ACADIENT AND BU: A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKED
Boston University’s (BU) Center for Professional Education (CPE) made the commitment to launch its online Financial Planning Certificate Program (FPCP) in 2002, and it took about a year to build out the entire curriculum. What’s really unique about the development of this program, however, is that an enormous amount of risk that’s typically involved with starting any kind of online learning program was completely removed because Acadient absorbed all the up-front cost by helping to create and manage all of the curriculum’s content, as well as by building the entire technical infrastructure and instructional design that holds the program. "There was zero risk to Boston University," says John Ebersole, associate provost and dean for BU’s Division of Extended Education. MORE

REGIS AND ULSTER COLLABORATE ON FULLY ONLINE JOINT DEGREE PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT
A collaboration between Regis University and the University of Ulster has resulted in a unique fully online Master of Science in International Management (MSIM) program. The program is seeking to enroll 15 students by January 2005, with plans to ramp up to 300 students within 2 years. "We think this is a realistic forecast," says Program Co-Director and Regis MBA Professor Ed Cooper. "Our budget is somewhere in that framework." MORE

RESEARCH SHOWS GROWING MARKET FOR ONLINE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
During the early phases of developing the MSIM program, Regis hired Hezel Associates, a consulting firm for the education sector based in Syracuse, NY, to conduct a market study in order to gain an understanding of the potential market for the MSIM program, as well for a joint online Master of Science in Software and Information Systems program that Regis has developed with the National University of Ireland, Galway. The Hezel Associates study was a European Union market analysis that revealed a number of important factors that Regis has taken under consideration. MORE

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Enhancing Educational Technology at the University of Phoenix - Electronic Collection Development for the Academic E-Library - Working Papers form Project Ideal - Dreamtools for Writers - A Call for High School Preparation for College and Work - ECAR Announces Study Analyzing Complex IT Issue Facing Higher Education - Penn State and Internet2 Announce Release of Academic File-sharing Open Source Code - Wisconsin Distance Learning Conference Proceedings MORE

HOW TO DEAL WITH TOO MANY E-MAILS AND DISCUSSION BOARD POSTS
One of the on-the-job hazards of being an online instructor is e-mail and discussion board burnout. Online students want feedback, and they want it now. A class of 30 with seven required activities over one week could quickly turn into 210 e-mails waiting for your detailed all-knowing and highly individualized responses. Then, of course, there are all those discussion board posts seeking your sage solutions. How do you cope? Here are five strategies for dealing with over abundant e-mails and discussion board posts, from Curtis Bonk, professor, Indiana University. MORE