Online Pedagogy Focus of ANGEL Special Interest Group

Indianapolis, Ind. – January 27, 2004 – Faculty who use ANGEL, the open, flexible enterprise course management system, can now engage in peer-to-peer information sharing online. The Instruction and Instructional Design Special Interest Group is hosted in the ANGEL environment by ANGEL developer, CyberLearning Labs, Inc.

Capitalizing on ANGEL’s collaboration capabilities, the group provides a forum for pedagogy discussion as it relates to learning in traditional, web-enhanced, hybrid, and fully online courses.

Group members can share best practices and exchange information on role-related topics. They can ask questions, post proposed plans for feedback, locate resources, and get tips and new ideas.

Record numbers of ANGEL users have joined the group since it came online in mid-January. Dr. Rebecca Andre’, dean of the College of Business, University of Northwestern Ohio was quick to enroll and forwarded group information to the college’s faculty. “The University of Northwestern Ohio, as a learning organization, seeks dynamic ways to exchange ideas, insights, methods, and models,” said Andre’. “We anticipate that the opportunities to learn and share through CyberLearning Labs’ Instructional Design SIG will be of tremendous value as we continue to develop our hybrid and fully-online courses.”

ANGEL users volunteered to coordinate and structure the group’s online workspace. The result is information organized in five topics areas: general teaching and learning, learning modules, online pedagogy, student-centered learning, and technologies that complement ANGEL. Organizers expect the online pedagogy area “to be the most heavily trafficked” and subdivided it into seven additional areas to provide context for in-depth discussion. Organizers are aware that the student-centered learning area “overlaps several other topics,” but gave it first level priority because it is “an important hot topic at present.”

“Establishing the pedagogy special interest group for ANGEL users is an outcome of the 2003 ANGEL User Conference,” said Helen Follett CyberLearning Labs vice president of product programs. “It is also a logical extension of our commitment to our customers’ success. ANGEL users are focused on exploiting technology’s potential to extend learning and engage students. CyberLearning Labs is focused on enabling that mission. By hosting the Instructional Design Special Interest Group, we’re providing a forum for pedagogy discussion and information sharing among ANGEL users around the world 24/7.”

About CyberLearning Labs, Inc.
CyberLearning Labs, Inc. develops and markets, ANGEL, the enterprise course management system that combines an open and flexible architecture with a complete set of easy-to-use features. The company grew out of the Advanced Research and Technology Institute at Indiana University after ANGEL was developed in the CyberLab of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. Now the fastest growing course management system, ANGEL customers include Penn State University, Michigan State University, Kentucky Virtual University, Providence College, and TIAA-CREF. Visit the CyberLearning Labs website at www.cyberlearninglabs.com.

CyberLearning Labs contact:
Nancy Schmutzler
nancys@cyberlearninglabs.com
317-610-3610