E-learning Industry & Market Research

Distance Education Resources

In the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and throughout the world, more and more students are obtaining college degrees and reaching their educational goals through distance and e-learning programs. Because the industry of online education is growing so rapidly, it is easier than ever to make education a part of your daily life.

Students, educators, and all people interested in distance education and e-learning programs will find it useful to know about the many educational and e-learning resources that are devoted to providing information about the world of higher education.

As the #1 e-learning resource on the web, World Wide Learn provides you with the information you need to access the many useful higher education, distance education, and e-learning resources that are designed to promote all types of educational and training programs in the U.S. and around the globe.

Use this section as a resource to find information about the educational, workplace-training, and e-learning resources that can help you better understand the opportunities of the academic world and achieve your educational goals.

United States

• Advanced Distributed Learning Network (ADLNet)
  This project is a collaboration between the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Department of Defense. The project's site offers users useful information, tools, and helpful resources about the most recent developments in the world of e-learning.
  
  
• Cisco e-learning
  An unsurpassed leader and supporter of distance education and e-learning programs that are devoted to job training in the corporate arena, Cisco's e-learning website provides users with a wide variety of resources and tools for use in gathering information about the world of corporate e-learning.
  
  
• The Educator's Reference Desk - Resource Guides
  The Educator's Reference desk provides search capabilities for the U.S. Department of Education's ERIC Database, which offers access to bibliographic records on educational research and other educational elements of theory and practice. The Distance Education Guide also offers links to other useful material such as educational organizations, and communities online.
  
  
• The Ageless Learner | eLearning
  A section of The Ageless Learner website, eLearning offers many links to other e-learning informational sites including organizations, books, and e-learning articles. The Ageless Learner is a website that is based on the idea that learning is a lifelong pursuit and influences everything we do regardless of age.
  
  
• eLearning Centre Library
  This Library contains many different sections, each of which address a different topic having to do with e-learning. The Trends and Technologies section, for instance, provides links to other resources devoted to current and developing issues related to e-learning.
  
  
• Distance-Educator.com
  A resource for topics related to distance education, this comprehensive database is constantly updated and well maintained. It is accessible to many levels of users. Users have the option to sign up to receive daily updates on distance learning news.
  
  
• Learning Resources - the American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC)
  Learning Resources is a resource listing containing ADEC papers, other reports, organizations, and initiatives related to distance education and the members of the greater distance education community.
  
  
• Librarian's Index to the Internet - Distance Education
  Users may search this collection of distance education sites by subject, keyword, etc., just as they would conduct a search on a public library's holdings database. The sites included have been selected by librarians who have found the sites to be particular useful.
  
  
• Online Education Resources - Illinois Online Network (ION)
  The Illinois Online Network is a collaboration of Illinois' community colleges and the University of Illinois. This collaboration works toward the goal of developing and advancing the use of e-learning and distance education in the state of Illinois. The Online Education Resources section offers a comprehensive listing of distance education-related resources.

Australia

• education.au Limited
  Owned by the Australian Commonwealth and State and Territory education and training Ministers, education.au is a national education and training agency. In collaboration with many education and training communities, the Agency develops and maintains online informational services that are designed to make educational information available to national education and training workers and communities. One of the Agency's many missions is to meet the educational challenges offered by the Internet.
  
  
• National Organization for e-learning (NOEL)
  NOEL was developed as a non-profit initiative organization created to encourage organizations in Australia to disseminate their research, knowledge, and e-learning resources nationally.

Canada

• Alberta Distance Education and Training Network (ADETA)
  A non-profit and association made up of voluntary corporate and individual members, ADETA is a project that is devoted to the growing interest in distance education and industry training in Alberta. The association provides information about e-learning programs in Canada and about e-learning programs designed specifically for job training.
  
  
• Canadian Virtual University (CVU)
  CVU is a group of Canadian universities that offer degrees from e-learning and distance education programs. When using the resources of Canadian Virtual University, users can browse through and choose from over 200 distance learning and online degree programs. Courses are offered in both English and French.

Europe and the United Kingdom

• Elearningeuropa
  This website is available to users of all levels of familiarity with e-learning and distance education programs. The portal is designed to provide in-depth information that will aid in the exploration of e-learning programs and to make available the large amount of work and distance learning research that is being conducted throughout Europe.
  
  
• Europe's Information Society
  Based on the belief that because the future of the European economy and society depends on the continuous education of European residents, Europe's Information Society acts as resource for information concerning the role of e-learning and distance education programs in the workplaces and organizations of Europe. Europe's Information Society has been developed on the mission to make e-learning programs accessible to all groups in order to promote social integration.
  
  
• EducationGuardian
  A program of the United Kingdom's informational publication, The Guardian, EducationGuardian promotes e-learning and distance education programs by acting as a resource for research and information about such programs in and around the United Kingdom and beyond.

International

• The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)
  The world's leading resource for information about learning in the workplace, ASTD was founded in 1944 and presents quantities of information, analysis, and research devoted to workplace education, training, and development. ASTD holds conferences, seminars, and expositions, and develops publications created through the work of its more than 70,000 members in over 100 countries aorund the globe.
  
  
• GlobalEducator.com
  Based on the mission to "create a free online resource to bring Global Education professionals together to engage in relationship-building across the world," Global-Ed strives to develop a community of higher education. It offers resources including articles and event listings.
  
  

More Online Education Resources

• Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
  Dedicated to the advancement of learning and teaching at all levels with information technology.
• American Distance Education Consortium (ADEC)
  Consortium of universities and land grant institutions providing distance education.
• Copyright Permission
  iCopyright.com allows all users of content to legally obtain the rights to use content.
• The Distance Education Clearinghouse
  A comprehensive site with distance education information from national and international sources.
• EDUCAUSE
  A non-profit organization advancing higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. Numerous online information services.
• elearnspace
  Resources for users, managers, developers, and facilitators of elearning.
• EduTools
  Market research firm for the education economy; pre-K-12, postsecondary and corporate training markets.
• Eduventures
  E-learning information and independently-reviewed analyses of course management software.
• The eLearning Guild
  Resource warehouse and online community dedicated to e-learning.
• Gartner Group
  A premier source of business and technology information searchable by focus areas and more.
• Instructional Technology Council
  News, publications, links, and resources for distance educators and learners.
• The Masie Center
  An international e-lab and ThinkTank dedicated to exploring the intersection of learning and technology. Events, seminars, e-learning research and articles.
• Penn State Distance Education
  Links to the latest scholarship in the field of distance education from Penn State and others.
• UNESCO e-Learning Portal
  Associations, institutions, resources, forums and much more facilitating access to e-Learning worldwide.
• The Wellspring
  Readings, links, and forums applicable to distance learning, especially web-based asynchronous.