Monday's Sites

One of the best sites I found is Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning: Student-Centered Teaching and Learning Online. Created by the University of Illinois, this site's mission is to inform and empower distance education faculty by providing the resources to teach effectively, utilize technology fully, and develop contstructive learning environments. Their Online Learning Update features daily news pertinent to distance ed on an international level. A blog and listserv are available. The site's navigation and format are both user-friendly and visually pleasing. The source is reputable and peer-reviewed.

A site that I'm not so pleased with is eLearners Advisor. The site is strictly student-oriented, and information is difficult to access. Though the site offers useful info about distance education, the user has to go through each "step" of the site, which directs you to the next page. There is no way to skip to the info you really want to see. The "steps" are a series of questions that determine whether online classes are right for you, the reader. The intention is good, but navigation is poor due to access. As a busy reader, I don't want to take a long test just to get to the subject matter on the last page. The site is attractive and overall informative but overall not good enough to revisit or recommend to others.