Internet Learning Volume 7, Number 1 • 2018/2019 | Page 4

Letter from the Editor
Kathleen J. Tate, Ph.D.
Internet Learning Journal • Volume 7, Number 1 • 2018/2019
Welcome to the last issue of Internet Learning Journal with the current
name! After Volume 7, Issue 1, a title change to reflect the scope and
purpose of the journal will occur with the next issue. The new title of
the journal will be Journal of Online Learning Research and Practice. The hope is
that the new title will attract both readers and potential authors to increase the
journal’s visibility in the field.
Within this issue, you will find book and media reviews, perspectives from
the field, and research and theoretical articles. A focus on separate, but interrelated
topics is prevalent in this issue, which includes pieces about course material types,
considerations for teacher education, relationships in the online classroom, live
group meetings, personalized learning as applied to new faculty members, and
online apps for higher education contexts.
Dr. Susan Adragna’s book review provides an overview of Leavoy’s (2017)
e-book Tapping into the Power of Personalized Learning. Dr. Adragna discusses the
book’s points about successfully onboarding new faculty members, or employees,
through a personalized learning approach. She highlights the author’s model of
using mentoring and technology to create a personal learning path for new employees
as learners.
In his media review, Dr. William Gillum describes online apps to enhance
communication, interaction, and learning both within and beyond higher education
classroom virtual walls. Gillum discusses the benefits of apps such as Podbean
and Google Suite.
In the From the Field section, Dr. Jill Buban, Chief Academic Officer at
Unizin and former Senior Director of Research and Innovation, Online Learning
Consortium (OLC), is featured in 3 Questions for an Online Learning Leader. Jill
shares insights about underused technologies, competency-based learning, and
future online learning trends.
Research and practical articles in this issue focus on course material type,
a successful partnership between a teacher education program and public virtual
school, practical strategies for building rapport and creating a sense of community,
and tips and techniques for planning and leading live group meetings. Drs.
Cramer and Douglas examined whether the student experience with physical and
electronic course materials has an impact on their academic performance. They
used one-way ANOVA tests to study the relationship between course material type
(e.g., physical, electronic) and student performance in a high-enrollment, introductory-level,
general education, online course with adult learners.
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doi: 10.18278/il.7.1.1