The February/March issue of Innovate (www.innovateonline.info) focuses on
online assessment and effective course design, the value of e-portfolios as
dynamic records of academic and professional development, and the creative
use of synchronous communication tools for online tutorials.

We open the issue with my interview with Scott Howell, who stresses the
effective alignment of instructional content with testing methodology and
the ways in which such alignment can be realized in distance and online
learning programs. As such programs continue to grow and develop, the work
of Howell and his colleagues promises to give valuable direction to this
vital trend in higher education. (See
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=409 )

Judith Boettcher provides further direction to such developments by drawing
on the work of brain research and pedagogical theory to describe ten core
learning principles that educators should seek to realize in their
teaching, whether it be in online, traditional, or hybrid learning
environments. Boettcher's article will be of particular value for
instructors who are in the initial planning stages of course design and
development. (See
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=54 )

Our next two features focus on a significant trend in the use of technology
for enhanced professional communication: e-portfolios. Cara Lane emphasizes
the importance of e-portfolios as a way for students to develop effective
online presentation skills for their future careers and the key
proficiencies that students should develop to ensure the long-term value of
their e-portfolios as records of their professional and academic growth.
(See http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=369 )

Vicki Lind provides a more focused look at e-portfolios in the context of a
music education program, illustrating the ways in which this medium allowed
student teachers to document their distinctive skills, their instructional
strategies, and the ways in which they align their teaching with state
standards. (See
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=351 )

The use of synchronous communication tools in online learning environments
serves as the focus of our next two articles. Yuping Wang and Nian-Shing
Chen describe the results of a pilot study assessing the value of a
learning management system to support synchronous tutorial sessions in
second language learning. They found that the range of tools provided by
the system--including chat, whiteboard, and videoconferencing
technology--provided a resilient, supportive learning environment for
distance learning students. (See
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=337 )

In turn, Birgit Loch and Christine McDonald describe the results of a pilot
study that explored how a free and widely available chat client (MSN
Messenger) could serve as a viable medium for distance learning tutorials
in mathematics. By providing its users with an easy way to incorporate
diagrams, symbols, and specialized mathematical annotation in their
communications, this popular chat client offers a convenient alternative to
the whiteboard function of Blackboard and other proprietary systems. (See
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=374 )

Finally, in his Places to Go feature, Stephen Downes reviews the
OpenCourseWare Consortium Web site. Downes observes that while the site
represents a step forward in the consolidation of open courseware
resources, its limited navigational options and restricted access
unfortunately work against the ethos of openness that the site proclaims to
support. If such initiatives are to fulfill their promise, Downes
concludes, they will need to ensure that they truly support the growth of
the communities they are intended to serve. (See
http://www.innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=445 )

Please forward this announcement to appropriate mailing lists and to
colleagues who want to use IT tools to advance their work. Ask your
organizational librarian to link to Innovate in their resource section for
open-access e-journals.

Thanks!

Jim

James L Morrison
Editor-in-Chief, Innovate
http://www.innovateonline.info
Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership
UNC-Chapel Hill
http://horizon.unc.edu