Terry Cowham
The Open University in the North West
Julia Duggleby
The Sheffield College, UK

Abstract:
The last six years have seen an increasing interest in the use of online technologies for delivering training in the UK, as employers recognize that these technologies can offer a more economic and flexible training package that can be tailored to the priorities of a company and its employees. This article explores the development of the Certificate in Online Learning course, a course developed by an academic organization, The Sheffield College, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. The article considers the way in which the strengths and experience of the partners have been brought together to build a new and robust course, based on sound pedagogical principles, that addresses the needs of corporate trainers in the development and delivery of online training. In addition, the article examines the role of the Open College Network, the accrediting body for the course, in ensuring its continued development.

Xiaojing Liu
Curt J. Bonk
Richard J. Magjuka
Seung-hee Lee
Bude Su
Indiana University

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to understand the practice of online facilitation in a Midwestern university which has a highly successful traditional MBA program. This study explored the instructors' perceptions regarding four dimensions of instructor roles using Berge's classifications: pedagogical, managerial, social, and technical. This study also examined the challenges and issues confronting online instructors when fulfilling these roles. The results suggest that instructors carried out several important roles to varying degrees. The findings reveal a stronger emphasis on the pedagogical roles (course designer, profession-inspirer, feedback-giver, and interaction-facilitator). Emphasizing those roles, the instructors promote three types of interactions: student-content, student-student, and student-teacher. A lesser emphasis on social roles represented mixed feelings regarding its importance to the instructors. While students rated the instructors very positively, the results also indicate that instructors still need to have their roles transformed pedagogically, socially, and technologically if they are to establish a more engaging and fruitful environment for online learning.

Michelle Reece
Certified Medical Representatives Institute
Barbara Lockee
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Abstract:
Blended learning is a prominent trend in corporate training that has implications for distributed learning across a range of venues and constituents. Typically defined as an instructional program offered through a combination of two or more delivery modes, blended learning utilizes a variety of approaches, including print-based materials, instructor-led training, and web-based training, to name a few. This article describes training strategies and techniques available through blended learning designs, such as pre-work, assessment strategies, and transfer activities. The authors outline the advantages and limitations of blended learning options and present a case study on how one organization, Certified Medical Representatives Institute (CMRI), made the shift to a blended approach in its course product line, highlighting both successes and challenges faced in the transition.

Peter Shea
Chun Sau Li
University at Albany, State University of New York
Karen Swan
Kent State University
Alexandra Pickett
SUNY Learning Network, State University of New York

Abstract:
This paper builds on the model we have developed for creating quality online learning environments for higher education. In that model we argue that college-level online learning needs to reflect what we know about learning in general, what we understand about learning in higher-education contexts, and our emerging knowledge of learning in largely asynchronous online environments. Components of the model include a focus on learner roles, knowledge building, assessment, community, and various forms of “presence.” In this paper we focus on two components—teaching presence and community—and review the rationale and benefits for an emphasis on community in online learning environments. We argue that learning is social in nature and that online learning environments can be designed to reflect and leverage the social nature of learning. We suggest that previous research points to the critical role that community can play in building and sustaining productive learning and that teaching presence, defined as the core roles of the online instructor, is among the most promising mechanism for developing online learning community. We present a multi-institutional study of 2,036 students across thirty-two different colleges that supports this claim and provides insight into the relationship between online learning community and teaching presence. Factor and regression analysis indicate a significant link between students' sense of learning community and their recognition of effective instructional design and directed facilitation on the part of their course instructors—and that student gender plays a small role in sense of learning community. We conclude with recommendations for online course design, pedagogy, and future research.