If you need quick, targeted baseline knowledge about using technology for teaching and learning, Making Sense of Online Learning is for you. This practical, no-nonsense primer will help you understand how online learning technologies work and how they fit into your organization. You’ll gain a working knowledge of important topics such as design, infrastructure, and evaluation and the confidence to make informed decisions that will help your learners and organization thrive. Since information about online learning changes at Internet speed, the book is supported with a dedicated Web site (www.learningpeaks.com/msoll/) filled with up-to-the-minute suggestions for tools and resources.
“The online learning people promised a revolutionary breakthrough and went about replicating the textbook and the classroom. They hyped the bells and whistles and neglected basic instructional design. Clients bought rigid proprietary platforms that violated all principles of systematic change. This book responds to my concerns: The focus should be on learning and performance improvement and not on the technology. Just take a look at the table of contents. I would have outlined the book exactly the same way. But Patti and Amy write with greater wit and competency.”
—Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan, resident mad scientist, Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.
“The information in this book will help you make informed decisions about using online learning in your organization.”
—Saul Carliner, assistant professor of educational technology, Concordia University, Montreal
“Shank and Sitze give thoughtful, ingenious insights about big topics like design and learner needs. They also know how to get down into the weeds to explain the great features of a tool.”
—Kirsti Aho, director of content and curriculum, Macromedia Education
About the Author
Patti Shank is the managing partner of Learning Peaks, an instructional technology consulting group that helps organizations optimize their online/distance education initiatives. She’s listed in Who’s Who In Instructional Technology, is a popular speaker at training and instructional technology conferences, and has contributed numerous chapters to training books. She was an award-winning contributor for Online Learning Magazine and winner of a 2002 EDMEDIA award.
Amy Sitze is a journalist and editor who has held leadership roles at several business and technology magazines, including three years as editor of Online Learning Magazine.
