Best of the Web: Distance Education Resources
by Vicki Urquhart
ON-LINE EDUCATION HAS been around long enough for us to know that for students to be successful they should possess certain traits or skills, such as self-motivation, determination, time-management skills, and a high comfort level with technology. In turn, on-line instructors need these same skills; the presence of good technical support in terms of software, networks, and instructional development; and knowledge of the most valuable on-line distance education resources. There is no dearth of Web sites geared to the needs of the distance education community. Here are a few of the best worth visiting:
This no-frills site belonging to the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) is my hands-down favorite for serious research into distance education. Amazingly, considering the sheer size of this site, I never took a link to a dead end, and it is incredibly easy to navigate. A menu of two-dozen topics appears on the left of the home page and includes choices such as Federal Programs and Grants, Accessibility Issues, and Internal Management. The “On-line Resources” button alone opens a door to a wealth of information. From the “Free Educational Courses and Resources” listings, for example, I selected MIT OpenCourseware and found articles explaining MIT’s intent to make virtually all their courses available on the Web, free of charge. Digital libraries, extension resources, and Web sites for information on intellectual property, copyright, and fair use issues are also listed. Links to reports, papers, and electronic journals are available, as well. The “Courseware Tools” button provides a list of tools, both free and available for purchase, that support on-line course materials. One of these is sure to meet your needs. For example, I found detailed lesson plans for an on-line PowerPoint course and QuestWriter, a suite of tools for creating and running on-line courses. A visitor to this site simply has to run a finger down the list to find a useful distance education tool.
II. http://www.distance-educator.com
Distance-educator.com looks reassuringly organized with its use of labeled tabs running across the top of the page. There is a lot of information here, but don’t visit if you are in a hurry or get easily sidetracked. Unlike ADEC’ s site, many of the links I tried were no longer active. Active links take you to related articles, commentaries, and editorials about the future direction of distance education. Look under the DE “eZine” folder tab for more information about what it means to provide on-line instruction and whether you’re a good fit. The tab labeled “conferences” also is helpful. The format is an at-a-glance monthly calendar, and each conference listing provides a link to the site—very simple and definitely where I would look for a conference in my area.
III. http://www.detc.org
If one-stop shopping applied to Internet users, The Distance Education and Training Council might be the one stop. On their “About Us” page, they explain how the main consumer question they receive on a daily basis is, “Is the XYZ Institute accredited?” Their FAQs then address the whole complicated issue of accreditation. DETC is, of course, in the business of accreditation. Nonetheless, they have a valuable “Useful Resources” page that categorizes resources as publications, agencies, materials, or libraries. They are serious about providing visitors with information they need and want about all aspects of distance education—not just accreditation.
Although on-line education was once considered revolutionary, it is now commonplace. However, teaching at a distance is still an unique experience. So, whether you are a seasoned on-line instructor or teaching your first course, this collection of resources will help you plan and conduct more successful on-line classes.
