NEW STUDY PROVIDES BENCHMARKS FOR QUALITY DISTANCE EDUCATION - This week the Institute for Higher Education Policy released its new study of quality distance education programs. Entitled "Quality On The Line," the study explored best practices at six experienced distance higher education providers - Brevard Community College, Regents College, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Maryland University College, Utah State University and Weber State University - and drew conclusions about common benchmarks of quality. An executive summary detailing the 24 proposed benchmarks of quality is currently available online; the full report will follow shortly. It includes some surprises. For instance, the study did not find class size to be a significant factor in quality online learning, nor did it find that attempts to coax reticent faculty online paid dividends for institutions. Rather, it advises those responsible for distance learning programs to work with faculty who are already online and exploring the possibilities of networked learning. Read the executive summary in PDF format at: http://www.ihep.com/qualityonline.pdf. (Requires Adobe Reader)

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RESOURCE: USEIT.COM - With user data mounting and advertisers calling into question the effectiveness of banner ads, a revolution in the thinking of leading website consultants is under way. The old buzzwords, "click-throughs" and "eyeballs," are being replaced by "usability," "customer loyalty," "personalization," and "online communities." For continuing higher education websites, this boils down to throwing out the eye-catching graphics and the staff-designed directories and building websites around the needs and interests of actual and prospective students. To make this process easier, website usability guru Jakob Nielsen has put many of his articles and best-selling books online free of charge at http://www.useit.com.

(These two articles are from UCEA Distance Learning News, 5 April 00 DL@LISTSERV.NUCEA.EDU)