Robert N. Ubell
Stevens Institute of Technology

Abstract:
WebCampus.Stevens, recent winner of the Sloan-C Award for Excellence in Institute-Wide Online Teaching and Learning Programming, delivers some 160 courses in six online graduate degrees and 23 graduate certificates. Taught by more than 60 mostly full-time faculty, courses have now enrolled more than 4,000 students in 37 US states and in 28 countries abroad since it was launched in 2000. Paralleling those on campus, online courses are taught by the same faculty who teach face-to-face, using the same content. Online and on campus, students meet the same high standard, pay the same tuition, and receive the same degrees. Resolution of online intellectual property rights by Stevens has become a model for other online schools with faculty retaining rights for all other uses but online. Arrangements have been made with prominent engineering societies and industry associations to offer courses to nearly 800,000 members worldwide. WebCampus delivers Chinese graduate students at Beijing Institute of Technology a hybrid Master's program. The school is developing remote laboratories for online learners.

J. Olin Campbell, Ph.D.
Brigham Young University

Abstract:
Online learners can study at convenient times and collaborate with others online, but usually can not come to physical labs. We investigated the use of simulated electronics laboratories to increase access and decrease trips to a physical lab. Students were assigned to either physical labs or to a combination of simulated and physical labs. Students using combined virtual and physical labs performed as well as those using only physical labs on both written and physical lab tests. This evidence supports the use of virtual labs to replace some physical labs, including the use of virtual labs for online learners.

Jeremy Dunning
Indiana University and Arjuna Multimedia
Richard Rogers and Richard Magjuka
Kelley School of Business, Indiana University
David Waite
Butler University
Keith Kropp and Thomas Gantz
Kendall-Hunt Publishers
Abtar Kaur
Open University Malaysia
Ari Vidali
Envisage
Tom Hunt and Larry Vandermolen
Indiana University

Abstract:
The TALON/nPower learning object suite, developed by Arjuna Multimedia, is a set of 39 repurposeable learning object templates based on styles of teaching and learning that are designed to allow instructors and designers to create substantive learning objects without changing any of the source code. The instructor or designer can use the templates to design a new learning object without writing or changing any source code. The templates are simple enough that instructors with little or no programming experience can create their own learning objects. This paper examines the experiences of two professors' use of the templates to create interactive exercises for their courses.

Burks Oakley II
University of Illinois Online

Abstract:
The value of online learning is analyzed from the perspective of the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). The first type of value (merit, worth) of online learning is discussed, with the conclusion that online learning is of significant value to various constituencies, including students, faculty, the institution, and society. A second type of value (cost-benefit) of online learning is analyzed and seen to be outstanding at UIS, compared to other online alternatives. Finally, the two types of value of online learning are related to the Sloan-C quality pillars.

Bill Pelz, CAS
Herkimer County Community College

Dr. Jimmy Reeves
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Dr. Doris Kimbrough
University of Colorado at Denver

Abstract:
Making a laboratory science course accessible to distance learners requires eliminating certain barriers. This paper describes one semester introductory chemistry courses for science and non-science majors that feature laboratory experiments that students can do at home, using materials readily available from local grocery and hardware stores. Courses using this approach have been offered successfully for several years at the University of Colorado at Denver, Cape Fear Community College and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the laboratory experiences of the distance learners compares favorably with that of traditional students. This paper describes the important features of the distance learning courses, and provides assessment results that indicate the suitability of these experiments as replacement for traditional laboratories.

Eugene Rubin
University of Maryland University College
Ulrich Bernath
Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg
Mark Parker
University of Maryland University College

Abstract:
On November 15, 2003, The Master of Distance Education (MDE) program at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) received the 2003 Sloan-C award for Most Outstanding Online Teaching and Learning Program. This award was given to the MDE “for an asynchronous, student-centered online graduate program that responds to the worldwide need for qualified managers of distance education programs in industry and academe.” This paper provides information about the program, the partnership and the curriculum.

James Theroux
Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts
Cari Carpenter
Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts
Clare Kilbane
School of Education, University of Massachusetts

Abstract:
A new type of case study, called the real-time case (RTC), was produced in the fall of 2001 and distributed via the Internet to business classes at four universities in the US and Canada. The real-time case presented the story of one company's growth and development throughout a 14-week semester. A case writer stationed full-time at the subject company published case installments weekly on the Web, allowing students to view the company-building process as it happened. The 14-week coverage of RTC enabled students to study the subject company in unprecedented depth and detail. RTC's real-time interactivity allowed students to share their analyses and best thinking with the company leadership during the company’s decision-making process.

A major objective in producing the case was to heighten student engagement with the case material. To evaluate whether this objective was achieved, a survey and a focus group discussion were conducted with one of the participating MBA classes. Results from the survey and the focus group showed a high degree of engagement, plus many other benefits from the new type of case study.

Melody M. Thompson
The Pennsylvania State University

Abstract:
Concerns about faculty workload in the online environment are a reported deterrent to participation in online teaching. To date, such concerns have been based primarily on anecdotal evidence rather than empirical research. This paper describes a project in which six faculty members teaching courses through the Penn State World Campus conducted studies of the comparative workload in the online environment. Results of the studies indicated that faculty workload for teaching these online courses, as measured by time on task, was comparable to or somewhat less than that for face-to-face courses. However, a differential "chunking" of productive time contributed in some cases to a perception of increased workload. The success of the project suggests it is a replicable model for investigating various elements of the faculty experience in the online environment.

Barbara E. Truman
University of Central Florida

Abstract:
The University of Central Florida was honored to receive the 2003 Sloan-C Excellence in Online Teaching and Learning Award for Faculty Development. The environment at UCF has doubled in the last ten years with the number of students, faculty, and developing campus locations. Rapid growth in brick and mortar on campus has not deterred the creation of a robust virtual campus where students and faculty interact essentially, but in different ways. Producing the faculty support architecture to achieve UCF’s instructional potential as a metropolitan research university is a constant struggle for staff. This article describes the dynamic interplay of UCF’s emerging ecosystem of institutionalized faculty support.