is to serve as an introduction and a portal for additional research. I welcome any contributions to the page and the bibliography.

A great deal of the information currently available here comes courtesy of notes from " Considerations for Developing and Evaluating On-Line Courses," a presentation by Sue D. Achtemeier, Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, and presented at Lilly Conference - South, Athens, GA, February 8, 2002. Anything good comes from her. The mistakes are all mine.

• Course Design
  Online learning has presented us with an opportunity to truly reinvent the wheel we call education. Here are some tips for that process.
• Online Learning/Teaching Style
  Not all students tolerate the traditional patriarchal academic structure. Similarly, not all students will tolerate the new educational paradigm. The same can be said of their professors. Is there an online learning/teaching style that is necessary for success in web-based courses? This section looks at some of the arguments.
• Student Support
  How do we replace the encouraging smile and the pat on the back? Consider these ideas.
• Structure and Organization of Content
  

• Assessment and Evaluation
  

Bibliography for this page.
Bibliography for the site.
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Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, Chickering and Gamson, 1987
• Encourages student-faculty contact
• Encourages cooperation among students
• Encourages active learning
• Gives prompt feedback
• Emphasizes time on task
• Communicates high expectations
• Respects diverse talents and ways of learning

Applying the Seven Principles to the Evaluation of Web Based Distance Learning Graham, Cagiltay, Craner, Lim, & Duffy, 2000

• Student-faculty interaction
• Faculty need skill with asynchronous conferencing tools
• Faculty must clearly and adequately communicate their email response policy to students
• Faculty must detect and contact students who are falling behind
• Cooperation among students
• Faculty should begin with structured activities that facilitate community among students
• Faculty should develop assignments that require meaningful peer interaction
• Active Learning
• Students should be asked to present their work to the rest of the class electronically
• Prompt feedback
• Faculty should give immediate acknowledgement feedback upon receipt of an assignment as well as prompt information feedback regarding the students work
• Time on task
• Students should have structured assignment deadlines throughout the term
• Assignments should require easily accessible resources
• High Expectations
• Faculty should provide examples of exemplary performance to students, e.g. bulletin board discussions
• Faculty should provide periodic feedback to individuals and groups on their performance
• Diverse talents and ways of learning
• No medium-specific recommendations

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Structured learning situations are often associated with previous, unsuccessful methods of education. Thus, it is best to try to make a learning experience involving adult learners as different as possible from elementary and secondary experiences. (P12, Draves) Some of the symbols perceived as childish to particular adults might be school buildings in general (in which case meeting outside the institution might be appropriate), podiums, rows of chairs, or chalkboards. (P47, Knowles) The following list of tips is geared toward improving the social climate.

• Creating the climate begins before the first student arrives. It is created through any contact the learner has with the educator. It is built when that educator recognizes the learner as a fellow learner. It is created through print materials pertaining to the class when these materials allow the learner to be part of the design of the course. It continues with the initial greeting and the opportunity to meet fellow learners. Participants must be placed in a sharing relationship at the outset. (P.270, Knowles)

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• Websites aimed at information retrieval are designed differently from those aimed toward surfers. The goals are conflicting ones. (P10-11, Spool, et al.) If you don't choose your approach carefully, you are in danger of alienating the learner.
• Website users do not form mental models of a site. Therefore, the integration of numerous navigational links is very important.(P18-20, Spool, et al.)

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• The following summarizes "Principles of Effective Teaching in the Online Classroom, " Weiss, Knowlton, & Speck, Editors, 2000.
  Five Principles, supported by research, for evaluating durable learning in the online classroom:
  • 1.   Does the class encourage a student's active participation in his/her own learning?
  • 2.   Is learning grounded in effective, i.e. contextual, authentic, case-based, examples?
  • 3.   Is collaborative problem solving encouraged?
  • 4.   Is feedback commensurate with performance?
  • 5. Is instruction embedded with motivational components for self-efficacy and challenge?
  Some questions suggested by the document's contents that are relevant to evaluating students' experiences in online courses:
  • 1.   Were the course goals and learning objectives and outcomes made clear to you at the beginning of the course?
  • 2.    Did you have the necessary technological equipment and skills required for this course?
  • 3.    Was there adequate technical support if you encountered difficulties?
  • 4.    Was the format and page design of the online course easy to use?
  • 5.    Were there sufficient instructions given for you to complete all assignments?
  • 6. Did you feel hindered in your online course experience any way? Please describe.
  • 7.    Were standards for evaluation of assignments made clear?
  • 8.    Did you receive prompt feedback on your completed assignments?
  • 9.    Did you participate in online conversations with your instructor during the course?
  • 10.  Did you participate in online conversations with your classmates during the course?
  • 11. What learning activities most influenced your learning in this course?

From "Assessment Essentials, Palomba & Banta," 1999
• Assessment should be preceded by explicitly stated outcomes.
• Assessment should distinguish between formative and summative uses.
• Assessment should have strong faculty buy-in.
• Multiple methods should be used.
• Assessment results should be shared and used.
• The assessment itself should be assessed.

From "Students' Evaluations of University Teaching" , Marsh, 1984
• Students can give accurate evidence about:
  • -their actual experiences
  • -their satisfaction with those experiences
  • -reflections on their own preparation and effort
  • -background information
• Good questions should:
  • -be worded clearly and simply
  • -not be biased or leading
  • -each stand alone and address only one issue
  • -have appropriate response categories
  • -be logically laid out
  • –general to specific
  • –personal information at the end

Lessons Learned:
There is not one fixed theory about how to assess online courses. Instruments tend to ask what someone wants to know. Understanding the people involved may be the most important part of a successful project.

Free software for creating an online survey is available at http://www.perseusdevelopment.com/

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Berge, Z. L. (1996) The Role of the Online Instructor/Facilitator. Available at: http://star.ucc.nau.edu/~mauri/moderate/teach_online.html
This article offers recommendations on the pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical roles of the instructor.

Board of Regents. Educational Technology and the Age of Learning: Transforming the Enterprise. Sixteen principles from the University System of Georgia.

Brown, A. (1997). Designing for Learning: What are the essential features of an effective online course? Australian Journal of Educational Technology,13(2), 115-126.

Chickering, A. W., & Ehrmann, S. C. (9/21/2000). Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever. Available: http://www.aahe.org/technology/ehrmann.htm.

Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (02/11/2002). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, 1983. http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/7princip.htm.

Cuseo, J. B. (2000). Assessment of the First Year Experience. First-Year Assessment Listserv. Available: Listserv@vm.sc.edu"draves">Draves, W. A. (1999). Teaching Online. Kansas: The Learning Resources Network.
I haven't read it yet but look forward to this a work by this author.

Evergreen Menu. Assessment and Evaluation

Feldman, K.A.(1976). The Superior College Teacher from the Students' View. Research in Higher Eduation,5, 243-288.

Flashlight Program. (2000, April). Planning, Implementing and Evaluating Programs that Assure Widespread Computer Usage: A Strategy. Available: http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/flashlight.html

Graham,C., Cagiltay, K., Craner, J., Lim, B., & Duffy, T. M. (2000). Teaching in a Web Based Distance Learning Environment: An Evaluation Based on Four Courses. (CRLT Technical Report No. 13-00). Bloomington: Indiana University Center for Research on Learning and Technology.

Graham,C., Duffy, T. M., Craner, J., Lim, B., & Cagiltay, K. (2000, August 18). Applying the Seven Principles to the Evaluation of Web Based Distance Education. F-LIGHT E-Newsletter for the Flashlight Program.

King, J.W. (2000, September 21). Seven Principles of Good Teaching Practice. Available: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/departments/agronomy/nciss/kingsat2.html.

Knowles, M. (1980). The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy. New Jersey: Cambridge/Prentice Hall Regents.
The Draves book (above) draws heavily from this classic work.

Marsh, H. W. (1984). Students' Evaluations of University Teaching: Dimensionality, Reliability, Validity, Potential Biases, and Utility. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76,(5), 707-754.

Palomba, C.A., & Banta, T. W. (1999). Assessment Essentials. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Phipps, R.,& Merisotis, J. (1999). What's the Difference? A Review of Contemporary Research on the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Higher Education. Washington,D.C.: The Institute for Higher Education Policy.

Quality Assurance in University System Academic Programs. Concept Paper Draft 3-37-00.

Ragan, L. C. (1999). Good Teaching is Good Teaching: An Emerging Set of Guiding Principles for the Design and Development of Distance Education. CAUSE/EFFECT Journal,22(1). Available: http://www.educause.niss.ac.uk/ir/library/html/cem9915.html.

Reeves, T., & Reeves,P. M. (1996). Effective Dimensions of Interactive Learning on the World Wide Web. Web-Based Instruction, 59-66.

Reeves,T., & Laffey, J.M. (1999). Design, Assessment, and Evaluation of a Problem-based Learning Environment in Undergraduate Engineering. Higher Education Research & Development,18(2), 219-232.

Reeves, T. (2000,April 27). Enhancing the Worth of Instructional Technology Research through "Design Experiments" and Other Development Research Strategies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.

Reeves, T. (2000, July 21). Evaluating What Really Matters in Computer-Based Education. Available: http://www.educationau.edu.au/archives/cp/reeves.htm.

Reisberg, L. (2000, November 17). Are Students Actually Learning? The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Richardson, J.A., & Turner, A. (2001). Collaborative Learning in a Virtual Classroom: Lessons Learned and a New Set of Tutor Guidelines. National Teaching and Learning Forum, 10(2), Available: http://www.ntfl.com/

Shank, P., MA Ed.(1999, July) Online Instructor Competencies. Available at: http://www.insighted.com/instrcom.htm
Recommendations for the actions of a good distance educator are offered.

Spool, J. M., Scanlon, T., Schroeder, W., Snyder, C., DeAngelo, T.. (1997). Web Site Usability. North Andover, MA: User Interface Engineering.
If you are designing web pages and are concerned about readability, this book is a must-have.

Terenzini, P.T. (1989). Assessment with Open Eyes: Pitfalls in Studying Student Outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 60(6), 644-664.

University System of Georgia Model for Program Review. Draft – March 2000.

Weiss, R.E., Knowlton, D.S., & Speck, B. W. (Eds.) (2000). Principles of Effective Teaching in the Online Classroom. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 84.

White, E. M. (2000, November 10). Bursting the Bubble Sheet: How to Improve Evaluations of Teaching. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

...(1999). Report of the University of Illinois: Teaching at an Internet Distance Seminar. http://www.vpaa.uillinois.edu/tid/report/toc.html
Please excuse my abysmal reference style. In mathematics, I had little experience with either APA or MLA. I "clepped" English. I'm paying for it now.;-)

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Last edited: Feb. 2002.
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