Number 17 February 1, 2002	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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Becoming a National Model for E-Learning

"On a local, regional or national scale...you want people to remember you...
you want to look stable, creative and -- most of all -- professional."
(Stephen Yankee, Put Your Best Face Forward, for Eyecon Video Productions)

Becoming a national model in any educational area is a two-part effort. The first is creating and maintaining a process of continual self-evaluation and improvement, the second getting the word out about your accomplishments. This issue offers suggestions on some of the best places to look on the Web for help in accomplishing both tasks.

Part 1: Evaluating, Assessing, and Improving an E-Learning Program

	Academic Policy and Planning Committee. Distance Education Policy. A set of guidelines and principles for evaluating e-learning, adopted by San Diego State University (CA).
	Basic Guide to Program Evaluation. A detailed evaluation process for profit and non-profit organizations by Carter McNamara, Minnesota Organization Development Center. It includes selecting methods, analyzing information, reporting results, and more.
	Distance Ed Quality. List of links prepared at East Carolina University that focuses on assessing the quality of e-learning.
	Evaluating for Success. An extensive guide by Louis F Cicchinelli and Zoe Barley of Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel). Designed for school districts interested in institutional reform, it also contains useful advice and worksheets for evaluation at all levels.
	Evaluation for Distance Educators. Number 4 in a series of guides produced at the University of Idaho, this one concentrates on the methods and techniques of evaluation.
	Interaction Evaluation Resources. Tips and Best Practices. An extensive list of links assembled by the American Council for Voluntary International Action, with how-to's for non-profit program evaluation, including those at post-secondary institutions.
	Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. Table of contents page for an online journal that regularly covers aspects of e-learning assessment and evaluation.
	Planning a Program Evaluation. A step-by-step guide to evaluating a college-level program prepared by staff at the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension office.
	"Policy Frameworks for Distance Education: Implications for Decision Makers." Article by faculty and students at the University of Nebraska in Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 3(2), Summer 2000. It presents a policy analysis plan for academic, governance, administrative, fiscal, faculty, legal, student support services, technical, and cultural areas.
	Program Evaluation. A Penn State Web site that provides information to design and implement a useful program evaluation. It includes tipsheets, examples and links to other resources.
	Program Evaluation Standards Summary. A brief statement by Mary E. Ramlow of Western Michigan University that sets standards intended to ensure that an evaluation will serve the needs of intended users.
	Program Learning Objectives and Assessments. A guide prepared at Portland State University (OR) that offers steps, examples, and links to assessments that have been done at Portland State and other universities.
	Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation. Written for use by community agencies, this question and answer approach by the Department of Health and Human Services provides useful information for anyone involved in non-profit program evaluation.
	Ten Steps for Installing an Effective Assessment Program. A useful outline of the steps involved in assessment by James L. Ratcliff of the National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Penn State.

Part 2: Informing the Educational Community
Methods and Examples

Establishing a Program's Identity on the Web

	George Washington University Virtual Tour. An example of an award-winning (January 2002) multimedia Web site for one university's programs.
	PageResouce.com. A Web page development site that includes links to articles on various aspects of effective design.
	The Rio Salado College Story. A multimedia overview of an Arizona community college, well-known for its e-learning accomplishments, that offers one way of establishing Web identity.
	WebMonkey. A multi-use tool for Web page designers.
	Yahoo Web Site Announcement and Promotion. A comprehensive lists of links to sources of information on Web site promotion, both free and for a fee.

Getting Publicity Locally and Nationally

	BusinessTown.com. Marketing and Publicity. A commercial Web site that offers free tips of all kinds on getting publicity, including the creation of press kits.
	How to Obtain Free Business Publicity. Useful, specific advice for any organization interested in getting publicity in various media by creating effective press releases.
	Point to Point. A regularly published newsletter by the Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning at Virginia Tech. Its intent is to highlight e-learning activities at the university.
	Your Video Business Tips. Not just for video business owners, this site covers all aspects of publicity and advertising, including use of direct mail and the yellow pages.

Publishing in Professional Periodicals

	"Big Ten School in Cyberspace: A Brief History of Penn State's World Campus." Example of an e-learning informational article by Christopher Hons in T.H.E. Journal Online, January 2002, about the success of one national model.
	Higher Education Journals. A list of about 1000 journals selected by the ERIC Clearinghouse for Higher Education as key to the field.
	How to Publish in Top Journals. A manual for educators by Kwan Choi, editor of the Review of International Economics.

Presenting at Conferences, Meetings

	Community College Conferences 2001- 2002. A product of the ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges with special emphasis on conferences relevant to two-year schools.
	Distance Education Clearinghouse Conference Database. Identifies worldwide conferences, seminars, workshops, and other events of interest to those in e-learning and related fields.
	T.H.E. Journal Educational Technology Conferences. An online worldwide list of local and national educational technology conferences maintained by the publisher of T.H.E. Journal.

Hosting Events to Showcase Program Accomplishments

	Conference Planning Guidelines. An overview by Read Gilgen, International Association for Language Learning Technology (ITALL), of what it takes to plan a successful conference.
	The ISACS Handbook for Professional Development Activities and Conference Planning. A free online manual that covers every imaginable aspect of conference planning - with forms.
	Online Conferencing: Lessons Learned. A guide for planning an online conference by Lyndsay Green for the Canadian Office of Learning Technologies. This agency has a companion guide for the technological aspects of an online conference called "So, You Want to Host an Online Conference" by Cathy Boak and Jean Blackburn and another by Lyndsay Green on moderating online conferences, "Playing Croquet with Flamingos."
	Teaching in the Community College Online Conference. An example of an annual online conference hosted by Kapi'olani Community College (HI) that is now is its seventh year. It includes advice on planning, attending, and presenting, plus links to previous events.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.