Distance Education

is defined as learning that takes place outside of the classroom setting.  It can take many formats. In its early stages, the correspondence format was the most common. However as more tools became available, audiotapes, videotapes and CD-ROM formats responded better to the diversity of learning styles and enhanced delivery.  The Internet offers another delivery format that is quickly growing in popularity as people struggle to find time to fit courses into their busy schedules.  Many organizations have now developed Corporate Universities using Intranets to assist in course delivery.

The links below offer more information and some examples of how innovative this format has become.

Distance Education at a Glance:  For those new to Distance Education, Dr. Barry Willis, Director of Outreach at the University of Idaho, provides a 14 part Guide to Distance Learning that describes strategies, instructional development, the pros and cons of various types of delivery formats and copyright.

E-Learning Resources: The American Society for Training & Development has several "virtual learning communities" on their site.  The E-learning community provides a step by step map to learn more about this topic. 

Office of Learning Technologies: Sponsored by Human Resources Development Canada, this site provides a wealth of information about learning technologies, funding opportunities and learning networks.

Ontario Society for Training & Development: This site includes information on their extensive Training Competency Architecture which has been updated to reflect current criteria in the changing world of e-learning.  The resource section also includes a link to the Quality Standards for  Evaluating of Multi-media and Online Learning, which was developed by Dr. Lynette Gilles.  It is rapidly becoming an broadly accepted measurement tool to evaluate course design.

Demonstration Sites: If you have never experienced a web conference or seen some of the distance formats available on-line, here are some sites that offer demonstrations.

ASTD : Offers ongoing webinars on topics related to Training and Development.  Occasionally sponsors host free conferences.  Check the site for upcoming events.

E-Mind:  Offers a wide array of general interest courses that are available as demos.

Interactive Grand Rounds : Medsite offers free demos on case studies of a variety of clinical conditions including arrhythmias, hypertension and pediatric infections etc.

Medical Simulations : This site offers free demos on clinical simulations on wound care management for physicians and renal transplantation for nurses. 

GeoLearning:  This site provides free demos on several topics including Ethics in the workplace, Preventing Sexual Harassment and Bioterrorism. They also offer a free kit to calculate your ROI for online courses. 

SmartForce: This e-learning site offers free trials of courses on business skills, e-business and technology.  They also offer a free White Paper on implementing e-learning in organizations.

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Links to Online Courses  :  Provides a list of example sites that offer online learning courses and resources.

 

 

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Updated 07/15/08      Copyright JoLyn Enterprises 1997