Distance Learning
Most teachers currently engage in some sort of "distance learning" pedagogies,
whether they use their class web pages for instruction/sharing of information or email
for answering student questions. Most of our students' time is spent outside our classrooms,
not in them. The links below offer suggestions, primarily, for teachers engaging in
the sort of distance learning that happens without a "brick-and-ivy" classroom
space, but the tips for online technologies will be useful to all teachers who use
computer technologies in their teaching. These links explain what distance learning
is, what sort of technologies might be most effective, what roles teaching and learning
styles play in effective distance education, and how teachers and students might go
about making the most of such courses and technologies.
What Is Distance Learning?
- Distance Education at a Glance (Idaho)
- Several key links that explain what distance education is (and isn't), what technologies
people have used, which technologies work best in which situations, and other helpful
tips for educators starting out in distance learning.
- Good Teaching
Is Good Teaching (Lawrence Regan, Penn State)
- This article outlines five broad categories for teachers to consider while working
as distance educators and offers principles of practice on topics like learning goals,
student-teacher interactions, assessment, instructional media, and learning support.
- Instructional
Design for Online Course Development (Illinois Online Network)
- A collection of tips and techniques for delivering online courses. Of particular
interest for new-comers would be the link "Alternatives to the Online Lecture."
Other Resources
- American Center for the Study of Distance
Education (Penn State)
- Breaking the Online Barrier (Edith
Cowan U, Australia)
- Distance-Educator.com
- Instructional Design
Workshop (R. Eanes, St. Edward's U)
- Models of Distance Education (Maryland)
- U.S. Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
- What Do You
Want to Use Technology For? (UMUC)
