Distance learning and technology resources available
for check-out from the Faculty Center
by: Karen Cusey

UMM's GenEdWeb program of online courses, run by Continuing Education, Regional Programs and Summer Session, has purchased six new books with ideas for distance learning and technology available for check-out through the Faculty Center. All faculty and staff at UMM are welcome to borrow these new resources, whether you teach an online course, you would like to incorporate technology for teaching and learning in your on-campus course, or you are just curious about current practices in distance education.

Moodle
E-Learning Course Development

• A complete guide to successful learning using Moodle
  William H. Rice IV

This unique book gives you more than just a guide to the Moodle software; it uses Moodle as a route to better teaching, more motivated students, and more successful courses.

Engaging the Online Learner
Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction
Rita-Marie Conrad, J.Ana Donaldson

Engaging the Online Learner includes an innovative framework – the Phases of Engagement-that helps learners become more involved as knowledge generators and cofacilitators of a course. The book also provides specific ideas for tested activities (collected from experienced online instructors across the nation) that can go a long way to improving online learning.

Building Online Learning Communities
Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classroom
Rena M. Palloff, Keith Pratt

The second edition of the groundbreaking book Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt has been completely undated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. Palloff and Pratt share insights designed to guide readers, offering illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses.

Collaborating Online
Learning Together in Communi ty
Rena M. Palloff, Keith Pratt

Collaborating Online provides practical guidance for faculty seeking to help their students work together in creative ways, move out of the box of traditional papers and projects, and deepen the learning experience through their work with one another. Authors Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt draw on their extensive knowledge and experience to show ho collaboration brings students together to support the learning of each member of the group while promoting creativity and critical thinking.

Communication and Collaboration in the ONLINE Classroom
Examples and Applications
Patricia Comeaux

This book provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the human communication issues that must b e addressed in higher education as interactive technologies evolve and continue to impact instructional design and practice. Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, the contributors describe and analyze their experience in collaboration and in using interactive technologies. The multidisciplinary approach of this book is valuable to anyone interested in pedagogical applications of interactive technologies across disciplines and institutions.

Assessing Online Learning
Patricai Comeaux

Assessing Online Learning offers an assortment of tools and strategies for evaluating learning and instructional design in online classrooms. Conceptual and pragmatic, this book addresses the salient issues of assessment and offers a variety of assessment tools and strategies for online classrooms and programs, such as self-assessment tools for students to evaluate their progress toward their final products, instruments in which teams can evaluate their progress and contributions, and specific tools and strategies for assessing students' critical thinking and writing skills in electronic discussion boards and in similar reflective writing environments.

For more information about GenEdWeb, visit http://genedweb.morris.umn.edu/ or call Karen Cusey, GenEdWeb Program Coordinator, at ext. 6461.