Course TEST001

=Research Module in Distance Education=

Welcome to TEST001 Research Module in Distance Education.

Overview
Research Module in Distance Education is a six-week curriculum for graduate courses concerning theory and research in distance education. It is designed to help students in learning the trends in distance education and in studying the major topic areas in recent distance education research. It is part of a course with its goal to lead students to do research on topics of their choice for distance education.

Goals
The goal of the module is to have students find and discuss the major issues in topic areas of research, theory, constructivist approach, interaction, social presence, and learning community in distance education.

Objectives
For each topic area, students should be able to:
 * Find two additional research articles for the topic area using resources suggested.
 * Write a well-written focus paper of approximately 800 words to report the findings in the topic area.
 * Peer review two focus papers in the topic area using the guideline provided.

Schedule
ResearchModule_Schedule.doc

The schedule is the calendar for dates, activities, and assignment dues.

Format

 * Face-To-Face Meetings The module has one FTF meeting. It is scheduled in the first week at the beginning of the module. It serves to introduce the module and provide the guidelines.


 * Online Sessions The module has five online activity sessions. Each session starts with assigned Journal Article Readings, then followed by Additional Research Search, Focus Paper Writing, and Focus Paper Peer-Review. Focus page in each session will be on a specific topic area in research for distance education.

Online Sessions
Please click the corresponding session link below to access the session information and assignments for each session.

Resources
This Resources section provides professional resources for distance education. You are expected to use the resources to search and provide reliable reference for your focus papers and discussions. Click the corresponding resource link below to check out more information.


 * Journals This is a journal list that provides the most well-accepted journals in distance education and educational technology. It includes both print and online journals in the field. Your are expected to find research articles in these journals.


 * Databases This is a list for online library and databases for education. It mainly includes UofC online catalog and index, AskERIC, and Educational Research Abstracts. You can use the catalog and databases to locate the research articles.


 * Organizations This is a list for distinguished associations and organizations in the field of distance education in the US. Valuable resources can be found on their web sites.

Useful Links
This Useful Links section provides online links to daily news, professional listserv, and general search engines on the Internet. You are encouraged to use them to expend your learning experience beyond the boundary of the class and share information with the class.


 * News Two links in this area help students to keep track of the daily news for distance education and elearning.


 * Listservs What can be found here are the two most popular professional listserves in distance education: DEOS-L and AACIS-L.


 * Search Engines This is a list of the most popular search engines. You can use them to surf the net to find other valuable resources to share with the class.

Grading
The module is a graduate research learning module on distance education. You are expected to perform professionally. Participation for both face-to-face meeting and online activities are mandatory. Late submissions of assignments will result in the reduction of one grade for each assignment. The overall 350 points grading for the performance will be broken down for the following activities.

The final grade will be given as the following: