This study had three purposes: Firstly, to develop a categorization of research areas in distance education; secondly, to identify the most important research areas in distance education; and thirdly, to identify the most neglected research areas in distance education. Based on a literature review and a Delphi study, three broad levels or perspectives with 15 research areas were derived to organize the body of knowledge in distance education. Prospective researchers can use the results to identify gaps and priority areas and to explore potential research directions.Read the Full Article

The purpose of this study was to examine how the mode of instructional delivery, campus face-to-face or online, affected dropout relative to students’ academic and demographic characteristics. A quantitative study was conducted to analyze the academic and demographic characteristics of newly admitted, matriculated degree-seeking students (N = 640) from Fall 2002 to Fall 2004 in the Master’s of Business Administration and Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders at a national research university in the southeastern United States. Demographic variables analyzed were age, gender, and ethnicity. Academic variables analyzed were program delivery mode, undergraduate grade point average, graduate grade point average at time of dropout or completion, admission test scores, and number of terms to degree completion or number of courses completed at time of dropout.Read the Full Article

This paper addresses how one university has partnered with a corporation to work on the verification of online student identity and describes ongoing efforts to best verify online student identity. Through this collaboration, the university seeks to enhance the credibility of its online evaluation process by employing data forensic techniques commonly used by today’s financial services industry. Detail is presented on how user authentication strategies are being applied to verify remote learner identity during formal online performance appraisals. Additional details on how the existing strategies will be enhanced toward multi-faceted user authentication are discussed.Read the Full Article

Learning objects have quickly become a widely accepted approach to instructional technology, particularly in on-line and computer-based learning environments. While there is a substantial body of literature concerning learning objects, very little of it verifies their efficacy. This research investigated the effectiveness of learning objects by comparing learning outcomes using a learning object with outcomes using a traditional textbook-based method of instruction. Participants were 327 undergraduate college students at a traditional public four-year coed institution, a private four-year women’s college, a private four-year engineering institution, and a public two-year community college. Through a series of independent samples t-tests and Analyses of Variance, results revealed mean scores for the learning object group that were nearly three times higher than the mean scores for the textbook-taught group. Gaming experience, age, gender, and learner preference were evaluated for their potential influence on the results; no statistically significant differences were found, implying that the learning object itself was central to the outcomes achieved. The future of learning objects is bright, and more empirical research is called for in the area of learning object effectiveness.Read the Full Article

This study shows the importance of interaction to student learning within Web-based online learning programs. The population of this study was students enrolled in multiple academic disciplines at a private university in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. A Web-based research instrument was designed to assess students’ characteristics, their perceptions of learning, satisfaction, student-to-student interactions and student-to-instructor interactions. Regression analyses were employed to analyze the relationship of interaction variables with student learning and satisfaction. Student-instructor interaction and student-student interaction were found to be significant contributors of student learning and satisfaction.Read the Full Article

Blackboard's patent on learning management system technologies has been overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court ruled Monday in favor of Desire2Learn and invalidated some claims in patent No. 6,988,138, also known as the "Alcorn patent" or the "138 patent." But the saga will continue.Read the Full Article

What would happen if the number of school districts in Chautauqua County were reduced from 18 to 11?Read the Full Article

How have the events of the past year affected the IT issues of top concern to technology leaders in higher education today? Is higher education IT experiencing an evolution or a revolution? Have new issues emerged on the top-ten list? Are some issues less relevant?Read the Full Article

Microblogging is the practice of posting small pieces of digital content—which could be text, pictures, links, short videos, or other media—on the InterntRead the Full Article

IBM's Watson will showcase the latest tricks in natural-language processing.Read the Full Article

The 3rd International scil Congress will take place at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland on 22 and 23 May 2008.

The 3rd International scil Congress offers a great opportunity for both educational managers and researchers to learn from good practices, reflect on own experiences and become familiar with new trends in learning and educational management. Early registration discounts are available until 29 February 2008.

The congress will revolve around the central theme: "the changing face of learning" and will focus on creating value through the right balance.

- New Learners? Balancing the needs of different generations and types of learners- New Learning Models? Balancing the right learning mix- New Learning Content and Systems? Balanced Learning Infrastructure- New Learning Business Models? Balanced Governance Scorecard- New Learning Issues? Balancing strategic priorities for learning

Detailed information and congress registration on http://www.scil.ch/congress

Best regards,your scil-team

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is planning 500 new in-store MoneyCenters this year, including 14 in the Phoenix area. (WMT)

The Phoenix Symphony will host “Star Wars Mania” with musical selections from George Lucas’ films March 26-28.

The Phoenix Coyotes are having a stellar year on the ice, but the hockey franchise can’t shake its financial troubles.

Money lost from Internet fraud more than doubled last year, according to new data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

The Federal Communications Commission will push for major changes to broadband Internet services available to Americans over the next decade under a plan the agency must submit to Congress by Wednesday. (Q)

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will campaign with U.S. Sen. John McCain in Arizona this month.

SyberWorks announces a new article available in its Media Center: Deploying Online Courses with Video

SyberWorks e-Learning Lingo Podcast Series Episode #129: Organic Model

SyberWorks and Focus Compliance and Validation Services Announce Risk-Based Approach to FDA Computer Systems Validation Webinar