The purpose of this project is to provide prospective online learners with information on the computing and management skills needed to be successful in this type of learning.   

The deliverable for this project is a WebCT course - complete with assignments, self-assessment and quizzes - that provides students with best practices for online learning. Topics to be covered include: guidelines for participation, using discussion groups and email effectively, time management, working with technology, and collaborative learning. This course is meant to be a primer for online learning that can be integrated as the first module of an existing online course.

The intended audience for our project are people who are interested in lifelong learning online.  These people may be pursuing a certificate, degree, or just auditing a course.  Their ages and experiences may vary; however, the common characteristic of these people is that they are pursuing learning through a different avenue due to proximity or time restrictions.

Upon completion of this course, the learner will be able to:

• Describe effective online participation tools and techniques
• Demonstrate the efficient use of email for student-student and instructor-student communication
• Employ discussion groups to participate in a collaborative online learning environment
• Identify personal learning style and understand its impact on successful online learning
• Schedule and prioritize tasks for time management
• Choose the appropriate communication tool for a given situation
• Integrate into the online learning community

Project Proposal - October 3, 2002
Identification of Learning Outcomes - October 15, 2002
HTML Content Creation - November 4, 2002
Flash and Fireworks Graphics Creation - November 18, 2002
Assignments, Quizzes and Self-Assessment - November 25, 2002
WebCT upload - December 1, 2002
Project Presentation - December 5, 2002

Beller, Michal and Ehud Or.  (1998).  The Crossroads between Lifelong Learning and Information Technology: A Challenge Facing Leading Universities.  Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 4 (December).  Retrieved September 30, 2002, from http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue2/beller.html.

Burnett, Kathleen.  (2001).  Interaction and Student Retention, Success and Satisfaction in Web-Based Learning.  IFLA Council and General Conference: Conference Proceedings (67th, Boston, Massachusetts, August 16-25, 2001).  Retrieved September 30, 2002, from http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol4/issue2/beller.html.

Graham, M. and Scarborough, H. (1999). Computer mediated communication and collaborative learning in an undergraduate distance education environment. Australian Journal of Educational Technology. Retrieved October 1, 2002 from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet15/graham.html.

Smith, E. (1998). Learning to Learn Online. ASCILITE '99 conference proceedings (16th annual conference of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, 5-8 December 1999, Brisbane. Conference ). Retrieved September 30, 2002 from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane99/papers/smith.pdf.

Learning to Learn Online - Online Study Skills. (2001). Retrieved September 30, 2002, from http://learn.gmcc.ab.ca/lol/students/tutorial/mod5/mod5.html.

Online Learning - How to get the most out of your online experience. (1999).  Retrieved September 29, 2002, from http://defcon.sdsu.edu/1/objects/online/index.htm

Online Versus Traditionally-delivered Instruction: A Descriptive Study of Learner Characteristics in a Community College Setting.  (2002).  Retrieved September 29, 2002, from http://www.westga.edu/%7Edistance/ojdla/spring51/halsne51.html

Orientation to Online Learners. (2002).  Retrieved September 29, 2002, from http://www.virtualcollege.org/resource/foryou.htm

Students Perceptions of Distance Learning, Online Learning and the Traditional Classroom. (1999).  Retrieved September 29, 2002, from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/omalley24.html