Site Map Usability
I hardly ever use site maps because they never help me. And I have to confess that my own site map is a bit of a travesty. So I guess Jakob Nielsen has a point. Most site maps fail to convey multiple levels of the site's information architecture. More...

Making Teachers Feel Contented with Online Courses
Refreshingly straightforward article surveying student satisfaction with an online course. The quotes from the students at the beginning of the article are fun. The recommendations on the last two pages are pointed and accurate. More...

Lansbridge University: Canada's First Private E-University Gains Accreditation
Consider the story of Canada's first private for-profit e-university, Lansbridge University, which received accreditation in June. "Public education and public health are seen as rights in Canada," suggests Michael Gaffney in this article. "Private education is seen as an attack on Canadian social philosophy." But in an increasingly borderless world - and in a world of convergence, Canadians may have no choice. More...

Unplanned Obsolescence and the New Network Culture
As summarized in DEOS by John Hibbs, this article makes two key points: "With the advent of network culture, however, that logic [the factory model of education] is obsolete. We must rethink the entire educational process... and... Since government and foundations cannot provide necessary resources, virtually everyone involved in the education business will have to become entrepreneurs." This article is an intelligent analysis of the changes sweeping education. Commercialization is one aspect. The cost of learning is another aspect. More...

Line Between E-Learning and E-Commerce Blurring
Educators should understand that convergence is about more than merging television and the internet. Of course, it is that and the merging of other media. But convergence also means blending different fields of endeavour. It's about a record company launching its own airline or a media icon launching a restaurant chain. More...

Degrassi Community School
Continuing on the topic of media and learning: for those of you unfamiliar with Canadian television, Degrassi Junior High (and later, Degrassi High) was a widely popular program a decade or so ago describing the issues faced by students. A significant part of the purpose of the program was to inform students and to give tools to help them cope. More...

Study: College Too Pricey for Many
As someone who still owes money on my student loans, the cost of an education is a personal issue for me (and one of the reasons I am an advocate of online learning). According to a study by the Lumina Foundation for Education, only five states have four-year public colleges that low-income students can afford without financial aide. More...

Innovations in Online Learning: Moving Beyond No Significant Difference
"Leaders of the old paradigm community have a tremendous amount of time and energy invested in using the old rules," writes the author. ""The problem with applying old solutions to new problems in the world of online learning is that these applications tend to produce results that are 'as good as' what we have done before..." I think the findings in this paper are significant, echoing and supporting similar trends reflected elsewhere. More...

Sites Abound to Aid Do-it-yourselfers
Another trend to be on the watch for is the increasing number of do-it-yourself learning sites. This article (sorry about the formatting) surveys a number of websites devoted to providing self learning for the motivated readeril. More...

Batten Down the Hatches! How to Protect Outlook From Attack

Even though it's simply not safe, institutional policy requires many office workers and staff to use Microsoft Outlook for their email. More...