Why are we the experts?

The Concord Consortium became a leader in online education through years of research and development in this area. In 1994, we conducted a survey of the existing approaches to online course development to determine what worked well and where the problems existed. That research would become the foundation for our subsequent work in designing and delivering online learning.

The Concord Consortium e-Learning Model for Online Courses grew out of the International Netcourse Teacher Enhancement Coalition (INTEC). Funded by the National Science Foundation, INTEC delivered a graduate-level teacher professional development course that helped over 600 secondary science and math teachers incorporate inquiry into their teaching.

Building on the INTEC experience, we developed the Teachers Learning Conference (TLC) for the Virtual High School, which was funded by a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant of the U.S. Department of Education. The TLC became the keystone course that prepares classroom teachers to become online course developers and instructors through direct use and modeling of the Concord Consortium e-Learning Model for Online Courses. Over 300 teachers have completed the Teachers Learning Conference and created their own successful courses, based on our model. (To date the VHS has reached over 8,000 students.)

Although based on research and real-world application, the Concord Consortium e-Learning Model for Online Courses is not set in concrete. As the field of online learning -- and our experience in this field -- continues to grow, the model will evolve, too.

We have recently authored two books about online learning with Atwood Publishing:

• Collison, G., Elbaum, B. Haavind, S., Tinker, R. 2000. Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators
• Elbaum, B., McIntyre, C., Smith, A. (2002) Essential Elements: Prepare, Design and Teach Your Online Course

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