Number 58 September 1, 2007	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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

Project Eagle Revisited
Part II: A Closer Look at Some Notable Achievements

"The original Project Eagle was a multi-year strategic initiative by St. Petersburg College to build a national model for increasing access to four-year degrees and work force training for students attending community colleges. The goal of Project Eagle II is to move from an anytime, anywhere learning environment to an everywhere, all-the-time learning environment."
Project Eagle II, Executive Summary
St. Petersburg College, 2003

As promised in the July 1 BEEP, this final issue will take a closer look at some of the most innovative and noteworthy accomplishments made possible during the past eight years. Thanks to federal funding, specifically the Congressionally-authorized moneys known collectively as Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College (SPC) pioneered e-learning methods that sometimes are as unique today as when created.

Most of the titles below link to PowerPoint presentations* delivered at conferences around the country and the world, all part of SPC’s efforts to disseminate its Eagle-funded results to as large an audience as possible. They are arranged chronologically, starting with most recent.

*For readers who do not have the PowerPoint program installed, click here to download a free viewer.

Administrative Matters

SPC’s Quality in Online Learning Initiative. A look at the various processes and reviews developed under Eagle to ensure quality in online courses. Nancy Doolittle et al, December 2006.
Creating and Sustaining a Successful eLearning Enterprise. Lynda Womer, September 2005. What Makes an Award-Winning E-Learning Program. eCampus, July 2004. Project Eagle: A National E-Learning Model.Joyce Burkhart, November 2002. Creating a Model eCampus. James Olliver, November 2001. Examples of presentations made throughout the life of the Eagle grant that show the development of SPC’s eCampus.
Organizing and Supporting Online Learning: Some Ideas for Partnership. James Olliver, September 2005. Comprehensive examination of the "success components" of SPC’s eCampus.

Assessment and Evaluation

Accreditation Issues in Online Learning: SPC’s Quest for Equivalency. James Olliver, November 2006. Elements of eCampus contributing to its equivalency with traditional programs.
Setting Expectations and Managing Performance in Online Learning. Vicki Westergard/James Olliver, October 2006. Overview with links to components developed for performance management in e-course delivery.
Setting Standards and Monitoring Quality in Online Learning. James Olliver, March 2005. Detailed look at the many methods SPC uses to ensure quality in its eCampus courses.

Assistive Technologies

What’s Wrong with This Picture? Working with Students with Hidden Disabilities. Linda Giar/Alan Shapiro, February 2007. Detailed presentation with advice on how to identify and deal with online students with disabilities like mental illness, ADHD, vision impairments, and more.
Accessibility Issues. Gary Abernathy et al, April 2002. Basic ADA requirements and how SPC technologists have developed Web-based materials to meet them. See also The Challenges of Blindness in Developing an Online Class. Alan Shapiro/Mike Pless, March 2002.

Free Information Sources

Best Educational E-Practices (BEEP). Project Eagle Research Capsules (PERC). Eagle-funded publications that since 2000 have tracked trends and statistics related to e-learning.
Invisible Web. Kevin Morgan, February 2004. How-to advice on finding free information not usually located by popular, conventional search engines.

Innovative Technologies

St. Petersburg Online Communicator (SPOC). Nancy Doolittle/Alan Shapiro, February 2007. Breakdown of the components of SPOC, a suite of tools designed for synchronous and asynchronous communications in online classes. Users need only a high-speed Internet connection with a Flash-enabled browser for real-time collaborative learning anywhere.
Instructional Technology at SPC. Nancy Doolittle et al, December 2006. In-depth look at the Web and Instructional Technology Services Department (WITS), which has been greatly enhanced by the Eagle grant. WITS facilitates the use of technology in instruction and both helps trains faculty in the development of new teaching methods.

Instructional Resources

Reusable Learning Objects. Nancy Doolittle et al, December 2006. Thorough examination of the RLO concept, with suggestions for software and links to repositories like Merlot. See also Got RLOs? Vicki Westergard/Elspeth McCulloch. October 2005 for additional information on RLOs.
Online Course Development: Examples. Teaching Speech Online. Jan Ballantine, April 2006. Using Projects in Online Elementary Statistics. Karen Estes, November 2003. Collaborative Experimental Science Outline? Yes! Tom Lancraft, Spring 2000.
Online Signature Courses. Karen Estes, November 2005. Explanation of the signature course concept, in which experienced faculty create online courses to be used by new and adjunct instructors, in order to assure quality in course delivery.
Pathways to eLearning. Nancy Doolittle/Karen Hesting, June 2005. Pathways to eLearning. Janice Thiel/Karen Hesting, May 2004. Two presentations on SPC’s unique online training program for new e-faculty.
Faculty Mentoring: A New Program for Online Faculty. Kevin Morgan, September 2002. Explanation of an early Eagle-funded concept in which online course developers became mentors for faculty new to teaching the developers’ courses.
Blended Learning: A New Model for the 21^st Century. Kevin Morgan, April 2001. Blended Learning: The Optimal Link in ESL. Li-Lee Tunceren, April 2001. Two looks at the concept of blending learning in its pioneer days at SPC.

Student Support Services

SPC’s eCampus WebSite: A Resource for Students – A Resource for You!Jason Krupp, May 2002. In-depth look at the eCampus’ website by SPC’s first online cyber-advisor.

Epilogue

The names of those who created the presentations referenced in this issue represent many, but by no means all, of the many talented people who have made Project Eagle and the eCampus the success they are today. Things have changed greatly since 1999, as what was once a small experiment in e-learning has become one of the largest programs of its kind and a model for distance education nationwide.

Information assembled in BEEPs and PERCs over the years has played its part in this progression. So much so, in fact, that SPC has moved beyond the publications’ linear presentation to the more interactive techniques reflected in Web 2.0. For that reason, the decision has been made not to continue BEEP. However past issues of both BEEP and PERC will continue to be accessible for the foreseeable future.

---- Joyce Burkhart, BEEP Editor, 2000-2007

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.