Learn at a Distance

“You are never strong enough that you don’t need help.” ― César Chávez

Resources are content, media, research and communication items and tools to facilitate student learning. Instructional resources must take into account student technology skills, learning styles and communication preferences.

Content Resources are texts in the form of textbooks, articles and links to websites. These resources are the most traditional forms of content employed in an online course.

Media Resources are audio, video, images and other graphics that support student learning. Some of these may be extant and accessed through linking or embedding, others may be instructor created. Presentation software, timelines and simulations are examples.

Research Resources are web-based tools that students can use to support their learning. Library databases, online university research supports and guides for attribution and plagiarism avoidance are examples.

Communication Resources are web-based methods to support instructor-student and student-student interaction. These resources are essential for maintaining a sense of instructor immediacy and in sustaining a vibrant online community of learners. These resources can be asynchronous: email and discussion boards or synchronous: web chat and video conferencing.

Assessment Resources are web-based tools that help quantify student performance. Some of these tools are embedded in the learning management system (quiz, test, survey  and portfolio tools); others must be created (student videos, podcasts or blogs).

University Resources are institutional supports: the library, IT personnel, assistance provided by the learning management system and guidance from other organizational stakeholders. The University Library can help create what they call a “LibGuide” for your course. Here is an example that was created about online learning.