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Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application Nada Dabbagh , George Mason University Brenda Bannan-Ritland , George Mason University For graduate-level courses in Distance Education/Distance Learning/Web-based Learning/Online Learning/e-Learning/Distributed Learning. This practical volume details the journey of online learning from theory to practice. Using a flexible yet systematic instructional design framework that enables even novice teachers to design, plan, and implement customized instructional environments, this text thoroughly addresses how course management systems and other online learning technologies can be used to design learner-centered environments that actively engage students. Emphasis throughout is on the vital interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This text is born of the authors' extensive experience in using technology in online/distributed learning contexts, and based on the principles of learning as a social process. Features and Benefits   A strong foundation in current educational research–As seen through a hands-on, theory-to-practice perspective. Ensures prospective instructors are up-to-date on all relevant developments in the field of online learning–helps them better understand, and make use of, current technologies and future advances. The Integrative Learning Design Framework for Online Learning–Introduced in Chapter 4. Illustrates a practical means of envisioning, planning, and implementing customized instructional designs for online learning–models learning environments that serve a wide range of subjects, situations, and students. A series of thirteen instructional strategies–Presented in Chapter 6. Synthesizes the characteristics of constructivist-based pedagogical models–provides readers with a set of tools and techniques from which to choose appropriate delivery systems for a multitude of venues. Analysis of widely used Course Management Systems (CMS) for K-12, higher education, and corporate training contexts–Blackboard, WebCT, Lotus Learning Space, and Virtual-U. Identifies the pros and cons of each for students, instructors, and administrators–explains exactly how to use a CMS to fashion the pedagogical design of any online learning system. Authentic scenarios at the start of each chapter–With related questions posed throughout the chapter. Provide glimpses of real situations in K-12, higher education, and corporate training contexts in which students, instructors, and instructional designers engage in online learning–involve actions related to chapter content as well as to readers' prior knowledge. A highly interactive Companion Website–Linked to learning activities at the end of each chapter. Engages students in using a variety of tables, downloadable PDF files, and online activities–employing the same instructional ideas that the text advocates. In-chapter pedagogical features–Opening learning objectives, closing learning activities, resources sections, and references. Organize material into a chapter-by-chapter study guide and evaluation tool–provide access to additional materials for research, discussion, and individual study. End-of-text Glossary –With more than 200 entries. Familiarizes readers with the nomenclature of the field–helps students learn to “talk the talk.” Table of Contents top 1. What Is Online Learning? 2. The Roles and Competencies of the Online Learner and Online Instructor. 3. Research On Online Learning. 4. Integrative Learning Design Framework for Online Learning Environments. 5. Constructivist-Based Pedagogical Models: Principles, Characteristics, and Online Application. 6. Instructional Strategies and Their Role in Designing Authentic Learning Activities for Online Learning. 7. Evaluation for Online Learning: A Process Model. 8. Authoring Tools: Paradigms, Usage, and Future Implications. 9. Course Management Systems: Pedagogical Features, Selection, and Limitations. Glossary. Preface top Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application offers a unique approach to thinking about teaching and learning in online and Web-based contexts. Beginning with a conceptualization of online learning based on the principles of learning as a social process and globalization, the book meticulously details a journey from theory to practice,. informing the design of powerful and engaging online learning environments. A consistent theme in this book is the interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process is embedded in an integrative instructional design framework that is dynamic, iterative, and transformative, which enables the instructional developer, online instructor, school teacher, or educator to envision, plan for, and implement customized instructional designs for online learning. This book was written after several years of designing, developing, researching, teaching, and implementing technology in online and distributed learning contexts. The proliferation of course management and learning management systems developed to deliver Web-based instruction and training in higher education, school, and corporate settings led us (the authors) to closely examine the instructional use of such systems on the basis of theory, research, and applied practice. The book reflects the results of this examination and our views on how course management systems and other online learning technologies can be used to design flexible and engaging learner-centered online learning environments. The book title, Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application, reflects the theory-into-practice methodology we adopted when we were thinking about and presenting the content. Moving from the conceptual to the concrete, Chapters 1-3 cover the theoretical, pedagogical, and technological constructs contributing to the emergence of online learning, the online learner, and the online instructor, and the ensuing research implications. In Chapters 4-7, we discuss instructional design for online learning, providing the reader with a systematic yet flexible process that capitalizes on the interaction among pedagogical models, instructional strategies, and learning technologies. This process enables novices and experts to engage in systematic, effective, and contextualized online learning design. Chapters 8-9 provide a discussion of the evolution of authoring systems—from their use in developing computer-based instruction to Web-based instruction—and the emerging nature of course management and learning management systems. This discussion provides the reader with a thorough understanding of past, present, and future instructional technologies and a comprehensive set of tools and techniques with which to select appropriate e-learning delivery applications and implement online learning in multiple contexts. In this book, we attempt to contextualize the content to three main educational settings: higher learning, K-12 school, and corporate training. Whether you are a teacher, an instructor, a professor, an instructional developer, a trainer, an educator, an administrator, or a graduate student, Online Learning: Concepts, Strategies, and Application will contribute in a unique way to your understanding, implementation, and delivery of online learning. Its nine chapters and interactive companion Web site can be consulted individually or collectively according to need and context. Briefly, Chapter 1 covers the evolution of distance education from pedagogical and technological perspectives and presents a theoretical framework for thinking about online learning based on learning as a social process and the impact of globalization on sociocultural practices. Several pedagogical and technological constructs for online learning are also discussed in this chapter. In Chapter 2, we describe the roles and competencies of the online learner and the online instructor and the learning affordances and logistical and implementation challenges that learning technologies present for the learner and the instructor in online learning. The chapter also covers institutional and administrative challenges associated with online learning, including copyright and intellectual property issues as they relate to electronic media and online courses. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the current state of research on online learning and a synthesis of specific results for application and consideration in designing, developing, and supporting online learning environments. Chapter 4 details a systematic process of design and development for online learning environments called the Integrative Learning Design Framework for Online Learning. This framework is grounded in the time-tested processes of traditional instructional design as well as emerging pedagogy, the result of which is an innovative and flexible process for developing online learning environments grounded in learning theory. Based on knowledge acquisition models and learning theories that have permeated the field of instructional design and technology, Chapter 5 covers constructivist-based or learner-centered pedagogical models and includes a description of their instructional characteristics and application in online learning. Moving from models to strategies, in Chapter 6, we present 13 instructional strategies that synthesize the instructional characteristics of constructivist-based pedagogical models and describe their enactment in online learning, using specific learning technologies. Chapter 7 details a systematic process for evaluating online learning based on the developer's goals and contexts. The chapter provides a review of both formal and informal evaluation examples that can inform evaluation efforts involving online learning environments. Chapter 8 provides an overview of authoring tools, course management systems, and learning content management systems, and their past, present, and future implications for the design and development of learning content and instructional activities. The focus of Chapter 9 is specifically on course management systems. We describe their pedagogical and technological features and provide explicit examples of how these features can be used to support instructional and learning activities in online learning. The chapter also includes guidelines for selecting course management systems from both an institutional perspective and an administrative perspective. Pedagogical Features Each chapter contains the following pedagogical features: Learning objectives: A set of learning objectives is provided as an advance organizer for the content. Students can use these objectives as a framework for organizing their learning and as an evaluation tool for assessing their understanding after completing the chapter. These objectives can also be used as guidelines for keeping a reflective journal. Authentic scenarios: Scenarios related to the design, development, and implementation of online learning in higher education contexts, school settings, and corporate settings are provided at the beginning of each chapter. The scenarios are designed to provide real-world relevance to the chapter content and to activate prior knowledge. Prompting questions: Questions related to the scenarios are woven into the chapter text to actively engage the reader in thinking about the concepts and issues discussed. Figures and tables: Multiple figures and tables are used throughout the chapters and at the companion Web site to provide visual aids. Learning activities: The learning activities at the end of each chapter are designed to promote reflective thinking. Some are linked to the scenarios presented at the beginning of each chapter, others are linked to previous chapter content and activities, and many are linked to the Companion Website, which contains additional examples of the concepts discussed. These learning activities engage students in applying online learning concepts and strategies in real-world contexts. Students can work on them individually or collaboratively (see also the Companion Website). Resources: Online resources are provided for each chapter at the Companion Website. These resources can be used for structuring additional learning activities based on the instructor's and/or student's need and context. References: This book integrates current theory and research. An extensive list of references is provided at the end of each chapter to support further exploration and research.