Webcasts
Fall 2006 Series
Wednesday, September 20 - Noon Mountain Time
What Makes an Online Student Successful? Research and Remedies
Two researchers in a variety of studies have examined online course design and pedagogy. These studies of both students and faculty identified factors which help students become successful online learners. Find out how their research results can help you design better interventions and learning strategies.
Moderator:
Pat Shea, WCET
Presenters:
Diane Goldsmith, Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium
Mary Bucy, Western Oregon University
Wednesday, October 18 - Noon Mountain Time
Quality Assurance in Distance Education: Who Sets the Standards?
Policymakers and many in the higher education community continue to assert that distance education programs and institutions should be accountable to different standards than traditional institutions. This session will examine how some institutions are being proactive in approaching the problem by developing frameworks to define quality online education.
Moderator:
Marianne Phelps, WCET Senior Advisor
Presenters:
TBD, University of Maryland University College
Darcy Hardy, University of Texas TeleCampus
Wednesday, November 15 - Noon Mountain Time
How to Cheat Online
Explore a continuum of possibilities for students to cheat online, from technology-as-scapegoat to website hacking. Find out how less-than-ethical students may cheat at each point in the continuum. Through the application of the information and methods presented, instructors will be empowered to look at their own teaching styles with the confidence that they are not inadvertently encouraging or enabling dishonest course participation. Strategies for making courses "cheat resistant" will be addressed.
Moderator:
Pat Shea, WCET
Presenter:
John Krutsch, Utah Valley State College
Wednesday, December 20 - Noon Mountain Time
Achieving Financial Sustainability for Online Programs
Developing an ongoing funding stream to support online degree programs is often a daunting task. As part of the evaluation process of Montana State University-Bozeman's Borderless Access to Technology and Education project (funded by a U.S. Department of Education FIPSE grant), a comprehensive list of "Principles of Sustainability" were developed to help faculty and administrators make better decisions in reaching the goal of financial sustainability. Starting with the assumption that your online program already uses sound methods to facilitate student learning, these Principles focus solely on the relevant fiscal matters. Having already been reviewed by directors of several online programs, the Principles will provide key "lessons learned" to implement in your own setting. The session will also be an opportunity for you to share your story, to ask questions, and to suggest further refinements to the “Principles of Sustainability.”
Moderator:
Russ Poulin, WCET
Presenters:
Katrina Meyer, University of Memphis (TN)
Janis Bruwelheide, Montana State University-Bozeman
