Managing Online Instructor Workload. Strategies for Finding Balance and Success

Effective Online Teaching is an essential resource that offers a clear understanding of how cognition and learning theory applies to online learning. This much-needed resource provides specific strategies for incorporating this knowledge into effective learner-centered teaching that gets results. The book includes strategies on motivation, tailored instruction, interaction, collaboration, monitoring and communication, time and information management, student concerns, and legal and ethical issues. Designed as a text for online instructors, the chapters can be used for self-directed learning or in a formal training setting in concert with the companion Training Manual and CD. «Tina Stavredes has done something sorely needed in the online teaching world —she has successfully combined solid theory and research with the practical application of instructor training. Both the book and the training manual are a 'must' for any online education organization. Bravo!»—Dr. Darcy W. Hardy, assistant vice provost for Technology Education Initiatives, University of Texas at San Antonio, and chair emerita, United States Distance Learning Association «Drawing from years of experience and solidly grounded in an understanding of the adult learner and learning, Stavredes offers dozens of helpful instructor strategies, activities, and resources to support adult learners' success in an online environment. Effective Online Teaching and its accompanying training manual is a 'must-have' set for online instructors in higher education, corporate, and government settings.»—Sharan B. Merriam, professor emeritus of adult education, University of Georgia, and coauthor, Learning in Adulthood «An eminently practical book that provides clear and unpretentious explanations of the learning theories that are essential knowledge for every online teacher, together with equally uncluttered and easy-to-follow guidance about how to apply this knowledge to achieve excellent teaching.»—Michael Grahame Moore, Distinguished Professor of Education, The Pennsylvania State University, and editor, The American Journal of Distance Education

The Excellent Online Instructor is a guide for new and seasoned faculty who teach online, those responsible for training and developing online instructors, and administrators who must evaluate online faculty performance. This comprehensive resource describes the qualities of and explains how one can become an excellent online instructor. Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt—noted experts in online instruction—the book Includes models based in adult learning principles and best practices Offers guidelines to test instructors' readiness to teach online Contains ideas for overcoming faculty resistance Reveals how to develop an effective mentoring program Shows how to establish a long-term faculty development effort Praise for The Excellent Online Instructor «Palloff and Pratt have a profound understanding of the online educational milieu, its complexities and challenges as well as the potential it opens up to serious educators dedicated to exploiting its full value. Practical and down-to-earth strategies are at the core of what the authors offer the reader in this engaging book.» —Michael J. Canuel, CEO, LEARN Quebec «This book examines best practices for effective online teaching and instructor engagement and provides a concise plan for faculty development and effective training methods. Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt have provided another essential resource for the field of online teaching and learning that is a must-read for anyone working with faculty or teaching online in either higher education or K–12.» —Kaye Shelton, dean, Online Education, Dallas Baptist University «Whether you are guiding departmental faculty or looking to improve your own online skills, Palloff and Pratt provide practical steps, tools to organize your processes, best practices to emulate, and valuable resources to help you achieve excellence online.» —Lynn Olson, dean, Graduate and Professional Studies, St. Joseph's College Online

Avoid common pitfalls in large-scale projects using these smart strategies Over half of large-scale engineering and construction projects—off-shore oil platforms, chemical plants, metals processing, dams, and similar projects—have miserably poor results. These include billions of dollars in overruns, long delays in design and construction, and poor operability once finally completed. Industrial Megaprojects gives you a clear, nontechnical understanding of why these major projects get into trouble, and how your company can prevent hazardous and costly errors when undertaking such large technical and management challenges. Clearly explains the underlying causes of over-budget, delayed, and unsafe megaprojects Examines effects of poor project management, destructive team behaviors, weak accountability systems, short-term focus, and lack of investment in technical expertise Author is the CEO of the leading consulting firm for evaluating billion-dollar projects Companies worldwide are rethinking their large-scale projects. Industrial Megaprojects is your essential guide for this rethink, offering the tools and principles that are the true foundation of safe, cost-effective, successful megaprojects.

Best practices, practical advice, and design ideas for successful ecommerce search A glaring gap has existed in the market for a resource that offers a comprehensive, actionable design patterns and design strategies for ecommerce search—but no longer. With this invaluable book, user experience designer and user researcher Greg Nudelman shares his years of experience working on popular ecommerce sites as he tackles even the most difficult ecommerce search design problems. Nudelman helps you create highly effective and intuitive ecommerce search design solutions and he takes a unique forward-thinking look at trends such as integrating searching with browsing to create a single-finding user interface. Offers much-needed insight on how to create ecommerce search experiences that truly benefit online shoppers Juxtaposes examples of common design pitfalls against examples of highly effective ecommerce search design solutions Presents comprehensive guidance on ecommerce search design strategies for the Web, mobile phone applications, and new tablet devices Shares the author's years of unique experience working with ecommerce from the perspective of the user’s experience Designing ecommerce Search is mandatory reading if you are interested in orchestrating successful ecommerce search strategies.

Universities continue to struggle in their efforts to fully integrate information and communications technology within their activities. Based on examination of current practices in technology integration at 25 universities worldwide, this book argues for a radical approach to the management of technology in higher education. It offers recommendations for improving governance, strategic planning, integration of administrative and teaching services, management of digital resources, and training of technology managers and administrators. The book is written for anyone wanting to ensure technology is integrated as effectively and efficiently as possible.

A detailed guide to the new era of IPO investing Typically generating a great deal of interest, excitement, and volatility, initial public offerings (IPOs) offer investors and traders with opportunities for both short-term and long-term profits. In the Third Edition of High-Profit IPO Strategies, IPO expert Tom Taulli explains all facets of IPO investing and trading, with a particular emphasis on the industries that are fueling the next generation of IPOs, from social networking and cloud computing to mobile technology. In the past year alone, many of these types of IPOs have provided enormous opportunities for nimble traders as prices have fluctuated widely for several months following the offering. This new edition reflects the new IPO environment and presents you with the insights needed to excel in such a dynamic arena. Discusses more sophisticated IPO trading strategies, explores the intricacies of the IPO process, and examines the importance of focused financial statement analysis Contains new chapters on secondary IPO markets, reverse mergers, and master limited partnerships Provides in-depth analysis of other major industries generating worthwhile IPOs Covers IPO investing from basic terms to advanced investing techniques Comprehensive in scope, the Third Edition of High-Profit IPO Strategies offers investors and traders with actionable information to profit in this lucrative sector of the financial market.

Written by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt, experts in the field of online teaching and learning, this hands-on resource helps higher education professionals understand the fundamentals of effective online assessment. It offers guidance for designing and implementing creative assessment practices tied directly to course activities to measure student learning. The book is filled with illustrative case studies, authentic assessments based in real-life application of concepts, and collaborative activities that assess the quality of student learning rather than relying on the traditional methods of measuring the amount of information retained.

The go-to guide to social media skills, now in an updated and revised Third Edition The Social Media Bible is comprehensive 700-plus page social media resource that will teach corporate, small business, and non-profit marketers strategies for using social media to reach their desired audiences with power messages and efficiency. This newly revised 3rd edition addresses technology updates to the iPad, apps, Foursquare, and other geotargeted networks. New case studies and company profiles provide practical examples of how businesses have successfully implemented these strategies, using the newest social media marketing tools. Updates and changes to Google's search engine algorithms More information on plug-ins, widgets, apps, and integration Updates on Twitter and Yammer and new information on Google+ The latest in mobile marketing Master the latest social media tools and deliver powerful messaging in the most effective way possible with The Social Media Bible.

Praise for FINDING THE HOT SPOTS «David Riedel's Finding the Hot Spots provides keen insights into the new reality of investing with a global perspective. Internationally diversified investment portfolios reduce risk while enhancing returns, as many American-based individual and institutional investors have discovered in recent years. Riedel succeeds in providing simple, effective tools and strategies.» –J. Craig Chapman Managing Director, Long-Term Asset Management (HK) Limited «Finding the Hot Spots simplifies and demystifies international investing and makes non-U.S. markets alluring and accessible . . . a must-read for all individual investors.» –John D. Meserve Chairman, BNY Jaywalk, Inc. «Anyone considering investing in emerging markets should begin by reading David Riedel's Finding the Hot Spots. This excellent book explains how to reap the benefits while avoiding the risks of investing in the world's fastest growing economies. Having worked with David in Thailand during the peak of the Bangkok Bubble in the mid-1990s, I believe few people are more qualified to write about this subject than he is.» –Richard Duncan Author of The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures

Transform your team during crises and establish an enthusiastic and strategic culture In an approach similar to the way a doctor reads a chart and runs tests to diagnosis an illness, Prescription for Lasting Success offers a practical system for solving problems in an organization. Leaders can get back on track and increase their effectiveness in spite of significant change. Readers learn to diagnose the 4 Ps: purpose, passion, planning, and people. Using the 4 Ps model, the book gives practical suggestions to help teams, businesses, and associations increase their effectiveness and help organizations transform into dynamic, profitable entities. Particular focus is given to finding ways to incorporate purpose and ignite passion into the workplace, and remove obstacles to peak performance Addresses how the model can be used to achieve peak performance in the workplace and maintain it over an extended period of time Dr. Susan Reynolds is President and CEO of The Institute for Medical Leadership. A former emergency physician, emergency medical center CEO, and White House health care advisor, Dr. Reynolds is the creator and Program Director for the highly acclaimed Chief of Staff Boot Camps Get the right prescription for your organization's issues and help them thrive, even in times of great challenge.