First Monday
“It would undoubtedly be of some use to distance educators considering using some of the technology to ‘reinvent’ their courses..."


Book Description
The twentieth century has seen the creation and evolution of technologies beyond imagination a century ago. The computer has enabled the digital presentation of knowledge, and increased the speed with which information can be captured and processed. Communication technologies have made possible the storage, transfer and sharing of information across vast distances and different time zones. The acceptance of these technologies has led to a new alternative for providing education and training - distance learning. This book focuses on the processes, techniques and tools that are being used to successfully plan, implement and operate distance learning projects. Both professionals and educators who must enter this challenging teaching and training environment in the new millennium will benefit from Evaluation and Implementation of Distance Learning: Technologies, Tools and Techniques.


From the Back Cover
"Belanger and Jordan have created a guide that will be invaluable to academic institutions and corporations alike. This book should be considered required reading for any corporate trainer attempting to create an effective and efficient nationwide training program. Belanger and Jordan demonstrate insights to not only the theories but also to the practical challenge of learning in today's ever-changing and dynamic environment. Every teacher, whether an academic or corporate trainer, should read this book." -Janice R Thomas, Teligent, Inc. "With the increasing shift from the traditional classroom to distance learning, this book provides much needed information on analyzing, designing, and implementing distance learning. Various distance learning technologies are explained with pros and cons for their use. This book is excellent for educators and business professionals. The authors describe the reality of converting and conducting distance learning - it doesn't have to be all at a distance; it's a mixture of possibilities. Terms are clearly defined for the reader. Many examples and actual scenarios are used throughout the book to illustrate distance learning potentials. I would strongly recommend to anyone, academic or professional, wanting to understand what distance learning is and the technologies involved in a successful implementation. Frameworks and prior research support the foundation of distance learning and set the stage for discussion in this straightforward book." -Kelly M Hilmer, Ph.D.; Dept of Accounting and Information Systems, Virginia Tech "Belanger and Jordan's book is a well written, thoroughly researched, and thoughtfully organized guide to distance learning. University administrators, faculty, and corporate training executives are well advised to read and digest the information presented in this text. As a university faculty member faced with the daunting emergence of technology-mediated learning environments, I found Belanger and Jordan's comprehensive text to be a valuable resource. Belanger and Jordan provide those who feel that they must, or at least should, come to grips with the opportunities and challenges presented by distance learning with an easy to read, yet rigorous and comprehensive guide. I found Chapter Three's coverage of the various means of distance learning delivery to be particularly useful." -Craig Van Slyke, Ph.D.; Ohio University, College of Business


About the Author
France Belanger is an assistant professor of information systems in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems and a researcher for the Center for Global Electronic Commerce at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Belanger has held various technical, marketing and managerial positions in large information systems and telecommunications corporations in Canada. More recently, she has provided consulting services to corporations in Florida. Her research interests focus on the impacts of distributed communication technologies on organizations. She has conducted research and written about distributed work arrangements like telecommuting and the virtual organization; organizational uses of telecommunication technologies, in particular for electronic commerce; and the role of technologies in organizational learning, in particular for distance education and training. She has presented her work at several national conferences and has published in Information and Management, The Information Society: An International Journal, IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication and the Journal of Information Systems Education. Dr. Dianne H. Jordan is a strategic information technology planner at Booz Allen & Hamilton, where she focuses on advanced distributed learning initiatives. She recently completed a strategic evaluation of over 1,000 technical training and education courses for the U.S. Air Force that included a media analysis, benefit/cost analysis, and infrastructure requirements and analysis. She has 20 years of professional experience in private industry, academia and the federal government. She served as the CyberCongress Project Manager for the U.S. House of Representatives where she supervised the deployment of Web-based solutions for business units of the House. She was on faculty at Baruch College (CUNY) where she taught telecommunications and the use of information technology for strategic advantage. She has been a senior federal manager in the Department of Defense in the areas of data communications, operating systems software, information security and office automation. Dr. Jordan has a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of South Florida.

SYNOPSIS

The twentieth century has seen the creation and evolution of technologies beyond imagination a century ago. The computer has enabled the digital presentation of knowledge, and increased the speed with which information can be captured and processed. Communication technologies have made possible the storage, transfer and sharing of information across vast distances and different time zones.

The acceptance of these technologies has led to a new alternative for providing education and training - distance learning. This book focuses on the processes, techniques and tools that are being used to successfully plan, implement and operate distance learning projects. Both professionals and educators who must enter this challenging teaching and training environment in the new millennium will benefit from Evaluation and Implementation of Distance Learning: Technologies, Tools and Techniques.

About the Authors:

France Belanger is an assistant professor of information systems in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems and a researcher for the Center for Global Electronic Commerce at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Belanger has held various technical, marketing and managerial positions in large information systems and telecommunications corporations in Canada. More recently, she has provided consulting services to corporations in Florida. Her research interests focus on the impacts of distributed communication technologies on organizations. She has conducted research and written about distributed work arrangements like telecommuting and the virtual organization; organizational uses of telecommunication technologies, in particular for electronic commerce; and the role of technologies in organizational learning, in particular for distance education and training. She has presented her work at several national conferences and has published in Information and Management, The Information Society: An International Journal, IEEE Transactions of Professional Communication and the Journal of Information Systems Education.