Mary Beth Almeda
Director, Center for Media and Independent Learning
University of California Extension

Abstract:
University of California Extension's online program is distinguished among online programs by its broad curriculum and its offering of certificate programs and course sequences designed for adult students seeking professional and academic study. The courses are designed for a national audience and are currently being offered largely via America Online; an Internet site was launched in March 1998. The courses feature "asynchronicity" of instruction, allowing students and instructors flexibility in their choices of when and where to participate, and interactivity through various program features that will be described. In this model, the instructor role has become that of tutor-facilitator rather than lecturer, which has implications for course design and for instructor selection and training.

This paper describes UC Extension's online program features as well as issues related to marketing, instructional design, and support services. It includes a discussion of training issues unique to online courses, early evaluation data, and student and instructor responses to the program.

David Jaffee
Department of Sociology SUNY-New Paltz

Abstract:
Most of the literature on Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs) has focused on the pedagogical and technological advantages of this educational delivery mode and the way ALNs can respond to the changing demands and pressures placed on institutions of higher education. However, there are considerable obstacles preventing the widespread implementation of ALNs. These obstacles, and the associated forms of opposition and resistance, must be analyzed in an organizational context that examines the prevailing academic culture and the widely institutionalized value placed on classroom-based teaching and learning. The recognition of the classroom as a sacred institution in higher education, and a major source of professorial identity, is a necessary first step toward developing strategies for organizational change and pedagogical transformation.

Lanny Arvan, John C. Ory, Cheryl D. Bullock, Kristine K. Burnaska, Matthew Hanson
Sloan Center For Asynchronous Learning Environments, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Office of Instructional Resources, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Abstract:
This paper presents evidence from nine "Efficiency Projects" that were SCALE's focus in the 1997-98 academic year. The Efficiency Projects were specifically aimed at using ALN to achieve higher student/faculty ratios, without sacrificing instructional quality. The study concentrates on data amassed for the fall 1997 semester. Evidence was collected on the cost side, for ALN development and delivery, and the performance/attitude side, from both student and faculty perspectives. The study supports the view that when a sensible pedagogic approach is embraced that affords the students with avenues to communicate about their learning, ALN can produce real efficiency gains in courses without sacrificing the quality of instruction.

D'Arcy Becker, Meg Dwyer
Assistant Professors, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Abstract:
Educators believe that group projects are an increasingly essential part of classroom assignments. The working world is one of working groups, and student exposure to the benefits and pitfalls of group work is assumed to be beneficial for all students. However, in distance education and other asynchronous learning environments, group work may be difficult to incorporate in the classroom. Among other problems, face-to-face student meetings may be difficult or impossible to facilitate in some classes. Recent innovations in groupware have made it possible for educators to address these problems and to enhance the group experience through exposure to technologies that increase effectiveness and/or efficiency of group work. This study reports the impacts of adding groupware technology to project groups in accounting classes. Students who preferred a more visual learning style reported that the use of groupware enhanced their group project experience and helped the project run more smoothly. Students who preferred learning more verbally found significantly less enhancement from the use of groupware and did not feel that the groupware helped the project process as much.

John R. Bourne, Ph.D,
The ALN Web Group
Director, Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, Vanderbilt University

Abstract:
This paper examines the field of Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN), also known as Net-learning or anywhere-anytime learning. Commencing with definitions, examples of current practice and an accounting of types of schools and faculty that are engaged in ALN, the essay then examines the role of faculty in an ALN-world and considers which strategies are suitable for different types of institutions.