Many innovative instructors at institutions world-wide are discovering the potential of the online environment to deliver instruction of the highest quality to people who would otherwise have limited access to higher education. This is an exciting and challenging time in education. Online education is bringing collaborative learning to the forefront and is affecting the way traditional courses are taught as well. Simply defined, online education refers to courses offered via the Internet.

Although the idea is simple and the name evolved from a slang term for quick, wikis have quickly become a standard method of collaborative creation. A wiki represents a tool whereby users can jointly work on the same document that is stored externally on a wiki server. In a wiki-based lesson, students work to collaboratively construct a document designed to meet some educational objective.

Webquests use Internet resources in inquiry based learning. The focus is on using and evaluating information more than searching for it. Webquests usually provide the list of Web resources rather than require students to begin with a search engine. The model was first developed using the name Webquest by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University in 1995.

Appropriate Content Areas

All, although there are fewer examples in mathematics than most others.

The instructor provides a well formulated question that requires personal responses from students. These responses elicit further questions and so on. It is sometimes referred to as teaching through questioning.

Appropriate Content Areas

Typical in ethics studies within any curriculum, politics, psychology, social studies, higher order mathematical concepts, and law.

Students take part in an online simulation activity. Following the activity, some assessment should be linked to verify student learning. A brief statement can be submitted by the students describing what they learned. For simulations that have numerical representations, a list of answers or a graph may be submitted. Student might also answer a discussion question about the simulation.

Appropriate Content Areas

Any. Often used in Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry.

Internet scavenger hunts serve as a great way to hone student Web searching ability and problem solving. They can be an evaluative activity when students have to find information of a specific type or value. They also can serve as an ice-breaker. The lesson involves providing students with a goal and then having them search the Internet to fulfill that goal.

Students are presented with a context or situation. Within that context they assume specific roles. The lesson is then conducted whereby the ability of students to attend to their roles and learn from the experience is assessed. Follow-up activities usually help to link the activity to specific learning concepts.

Appropriate Content Areas

Most. Typical in media studies, political science, literature courses, social sciences, education, business, advertising, nursing, etc.

Students view, read, or listen to content and then compose a review of that content attending to items required in the assignment description.

Appropriate Content Areas

All. Typical in media studies, political science, and literature courses.

Goals & Objectives

The goal of a review is to develop a students ability to critically evaluate a media item attending to certain criteria. A sub goal is that students are exposed to the content that they are reviewing, allowing this lesson to tie into other lessons and goals.

Students summarize their learning on a weekly basis. They express the key points for that weeks lesson and receive feedback from the instructor.

Appropriate Content Areas

Often used social sciences, but appropriate for most fields.

Students use an online quizzing program to take a quiz. This can be done in a moderated setting, or unmoderated. A few ideas of ways to curb academic dishonesty are listed below along with a selection of tools that allow for online quizzing.

Goals and Objectives

The primary goal of a quiz is to assess student learning in a timed, closed environment. Primary attributes tested are recall in multiple choice to more complex thought processes in essay questions.