Number 33 June 1, 2003	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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For a subscription to BEEP, contact the Project Manager: lechnerj@spcollege.edu

BEEP's Greatest Hits - Part 2

This month's issue offers a continuation of a look at the best Web sites found in BEEP's three-year history. Last month Part 1 included free informational sources, useful sites for e-structors, and important technology-related sites. Part 2 lists relevant professional organizations, good information sources for administrators, and links to some of the most useful e-learning Web pages developed at St. Petersburg College with Project Eagle funds. (The number in parentheses links to the BEEP issue in which the site last appeared.)

Project Eagle's first phase ends on June 30, and Project Eagle 2 begins on July 1. As the details for the Eagle sequel are being hammered out, there will be a three-month hiatus between BEEPs, but expect to see a new and improved return on September 1.

E-Learning Organizations and Associations

Merlot. Well-known and growing collection of peer-reviewed online learning materials and more. Officially titled Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. (26)
World Lecture Hall. University of Texas. Links to pages created by faculty worldwide who are using the Web to deliver course materials. (26)
Global Alliance for Transnational Education (GATE). International organization concerned with quality that has devised a standard of best practices for transnational education. (23)
International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). Global, non-governmental organization responsible for open and distance learning, with members from 130 countries. (23)
Distance Education Organizations. Athabasca University (Canada) site with links to virtual campuses, distance learning institutions, distance education departments, and networks. (23)
Community College Baccalaureate Association. Association that promotes the development and acceptance of community college baccalaureate degrees. (20)
Consortium of Distance Education. Consortium hosted by Burlington Community College (NJ) to acquire and share knowledge about state-of-the-art e-learning in higher education. (20)
Instructional Technology Council (ITC). Organization that provides leadership, information and resources to expand and enhance e-learning through the use of technology. (20)
League for Innovation in the Community College. Organization that offers innovative solutions and extensive information about e-learning, with a focus on community colleges. (20)
Educause. Association of more than 1800 colleges and 180 corporations formed to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. (15)
Global Network Academy. In addition to a list of thousands of e-courses and e-learning programs, the academy provides some free Web site hosting and links to useful resources. (15)
Regional and Statewide Efforts. In addition to national organizations and associations, regions and states have formed agencies that allow participation by those within their boundaries. The Electronic Campus of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), for example, provides services to institutions in that region. State-level ventures like the Florida Distance Learning Consortium and the Florida Virtual Campus are just two of many. (15)
United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA). Non-profit organization formed in 1987 to promote development of e-learning at all levels, including home school education, corporate training, military/government training, and telemedicine. (15)
World Association for Online Education (WAOE). International professional organization concerned with teaching online, public services for international society, and collaboration with other educational organizations functioning in cyberspace. (15)

Good Sites for E-Learning Administrators

MIT Open Courseware. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. First sampling of course materials and other services created by MIT faculty and made available to the public. (26)
WebED Resources. University of Washington. Exhaustive series of links to information on pedagogy and e-learning, categorized, annotated, and regularly updated. (26)
Evaluation of Online Courses. University of Georgia Web site with links to a number of studies on assessment of the quality of both e-course design and learning outcomes. (25)
Criteria for Evaluating Online Courses. List of suggested criteria for assessment posted on the Southern Regional Education Board's Web site. (25)
Using Materials on the Internet: What Are the [Copyright] Rules? University of Texas. The place to look for the use of online materials in academic courses. (24)
Planning a Program Evaluation. Step-by-step guide to evaluating a college-level program prepared by staff at the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension Office. (17)
Program Evaluation. Penn State Web site that provides information to design and implement a useful program evaluation. It includes tipsheets, examples and links to other resources. (17)
Distance Education Clearinghouse. University of Wisconsin Web site that brings together e-learning information from local, national and international sources. (15)
Distance Learning Exchange. Free, easy-to-use service maintained by the State of Pennsylvania that provides a clearinghouse for many Web-based educational opportunities. (15)
The Wellspring. Collaborative project from Instructional Systems Inc. and Columbia University Teacher's College that provides support of all kinds to those involved in e-learning delivery. (15)
Institutional Readiness Inventory. Educause-produced tool that allows a free, customized assessment of an institution's readiness to provide e-learning. (12)
Web-Based Learning Resources Library. Educator's resource for delivery and management of education via the Internet by Robert W. Jackson of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (12)
University of North Carolina. Intellectual Property, Copyright and Distance Learning. Horizon Web site with many links to outstanding Web resources on these subjects. (8)
Determining the Costs of Online Classes. Interactive Web site developed by Brian M. Morgan of Marshall University (West VA) to help users determine if the development of a particular online course is economically feasible for their institutions. (5)
Technology Costing Methodology Project. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Ongoing project to develop an authoritative e-learning costing methodology.
Distance Education Legislative Links. Web site developed by the Instructional Technology Council that covers recent Federal e-learning legislation. (5)
AbleData. Web site maintained by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education. Links to many assistive technology resources. (5)

Project Eagle Web Links

Project Eagle. Web site for SPC's grant project that transformed it into a national model for increasing access to four-year degrees and workforce training for community college students.
eCampus. One-stop source of information for e-learners at SPC, which has one of the largest academic online programs in Florida.
University Partnership Center. Starting point for information about SPC's expanding offerings of access to baccalaureate and graduate degrees via partnerships with colleges and universities inside and outside Florida.
Project Eagle Research Capsules (PERC). Series of occasional publications done by the editor of BEEP summarizing the latest research related to e-learning, both within SPC and nationwide.
Papers and Presentations. Project Eagle Web page with links to more than a dozen PowerPoint presentations and papers given by SPC faculty and staff at e-learning conferences.
Policies, Procedures, and Forms. Variety of written documents created for the administration of online courses, such as e-course development, copyright procedures, and student satisfaction surveys.
Sample Online Course. Web site that gives prospective e-learners a chance to experience an online course. The subject of the sample course is an introduction to online learning.
Evaluation. Summary of the self-evaluation process SPC used for Project Eagle to assess its achievements in the delivery of e-learning. Includes a general plan and the answers to six specific questions for self-analysis.

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.