Contributed by EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, Faculty, E-Learning, and Instructional Design

This paper describes a four-step needs assessment process that institutions can use to determine the gaps between current and desired states of technology infrastructure, facilitating rapid decision making. The framework described focuses on aligning learning outcomes and technology tools and can help institutions compare the current state of technology infrastructure with a desired state to best meet identified learning outcomes.

Faculty and students are recognizing blogging's learning potential, including the chance to practice writing, reflect on others' thinking, and respond to critical analyses of one's own work. In this paper, a graduate student explores the campus "blogosphere" to discover who is blogging and what they are posting, as well as how faculty are using blogs in their courses and the results they are seeing.

Asking whether technology improves learning may seem straightforward, but the answer is not simple. The challenge begins with defining assessment and is compounded by the complexities of people, technology, and educational organizations. This paper clarifies technology assessment by exploring the definitions, methods, and realistic expectations it can address.

Online@UCF has achieved this success through three units. Instructional designers in Course Development & Web Services (CDWS) work with faculty to increase their knowledge and use of best practices in fully online, blended, and Web-enhanced learning; the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) provides planning and administrative support for online learning faculty and students; and the Research Initiative for Teaching Effectiveness (RITE) documents the success of these efforts in the form of improved learning outcomes as well as high rates of faculty and student satisfaction. Together, these units have established Online@UCF as an effective practice model in the development and support of online learning.

ELI's Innovations & Implementations series highlights innovative teaching, learning, and technology practices in higher education. Each Innovations & Implementations piece provides a practical overview of an innovation, focusing on its significance and implementation issues. Use Innovations & Implementations to explore innovative practices that might be of value to your institution.