Topics in Online Education From the humble beginnings of distance education courses offered via correspondence and video, computer mediated courses have virtually exploded on the scene. Some predict that higher education institutions that do not seize a portion of this market now will be out of business within ten years. K-12 education institutions are also jumping on the bandwagon. The implications for copyright, intellectual property, work load, quality of education (for both traditional and online education), pre-requisite learner skills, learning styles, etc. are just beginning to be explored. Many terms are used synonymously or with subtle variations: distance education, online education, web-based education, computer mediated education, etc. For this site, we deal with the terms as each relates to using the computer as a tool to enhance the education of students through both asynchronous and synchronous opportunities. An introduction to one tool (BlackBoard.com) for creating online experiences is contained at this site along with links to information about the explosion of virtual classrooms. Explore below and give us your feedback on the topic.
BlackBoard.com is just one of the tools available to create online courses. Others include Convene, LearningSpace, LearnLinc, TopClass, WebCT, etc. Some tools require special software be installed on a server, some charge fees for use. BlackBoard offers a range of tools from complete packages with which one can manage entire virtual campuses all the way to free space and tools for those that just want to try their hand at virtual education. Due to its range of capabilities AND costs, it was used for the examples at this site. Your feedback on this and other online tools would also be welcomed! Online
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