Online Education Tools and Techniques

As the Internet continues to grow exponentially not only in size, but as a technological marvel, the options available to facilitate distance or online learning are increasing as well. What used to be accomplished using pre-recorded video tapes and instructional packets printed out at the school is now usually done without a scrap of physical material passing from the instructor to the student. Here are some of the more popular software and training tools used by universities to facilitate online education today:

Streaming Video: The option for an instructor to have himself filmed while he is giving a lecture and have his students logged in through the Internet to watch is an old one, but only recently gaining in popularity thanks to the drastic increase in broadband Internet connectivity around the country. The one drawback to this technology is that it requires scheduling distance learners to be available at a specific time to watch the presentation 'live,' however, the ability to record the video lecture also exists, and students who did not make it to the live event can download it and watch it at their leisure at a later time.
Remote Program Access: Interested in brushing up on your Microsoft Word or Excel skills for work, but you don't have the software at home? No worries. Many schools now are offering remote access to use the applications online that they may not have at home. Common offerings include the entire Microsoft Office Suite, the entire Adobe Creative Suite, 3D graphic design applications, and tutoring assistance programs such as Mathlab. Interested students can login at home, select the program of their choice, and then access it directly from the school's servers without ever having to install it on their own system or pay for it.
Custom Software Applications: Your online school will have its own software where you login to access your class information, grades, communicate you're your instructors and classmates, allow you to run audits of your work performed so far and other important tools.
Blackboard: Blackboard is an increasingly popular method of uniting online instructors with their students and many universities use it. A combination of several technologies including the ability to e-mail, chat, post to discussion boards and post and review grades, Blackboard offers much by way of meeting the demands of an online education.
Podcasts: Podcasts are video recordings that can be downloaded and listened to directly through a computer. Useful for an instructor who wants to add a personal touch to the notes given on an assignment, or to instruct the class in some manner.
Chat Rooms: Chat rooms allow instant 'texting' communication between any number of people, so that the professor, if they so choose, could hold an impromptu class in one, or students can use chat rooms to bounce ideas for the coming test off of one another.
Discussion Boards: Discussion boards are an older technology but still widely used, that allow the instructor and students to post messages or 'notes' back and forth to each other. Not as quick and real-time as chat, blackboards still provide an effective means of communication without the need to get all participants together at the same time.