RELATED TO THIS MONTH'S FOCUS ARTICLE:

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION IN ACADEMIA - in
the July issue of Syllabus, the article "The Changing Landscape of Distance Education,"
describes the academic distance learning ventures that have been successful, the reasons
for those successes, the state of the virtual universities and their programs and lessons
learned. The article also includes a useful chart of the types of institutions providing
degrees and applications of distance and online learning: traditional research and four-
year universities, community colleges, partnerships of academe and education companies,
and for-profit education companies. (Judith V. Boettcher, CREN in Syllabus, vol. 15 no
12, July 02)

BEST DISTANCE LEARNING GRADUATE SCHOOLS FOR BUSINESS - the
June issue of the Virtual University Gazette (VUG) offers GetEducated's free guidebook
(online) to the Best Distance Learning Graduate Schools in Business & Management,
2002. This 128 page publication, a downloadable ebook, is a guide to the best
accredited, business related, distance learning graduate schools operating in the USA
today. It includes a detailed directory to 99 accredited distance learning MBAs (Master
of Business Administration degrees) - 43 of these accredited by the Association to
Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB), and detailed listings of
the Top 10 least expensive regionally accredited and AACSB accredited distance
learning MBAs. See: http://www.geteducated.com/bdlgs_bm.htm

Also in the June issue of VUG:

WHY DOES CORPORATE E-LEARNING FAIL? by Vicky Phillips, CEO
GetEducated.com, LLC "Telecommunications bandwidth is not a problem. Human
bandwidth is." (Thomas Davenport, E-learning and the Attention Economy)

Web-based courses are available 24-7-365; the mind of a working adult remains
considerably less accessible. The information locked inside the course will not morph into
practical knowledge without considerable human effort. E-learning often fails where
education has historically stumbled: at the human level.

Why Does E-Learning Fail? Learning takes time. It takes mental effort. It takes motivation.
It takes attention. During the average workday, with calls to return, clients to please, and
budgets to meet, the anytime/anyplace promise of e-learning easily turns into a no time/
nowhere reality. While much e-learning buzz has focused on the wonders of technology,
the real challenges associated with e-learning today lie decidedly on the softer side.
Whether or not e-learning "takes" is a question that the learners, not the technologists,
will ultimately answer. (Virtual University Gazette, June 02) Read the entire story online
in the June 2002 Virtual University Gazette at: http://www.geteducated.com/vugaz.htm

SPECIAL ISSUE ON ACCESSIBILITY - A special issue of the online journal, Educational
Technology Review, vol. 10 no 1, focuses on "Accessibility...An Integral Part of Online
Learning." The journal is at: http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/current.cfm Feature articles include:

- Editorial: Accessibility...An Integral Part of Online Learning by Deanie French -
http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/french-ed.cfm
- Electronic Accessibility: United States and International Perspectives by Deanie French and
Leo Valdes - http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/french-a.cfm
- The Need for Assistive Technology in Educational Technology by Terence Cavanaugh -
http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/cavanaugh.cfm
- Distance Learning: Universal Design, Universal Access by Sheryl Burgstahler -
http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/burgstahler.cfm
- Web Design for Accessibility: Policies and Practice by Alan Foley and Bob Regan -
http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/foley.cfm
- Online Course Accessibility: A Call for Responsibility and Necessity by Christine Opitz -
http://www.aace.org/pubs/etr/optiz-x1.cfm