June 15, 2009

Distance Education Report - June 15, 2009 - Full Issue PDF
…

Secrets of Putting the Humanities Online
Gregorian chant plays as students view images of the Middle Ages, using them to complement their textbook readings and online supplements. They then move to discussion boards to discuss the important philosophical questions of the age, debating questions that popes and kings considered a millennium ago. Some people think that the humanities don't work as well online as more practically-oriented types of instruction. Professor Daniel Stewart is proving them wrong.

Attitudes Toward Online Courses at HBCUs
By Jennifer Patterson Lorenzetti
HBCUs face the same challenges as do majority institutions, but with their own unique twists and details. One such challenge is the digital divide, the concern that there are populations that an institution may wish to reach that cannot adequately participate in online education due to lack of technology hardware or internet access.

Resources: Upcoming and New Releases
The Handbook of Online Learning (Second edition) The Handbook of Online Learning is a comprehensive reference text for teachers and administrators of online courses and programs. It presents a discussion of the conceptual and theoretical foundations of online learning along with an exploration of practical implementation strategies.

FERPA Clarifications and Changes Affect Distance Ed Students
By Therese Kattner
The new regulations of the 35-year-old Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) went into effect in January. They include clarifications of existing compliance regulations as well as additions and changes. Distance education administrators who think thuis is only a concern of traditional higher education are mistaken.

Can Instructors Encourage Learning Styles that Succeed at Distance Ed?
“Self-regulation is not a mental ability or an academic performance skill; rather it is the self-directive process by which learners transform their mental abilities into academic skills.” That definition is offered by Barry Zimmerman, one of the foremost researchers on self-regulated learning. It has long been known that self-regulated learners have a greater chance of success in distance ed classes. But is their any way to actually help develop it in students?