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Chapter 1 - Taking the Leap

 
General education information    
  Education Review - A journal of book reviews   Book reviews for (primarily academically oriented) education related books. Indexed by title or author or do a Boolean search.
  For the Record: Facts and Figures in Adult Learning   Links to adult and distance learning and training stats
New views about learning    
  Learning Economics Group   Learning Economics Group studies "the strategic value of learning, both informal and formal, and its economic impact on an organization or corporation."
  LineZine   Articles about new ways of working and thinking with an emphasis on the value of learning.
  Teaching Learners to be Self-Directed   Online version of often cited article that appeared in Adult Education Quarterly, Vol. 41, No. 3, Spring 1991.
  Knowing Knowledge Wiki   George Siemens' self-published book about changes that are impacting learning and knowledge and changes required to align corporations and educational institutions with these trends. Can order hard copy here: http://www.lulu.com/content/498127
General information about online learning    
  Online Learning conference handouts 2003   Handouts from one the 2003 Online Learning Conference.
  Encyclopedia of Instructional Technology   Collection of concise explanations on a variety of topics related to instructional design and instructional technology. Good place to start (to get an overview) when researching a topic.
  General Information about E-Learning   Saul Carliner's e-learning links
  E-Learning Basics   eLearn Magazine, published by ACM, an educational association serving computing-related fields, provides this list of articles for folks wanting to learn about online learning.
  Theory and Practice of Online Learning   Athabasca University has compiled 30+ years of lessons learned in this free 454-page book (PDF). It covers theory, infrastructure, design and development, student support, and much more. Written for higher education but useful for anyone developing or using online learning.
  U of Wisconsin Annual Conference on Distance Teaching and Learning Proceedings   Conference Resource Library: Session proceedings, papers, handouts, and PPTs
  oles / vles: ONLINE / VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS   Very long (and looks like regularly updated) list of links about blogging, chat, computer-mediated communication, vommunity building online, e-mentoring, e-moderation, teaching and learning online, and wikis.
  Edutopia - Grant links   Resources for grant funding for instructional technology projects
  Learning Support Centers in Higher Education/Resources/Online Teaching Learning   A higher education resource focusing on online teaching and learning wity an emphasis on the student learner.
International Instructional Technology    
  World Almanac of Educational Technologies   Evolving resource exploring technology integration efforts around the world. Divided into countries and regions, each containing an overview of technology integration and educational policies and a case study providing in-depth analysis of the relationship between technological tools and education.
Industry    
  The 2003 e-learning readiness rankings   Economist Intelligence Unit's international elearning readiness rankings, as determined by "Connectivity (the quality and extent of Internet infrastructure), Capability (a country’s ability to deliver and consume e-learning, based on literacy rates, and trends in training and education), Content (the quality and pervasiveness of online learning materials) and Culture (behaviours, beliefs and institutions that support e-Learning development within country)."
  Thwarted innovation: What happened to e-learning and why. A Final Report for The Weatherstation Project of The Learning Alliance at the University of Pennsylvania in cooperation with the Thomson Corporation   A University of Pennsylvania / Thomson Corporation study that looks at the adoption (or lack adoption) of elearning on campuses and mistaken assumptions. Helpful insights for everyone in this field.
  Entering the Mainstream: The Quality and Extent of Online Education in the United States, 2003 and 2004   Second annual Alfred P. Sloan Foundation study of the state of online education in U.S. Higher Education.
Cost analysis    
  How to Determine the Real Cost of e-Learning Programs   How to accurately cost elearning programs.
  Determining the Costs of Online Courses   Student thesis attempt about costs involved in the establishment of online learning in higher ed.
  Online Worksheet Helps Colleges Anticipate the Costs of Distance Education   Interactive worksheet generates a spreadsheet with expected estimates of cost and revenue projections for the first seven years of an online program.
  Measuring the Total Cost of e-Learning   Basics of measuring direct and indirect costs of elearning.
Benchmarks, quality    
  The ASTD Institute E-learning Courseware Certification (ECC) Standards ©   List of standards that ASTD suggests using in evaluating asynchronous online courses.
  Quality of the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education   Report by Institute for Higher Education Policy and Blackboard. Identifies 24 critical benchmarks for higher education Internet based distance education.
  The Sloan Consortium Report to the Nation FIVE PILLARS OF QUALITY ONLINE EDUCATION   Report from 2002 workshop, also see effective practices framework: http://www.aln.org/effective/framework.asp
  Rubric for Online Instruction   Guidelines for assessing the quality of online courses, developed by The Committee for Online Instruction (COI) at Chico State.
  A Model for Sustainable Student Retention: A Holistic Perspective on the Student Dropout Problem with Special Attention to e-Learning   Berge and Huang's article discusses "conditions that influence institutional effectiveness in reducing dropout, factors that influence students performance and that contribute to a student's decision to leave formal education and training, and the role of faculty and staff regarding the impact on students decisions to persist."
  Quality Matters: Inter-Institutional Quality Assurance in Online Learning   From the Quality Matters project, an inter-institutional continuous improvement model for assuring quality of online courses. Rubric of 40 research-based elements that positively impact student learning.
Training and education to gain needed skills    
  GetEducated.com’s Best Distance Learning Graduate Schools: Education & Library Science 2003   Free 50-page, downloadable guide to distance learning graduate schools with education programs (including instructional design and technology) in the USA
  Designing and Implementing Web-based Learning Environments Online Certificate Program   Shameless plug: This is the online certificate program I helped develop and am a faculty member in. Focus is on design and development skills.
  HTML Writers Guild   Online web development classes at very reasonable prices. Better once you have some experience as these are aimed towards higher level skills.
  San Francisco State University Multimedia Studies Program   An online web development program that I have heard some very good things about from fellow instructional technologists.
Professional organizations    
  International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI)   ISPI is an international association dedicated to workplace performance in the workplace. Represents corporate trainers in organizations around the world. Conferences, publications, and other services. Check out local chapters for networking and professional development opportunities.
  American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)   ASTD is a large corporate training organization with local chapters. Conferences, publications, and other services.
  eLearning Guild   Community of Practice for designers, developers, and managers of e-Learning. Conferences, publications, and other services. Members include corporate, government, and academic organizations with interest in eLearning.
  Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT)   AECT links professionals in the field of educational communications and technology. More research-driven and academically oriented than the other professional organizations. Conferences, publications, and other services.
Journals, Lists, eZines, Blogs, and other publications    
  ASTD’s Learning Circuits   ASTD’s e-zine about elearning. Some very good articles here. If you’re new, start with E-Learning 101. Then search look for my articles! ;-)
  eLearn Magazine   eLearn Magazine is an online magazine published by ACM, a not-for-profit educational association serving those who work, teach, and learn in the various computing-related fields.
  edtechnot.com   Here's their tagline: "where educational technologists come to think"
  Open Access Journals in the Field of Education   Electronic journals that are scholarly, peer-reviewed, full text, and freely accessible (no cost)
  The Journal of Distance Learning Administration   Free, Web-based, peer-reviewed electronic journal on distance education.
  Instructional Technology Forum (ITFORUM)   Scholarly forum for discussing instructional technology.
  AACE Digital Library   Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education's Digital Library provides access to peer-reviewed and published international journal articles and proceedings papers on research, developments, and applications related to all educational technology.
  Innovate, journal of online education   Bimonthly, peer-reviewed online journal published by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University. Focuses on creative uses of information technology in academia, industry, and government settings.
  International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning   Refereed journal with a global focus on research and innovation in teaching and learning. Published by Duquesne University.
  Distance-Educator.com   Information, news, and tools for distance education and eLearning.
Conferences    
  Distance Education Clearing House Conference Database   Distance Education Clearing House Conference Database
  VNU Conferences   Upcoming Training & Online Learning and Training Director’s Forum conferences
  Online Educa Berlin   Annual International Conference for Technology Supported Learning and Training
  Online Educa Madrid   Annual International conference for European and Latin American E-Learning Experts
Research    
  edtechnot.com research links   Links to instructional technology research reports and studies
  Research Links on Instructional Uses of Technology   Research links listed at The Educational Technology Development Center (ETDC), a cooperative effort of the nine Educational Technology Support Centers
  Educational Resources Information Ceneter (ERIC)   ERIC database includes education articles and research
  Proceedings from the Networked Learning Conference 2004   Proceedings from the Networked Learning Conference 2004, held at Lancaster University, England, UK, April 5-7, 2004.

 

Chapter 2 - What About Learning

 

Learning theory    
  M. Driscoll. (2000). Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 2nd edition, Allyn and Bacon.   A classic guide to learning theories, used in many graduate level education programs
  The TIP Database   Theory into Practice Database presents snippets of information about 50 theories related to learning and instruction.
  J.S. Brown, A. Collins, & and P. Duguid. Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning.   Compelling article about how we really learn.
  Teaching and Learning Theories   Links to resources on learning theory and instructional design
Interaction    
  Anderson, T. (2002, October 3). Getting the mix right again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction.   Discussion posted to ITFORUM mailing list.
  M. G. Moore. (1989).Three types of interaction, American Journal of Distance Education, 3(2), 1-6.   Foundational article on types of interaction.
  Sims, R. C. H. (1997). Interactivity: A forgotten art? Computers in Human Behavior, 13(2), 157-180,   Classifications of interaction.
  Lave, J. & E. Wenger. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.   Fundamental book about how we learn through participation in communities of practice.
  W. K. Horton. (2000). Designing Web-Based Training: How To Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime. John Wiley & Sons.   Great examples of potential activities for online instruction.
  Collaboration Supercharges Performance   Jay Cross of the Internet Time Group's ASTD 2004 presentation on changes in computing and learning models. Good view of the what the near future looks like.
  The Use of Computer and Video Games for Learning   A detailed review of the research on computer games for education. Describes impact on learning, how games can be best used to augment learning, and design recommendations.
  Online Collaborative Learning in Higher Education   This site is devoted to best practices in online collaboration and includes links to online articles, books, journals, and other information.
  Kolabra   Robin Good's site provides information about synchronous online presentations and live collaboration and tools used for this purpose.
  Understanding Online Interaction   Dr. David Wiley's class on social interaction tools.. great stuff here!
Teaching online    
  Instructional Resources   Links to resources of interest to faculty on teaching and learning, accessibility, copyright, intellectual property, academic honesty, tools and course creation, and more
  EDUCAUSE Information Resources Library Home Page   The EDUCAUSE Information Resources Library is a repository for information about managing and using information technology in higher education. Includes: documents, plans, conference papers, EDUCAUSE articles and Web resources.

 

Chapter 3 - The Language of Online Learning

 
Internet/information technology terminology    
  How the Internet Works   From the "How Stuff Works” folks. Very helpful and easy to understand. Check out How Web Pages Work and How Web Servers Work first.
  Whatis.com   A good dictionary of IT related terms.
  webTeacher   A site designed to teach educators about how different Web technologies and tools work.
  Webmonkey   Webmonkey is one of my favorite sources to learn abdout Internet technologies.
  LearnTCPIP.com   Tutorials on Internet standards: IP, TCP, Ethernet, IP Addressing, Subnetting, DNS, and the OSI Model
  Web Standards Link Bonanza   A list of links related to web standards (XHTML, accessibility, CSS, etc.)
  Basic Computer Skills Self-Assessment   A useful self-assessment quiz to determine if user has basic computer, Word processing, email, and Internet literacy.
Online learning terminology    
  United States Distance Learning Association Distance Learning Glossary   Glossary of common distance learning terms. More higher education focused.
  e-Learning Acronyms   Acronyms commonly used in the online learning field with definitions.
  Learning Circuits Glossary   Good glossary of online learning terms.

 

Chapter 4 - Designing for the Web

 

Instructional design    
  S. Carliner. (2002). Designing E-Learning. ASTD.   Systematic plan for designing online learning.
  Big Dog’s ISD Page   Donald Clark’s site on human resource development, instructional design, and related concepts. Almost like a textbook on the basics of the instructional design process.
  A process for selecting training methods   Systematic approach to selecting training mehtods
  e-learning for Development   Rice Knowledge Bank's description of instructional design for online learning
  Instructional Design Tips for Online Instruction   Companion to Rubric for Online Instruction (see Benchmarks, quality category)
  Role Play Simulation for Teaching and Learning   This site presents a collection of papers on the theories and applications of role play simulation for teaching and learning. There are links to other educational simulation references and to a bibliography of related articles.
  The VID   The Virtual Instructional Designer (VID) is a grant-funded project to create a Web-based performance tool for faculty designing Web-based courses. Resources: best practices, tutorials. links.
  IMS Learning Design Best Practice and Implementation Guide   IMS Global Learning Consortium framework to support "pedagogical diversity and innovation, while promoting the exchange and interoperability of e-learning materials."
  Instructional Design Models   Martin Ryder's comprehensive list of links to resources on instructional design models by model type and theorists.
  Testing and assessment online   e-Learning Centre's list of resources on testing and assessment of learners.
Performance technology and systems thinking    
  First Things Fast companion site   Performance analysis information and tools to go along with the book. Good on its own, too.
  Performance Technology links   Martin Ryder's list of performance technology links
  Road Maps: A Guide to Learning System Dynamics   Road Maps is a self-study guide on learning system dynamics developed by the System Dynamics in Education Project at MIT.
Usability/information architecture    
  Human Factors International   Good training courses and resources. Can recommend their Science and Art of Effective Web and Application Design as a good starting course. Their free email newsletter is great, too. Not specific to online learning.
  L. Rosenfeld & and P. Morville. (2002). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, 2nd edition. O'Reilly & Associates.   Basic text on information architecture
  Krug, S. (2000). Don't Make Me Think. Circle.com library.   Want to know about how to make sites easy to use? Start here. Fun to read!
  Models, Process, and Techniques of Information Design   Saul Carliner’s information design resource. Great source of information on this topic.
  CHI_WEB   A great discussion list on web usability. Here’s an archive of summaries of discussions (amazing!): http://www.uiweb.com/other/chiweb.htm
  Research-based Web Design & Usability Guidelines   The National Cancer Institute's collection of design guidelines and research to support them.
  What Does the End Product Look Like?   Using storyboards to design the visual interface
  Annotated list of Interaction/Web design resources, books, and websites   Resource links on web design and usability
Graphic design    
Copyright    
  Copyright and Multimedia Law for Webbuilders and Multimedia Authors   Links to copyright resources for digital publishers.
  Copyown   Resources and collections of copyright and intellectual property policies for the higher ed community.
  Copyright Bay   The purpose of this site is to inform educators about copyright issues in non-profit settings (higher ed)

 

Chapter 5 - Tools and Technologies, Development

 
General tools and technologies    
  webmonkey   Got a question about web development? This is one of the first places I go for answers.
  W. Horton & K. Horton. (2003). e-learning Tools and Technologies: A consumer's guide for trainers, teachers, educators, and instructional designers. John Wiley & Sons.   Describes tools and technologies.
  R. Williams & J. Tollet. (2000). The Non-Designer's Web Book, 2nd Edition. Peachpit Press.   Overview of web technologies and design.
  Web Tools for Learning   Site provides information on a variety of technology tools useful for university teaching. Links to information on free/shareware and commercial assessment, course delivery and management, discussion, authoring, and search capabilities.
  Edutools   Information specifically for the higher education community about course management tools (like Blackboard, WebCT, etc.), student services, and elearning policies.
  Stephen Downes’ Web   Once you have the basics down and want to venture into what smart instructional technology thinkers are thinking about how technology can be shaped for teaching and learning, go to Stephen Downes’ site. He’s one of my favorite thinkers and writers on this subject.
  SCORM development tools   SCORM compliant test builder and Dreamweaver SCORM manifest maker
  Macromedia eLearning   Macromedia's elearning related content, articles, tools
  Dreamweaver and Fireworks Job Aids   My colleague Dave Young has put together some great Dreamweaver job aids and is working on others for Fireworks. These are for his students but you can use them too... they're good! (Of course they're good, Dave did them!)
  Best Freeware Programs   Links to personal selection of the best of the best freeware programs. Free means free when used for non-commercial or home use.
  E-Learning Tool Categories   List of tool types and if you click on each tool category (it's not obvious these are links), a list of vendor links for each category
  Collaborative Tools Evaluation Site   The site evaluates synch and asynch, text based, audio, video, polling, and whiteboard tools, with priority given to free tools. Maintained by Athabasca University's Centre for Distance Education (CDE), as a collaborative activity by its faculty and graduate students.
  University of Minnesota Deluth Web Design References   Great set of (what looks like well maintained) links on web design including Accessibility, Dreamweaver, JavaScript, CSS, PHP, and more.
Weblogs (blogs) and Wikis    
  The Art of Blogging - Part 1 Overview, Definitions, Uses, and Implications   Intro article on blogging
  webloggia   Links to how-tos and resources for instructional blogging
  Educational Weblogs   Educational blogging portal
  Blogging Across the Curriculum   Blogging resource site
  weblogg-ed   How to use weblogs and RSS in education
  Learning with (and from) Wiki   From Amy Gahran's Contentious blog, discussing benefits and challenges wikis for learning. Includes links to wiki resources, and articles about what they are and how they are different than weblogs.
  Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia   Want to see a heavily used wiki in action? This open-content encyclopedia allows users to contribute and edit articles. Many people consider this site to be a must-see resource when researching a topic.
  The Wide World of Wiki: Choosing a wiki for an element of a fully online undergraduate course   James Farmer's evaluation of wikis
  Teaching and learning online with wikis   Good intro to wikis and how to use them in online learning.
Authoring/programming    
  DMX Zone   Site contains tutorials and articles for Macromedia authoring tools. Generally not beginner level but a good resource once you get past basic skills.
  TrainingTools.com   Tutorials for commonly used Web development tools. Some are free.
  Writing HTML   Easy to follow, plus it's an excellent example of a low bells and whistles instructional site.
  The JavaScript Primers   Joe Burns does an especially good job demystifying JavaScript. One of the things I like best is how he deconstructs each of the scripts he discusses.
  Webmonkey JavaScript Tutorial   I like Webmonkey a lot. It's the first place I go when I want a basic overview of a new technology. This is a good overview, fun to read, and quite helpful. Lots of good interactive examples.
  W3C's XML in 10 points   Good basic overview of XML for beginners.
  Patti's list of scripts, quiz, activity, survey, discussion, and assignment tools   Here are some free or inexpensive tools you can use to build interactivity. (Send me others you find!)
  Wink Tutorial and Presentation creation software   Wink is freeware that allows you to create software application tutorials. It allows you to capture screenshots, add other images, enter step-by-step explanations, add navigation buttons, delays, and titles and export to Flash, EXE, PDF.
  Macromedia Support and Training Portal   From this site you can search their Knowledge Base, Look for tutorials and technotes, visit online forums, contact Macromedia, and finding training and certification options.
  Virtual Mimic FREE Software application training tool   Create software application training using web standards and a video like experience with tiny file sizes and other advanatages.
Media selection    
  Virtual Resource Site for Teaching with Technology   How to select media for teaching and learning online and examples of different technologies.
  Choosing the Best Media for the Message, Media Choices   Explanation of available media for online instruction, advantages and disadvantages of each.
  Media Center Media Selection Chart   Chart provides guidelines for selecting media for online instruction.
  J. Koumi, J. (1994). Comparative Merits and Distinctive Teaching Functions of Different Media: A Basis for Deploying Media to the Learning Tasks Each One Is Best Suited For, . Media and Technology for Human Resource Development 6(3), pp. 201-04.   Paper on strengths and weaknesses of media so distance educators can make a wise selection.
Examples of online learning    
  Examples of Instructional Materials on the Web   Because folks often ask me for a list of good examples, I've decided to keep a web page with these good instructional examples. Got others to nominate? If so, send them to me!
  Education World Site Review Archives   Reviews of (mostly) K-12 online instructional materials. Lots of great ideas!
  MIT's OpenCourseWare   MIT course materials
  Annenberg/CPB Exhibits   Interactive extensions Annenberg/CPB video resources
  Virtual Worlds   Instructional and informational materials on business and economics related subjects. See http://www.bized.ac.uk/virtual/ for simulations.

 

Chapter 6 - Tools and Technologies, Infrastructure

 
LMS/LCMS    
  Learning Management Systems and Learning Content Management Systems Demystified   Differences between these two learning infrastructure systems.