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For my internship I am working at the Center for Teaching Excellence at the

University of South Carolina. My supervisor Dr. Haynes is the Program
Manager for the Distributed Learning department. One of the tasks she
assigned me was to create a training module based on the Quality Matters
Rubric. Additionally I am to research information to include on the
Distributed Learning Website. The two assignments intersect at the design
of effective online courses. You begin by creating effective courses ensuring
that you focus on Engagement, Best Practices, and Accessibility. Quality
Matters can be used an effective tool to ensure you have met your goals.
This bibliography will focus on creating and evaluating online courses.
Bento, R. F., & White, L. F. (2010). Quality Measures that Matter. Issues
In Informing Science & Information Technology, 761-72.
http://tinyurl.com/pgmggqy
This article focused on the increasing number of courses offered online by
universities and other institutions of higher education and the need for
reliable standards to evaluate the quality of the course design. This paper
reviewed the Quality Matters (QM) Rubric, which is becoming the national
standard for evaluation of the quality of online courses in the United States.
The ease of use and difficulties associated with applying the QM rubric are
discussed, and potential benefits to faculty and students from the
implementation of QM standards are highlighted. Based on this case study,
from the faculty viewpoint, the main potential benefit from QM
implementation is the alignment of learning objectives with the selection of
assessment instruments and instructional materials. From the student
viewpoint, the main potential benefit is the increased clarity in the
presentation of faculty expectations and the improved access to course
components. The article discussed the principles of the QM certification they
are
Centered Based on Research
Collaborative Peer Review
Collegial Non-Judgmental Evaluation
Continuous Improvement Continually Reviewed and Revised.
The article discussed another advantage of the QM review process in that it
provides a clear set of guidelines for faculty charged with creating a course.
With the help of the QM rubric, faculty can rely on research-based standards
to design new online courses. Over the next several weeks I will continue to
study the QM rubric as I prepare my learning module on the subject. The
rubric is slightly complicated but if it is broken down into the eight
dimensions it can be easily chunked which has been shown to improve
retention.
Abel, R. (2005). Implementing Best Practices in Online Learning.
EDUCAUSE Quarterly, 28(3), 75-77. http://tinyurl.com/mdqoqud

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Many institutions are still unclear about how new technology fits with their
mission, and have found that achieving widespread adoption by faculty is
difficult. They have also found it challenging to achieve faculty use that truly
enhances the learning interaction between faculty and students as opposed
to simply posting materials online. This paper identified some possible
causes of success or failure. The author provides information on 11
ingredients for success.
Characteristics

Ranked Most Important

Executive Leadership and Support

15.00%

Faculty and Academic Leadership

Commitment

15.00%

Student Services

12.00%

Technology Infrastructure

12.00%

Course/Instruction Quality

9.00%

Financial Resources

9.00%

Training

7.00%

Adaptive Learn as you go attitude

7.00%

Communication

5.00%

I was not surprised by information presented in this article especially when

you review the first two characteristics pertaining to Leadership. If the
leadership is all-in instructors feel more motivated about implementation.
In this way, faculty can gain support rather than being told to do as I say not
as I do.
Irlbeck, S. A. (2008). Implementation of best practices for online
teaching and learning in an online institution. Performance Improvement,
47(10), 25-29. https://www.scribd.com/doc/246180889/Implement
The article documents the creation of and rationale behind best practices to
maintain high performance for teaching and learning at an online university.
Best Practices help inform teaching-learning processes and performance
improvement, while technology helps enhance that relationship. The
concept presented in this article is that best practices should be focused on
and related to performance improvement as it relates to teaching and
learning, rather than the technology being used. The article goes on to
discuss the best practices and foundational statements used by Capella
University.
Faculty-Learner Relationships regular communication with students
Learning Process Effective facilitation
Professional Expertise Continual professional development
Assessing Learning and Teaching Diverse Assessment
I really liked the authors explanation of the best practices currently used at
Cappella. I am to develop best practices for a variety of components of

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online learning. These best practices, which focus not on technology but
rather effective teaching, are excellent examples.
Landry, B. L., & Hartman, S. J. (2006). Engaging students with online
assignments: a replacement for digital dropboxes and paper assignments.
British Journal Of Educational Technology, 37(5), 803-805.
http://tinyurl.com/nshuo3t
I wish I had read the abstract before deciding on this title for my review. The
title of the article leads the reader to believe that the article will be about
digital dropboxes and online assignments. However, the article focuses on
those two options within the blackboard interface. The author prefers the use
of the assignment feature as it is easier to grade and easier for students to
submit work. I found the material presented interesting as I continue to
prepare a course within blackboard. I have wondered a few times about
ease of grading for the course I am preparing as its enrollment may exceed
100 students.
Bennett, S., Agostinho, S., Lockyer, L,. (2015)Technology tools to
support learning design: Implications derived from an investigation of
university teachers' design practices, Computers & Education, Volume 81,
211-220. http://tinyurl.com/ntcofmt
The abstract of this article provides an excellent overview of the study.
The need to improve the quality of higher education has fostered an interest
in technology tools to support effective design for teaching and learning.
Over the past decade this interest has led to the development of tools to
support the creation of online learning experiences, specifications to underpin
design systems, and repositories to share examples. Despite this significant
activity, there remain unanswered questions about what shapes university
teachers' design decisions and how tools can best support their design
processes. This paper presents findings from a study of university teachers'
design practices that identified teachers' perceptions of student
characteristics, their own beliefs and experiences, and contextual factors as
key influences on design decisions. The findings extend our understanding of
activities fundamental to higher education teaching and inform thinking
about design support tools. The author goes on to discuss how learning
design has been particularly concerned with how best to support university
teachers to design effective online learning experiences for their students.
The author conducted interviews of teaching professionals. His random
sample was slightly skewed in that many of teachers had more than 10 years
of experience and most had experience teaching online. The author drew a
handful of conclusions from the data gathered however stated that there is a
need for further study related to the understanding of learning design. Prior
to reading this article I was unaware of the learning design model and I was
provided a good overview of the topic. I intend to study further as I develop
my module for best practices of online learning.

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Dixson, M. D. (2010). Creating Effective Student Engagement in Online

Courses: What Do Students Find Engaging?. Journal Of The Scholarship Of
Teaching And Learning, 10(2), 1-13. http://tinyurl.com/kdoa2e7
The author of this article intended to measure student engagement in an
online setting. They reviewed many already established tools, which measure
engagement in a traditional classroom but had some difficulty applying them
to the virtual world. The author mentions one of the primary components of
effective online teaching is student engagement. Therefore it is important
that we learn what engages students in order to offer effective online
learning environments. The author modified one of the original surveys to
study engagement. The research he conducted showed there was no
significant difference in performance based upon engagement. However the
study emphasizes the importance of developing real connections in an online
course wherein students can apply what they are learning.
Journell, W. (2010). Perceptions of E-Learning in Secondary Education:
A Viable Alternative to Classroom Instruction or a Way to Bypass Engaged
Learning? Educational Media International, 47(1), 69-81.
http://tinyurl.com/ohwrm5r
This article focused on the perceptions of E-Learning in Secondary Education.
The author conducted several interviews with the teacher, Mr. Harding, who
was an exceptional teacher and teaching his first online course. Enrolled in
his course where 13 students during a summer session, 11 of them had
gained permission to speak with the researcher about their perceptions.
Students in the class were interviewed about their general perceptions of elearning and the ability to effectively learn content online. The findings of the
study show that nearly all participants maintained a belief that e-learning was
best used for information transmission and rote memorization rather than
active or social learning. Further, Mr. Harding seemed to characterize elearning students as uninterested in engaging in social interaction online, a
perception that was refuted, at least partially, by his students. The
manuscript concludes with a discussion of the findings and implications for
secondary e-learning programs. Mr. Harding had an exceptional anecdote
that I found interesting. But the magic of the classroom, where you respond
to the moment, when a kid's facial expression, the nonverbal expression is
the key to the next step. Interestingly enough students survey almost
unanimously viewed the teacher as unimportant to their learning. Many of
the students seemed to believe that online courses were less rigorous than
traditional classes, which may affect their perception to coursework. With
the increase in online schooling options, we must strive to change this
perception among educators and students. I find this article particularly
interesting as I interview for employment in a brick and mortar high school
and notice the nonverbal reactions from the interview committee when I
mention that I have worked in an online environment for over ten years. I
often go into an explanation regarding our focus on standards and

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accountability.

Pittman, C. N., & Heiselt, A. K. (2014). Increasing Accessibility: Using

Universal Design Principles to Address Disability Impairments in the Online
Learning Environment. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration,
17(3). http://tinyurl.com/qco29op
With the increasing number of students enrolling in distance education, there
is a need to consider the accessibility of course materials in online learning
environments. Four major groups of disabilities: mobility, auditory, visual, and
cognitive are explored as they relate to their implementation into
instructional design and their impact on students in online learning,
specifically for students with disabilities. This article highlights the ways in
which universal design can assist in providing increased accessibility, not only
for students with disabilities, but for all students in the online learning
environment. The author goes on to discuss each of disabilities and the
challenges that students may encounter. The meat of the paper focuses on
the seven principles of UDL with an additional explanation on each of the
principles and how the principles can be used in the development of online
coursework. The author theorizes that if UDL is used in course creation,
student success may increase with all students including not only those with
disabilities, but those who are second language learners, but all students as
these principles may help with retention. Additionally the author states that
advanced training may be needed to explain UDL concepts to instructors. I
smiled when I read that paragraph as that is precisely what I am working on
while I am preparing this learning module for my internship.

Brunvand, S., & Abadeh, H. (2010). Making Online Learning Accessible.

Intervention In School & Clinic, 45(5), 304-311. http://tinyurl.com/m28pm47
The complete title of this article is listed as Making Online Learning
Accessible: Using Technology to Declutter the Web, and was indicated as
being published in 2010. During my review of the article and associated
references I began to realize that the information contained was rather dated.
The opening paragraph states that one of the primary barriers to student use
of technology is the lack of access to computers in the classroom, the author
cited research from 2003 to support this claim. I had difficulty focusing on
other information presented as it too was significantly dated, especially in the
technology field. The article goes on to discuss a series of Web 2.0 tools that
can be used to make web content more accessible. Information was
presented regarding highlighters, sticky notes, and programs to remove
access data on websites. I was most interested in a series of tools it
mentioned like Google Custom Search Engine, which I would have found
helpful in some of the classes I have been substituting in recently. With
Google Custom Search an instructor can set up a list of websites, which they

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wish their students to use to conduct research, rather than having students
get lost in the World Wide Web.
Pearson, A. F. (2010). Real Problems, Virtual Solutions: Engaging
Students Online. Teaching Sociology, 38(3), 207-214.
http://tinyurl.com/logru4w
In this article, the author explains how she used online blogs over a period of
four semesters in an introductory social problems course. She describes how
she uses blogs to enhance student participation, engagement, and skill
building. Finally, she provides an overview of students' qualitative
assessments of the blog assignments, highlighting the drawbacks and
limitations of integrating technology and, in particular, blogs as a coursewriting requirement. The students in the course appreciated the opportunity
to work on blogs to participate in class discussions. This form of engagement
allowed them to share their feelings regarding some sensitive topics in the
privacy of their own home. The author stated that by using the blogs the
discussions seemed to have increased participation. For the course I am
currently writing, I have created several assignments that students must
complete using a Weebly. I am interested in feedback from that course as
that approach may be too complex and additional considerations for things
like blogs may need to be discussed.