What delivery methods are available to make education accessible to a wide variety of potential learners? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How can instructors create effective learning environments in distance courses? What support from administrators and staff is essential? What guidelines are used by accrediting agencies to assure program quality? This highly readable book by three experienced faculty members answers these questions and more. Both theoretical and practical, the book presents proven principles and research-based advice. Drawing upon their experience with a variety of delivery modes, the authors provide readers with tips they can use in designing, implementing, and evaluating distance courses and programs.
Chandra M. Mehrotra is Professor of Psychology and Dean for Special Projects at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). He received his college′s Distinguished Teaching Award in 1979, the APA Division 20 Mentor Award in 2003, and the GSA′s Outstanding Mentorship Award in 2011. He directs faculty training programs in aging research with support provided by the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, and the Hartford Foundation. His books include: "Teaching and Aging" (Jossey-Bass, 1984), "Measuring up: Educational Assessment Challenges and Practices for Psychology" (APA Books, 2004), "Aging and Diversity: An Active Learning Experience (2nd Ed)" (Routledge, 2009), and "Assessing, Teaching and Learning in Psychology: Current and Future Perspectives" (Cengage, 2013). He has guest-edited two special issues of the journal "Educational Gerontology": (a) "Strengthening Gerontology and Geriatrics Education"; and (b) "Fostering Aging Research in Undergraduate Psychology Programs." His activities with Native American communities include civic engagement among elders, culturally appropriate program evaluation, intergenerational relationships, and improvement of teaching and learning in tribal colleges. He currently serves as a member of American Psychological Association′s Committee on International Relations in Psychology and the Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators.
C. David Hollister is Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. Since 1993 he has been actively involved in the development and accreditation of the school’s Master of Social Work distance education program, and he teaches distance learning courses on community practice methods and on substance abuse. He has published a number of articles evaluating distance education and has presented papers on distance education at meetings of the Council on Social Work Education, at the annual University of South Carolina Conference on Educational Technology in Social Work, and at international conferences. He is Associate Secretary General for the Inter-University Consortium for International Social Development and is member of the editorial board of Social Development Issues. His research and teaching activities have been supported by the Blandin Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and the National Institute on Alcohol Addiction and Abuse.
Lawrence McGahey is Associate Professor, Chair of the Chemistry Department, and Chair of the Natural Sciences Division at The College of St. Scholastica. He has been involved in the development of St. Scholatistca’s distance education program as a member of the Graduate Council and Graduate Curriculum Committee. In addition, he has experience both in developing and incorporating web-based instructional materials into science courses. His research and teaching efforts have been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Research Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Education. He is also a manuscript reviewer and annotator for the Journal of Chemical Education.
