Ten Great Online Journals for Reading over Spring Break

Susan L. Jones, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Southwest Missouri State University
School of Teacher Education
College of Education
Email:  susanjones2@hotmail.com

            I sat down in my office the other day and thought I would relax, grab a good print journal to read, have a cup of coffee (actually cappuccino) and enjoy a moment of silence.  But then it happened.  No, the desk phone did not ring, my cell phone did not ring, students did not interrupt, an alarm did not sound—instead, I noticed that many of my print journals were old, out-dated, dust-collecting subscriptions that I had already read before and did not feel like reading again.  It suddenly dawned on me that everything I seem to read is now in an online electronic format.  Although I love online journals, oddly enough there are moments such as these where I find myself occasionally missing the feel of a journal with a cup of coffee in my hand, selecting where I would like to sit comfortably, rather than being fixed to the computer as it seems I always find myself anymore. 

            However, I have to admit that I love the flexibility to use online journals with the ability to search for topics, authors, and titles as well as browse almost instantaneously through volume after volume, year-after-year of a well-represented online journal.  The wealth of information at my fingertips and ease of access to that information is undoubtedly much nicer to have than trying to search through a plethora of old, out-dated, dust-mite filled, broken-down journals that are difficult to search through and to find quickly what one is looking for.  With that thought in mind, I decided that maybe, just maybe, you would be interested in some of the online or eJournals that I enjoy reading.  Therefore, I have compiled a list of online journals containing information about distance learning that are among the favorite I peruse through on a regular basis.  If you find yourself, as I have lately, looking for something good to read with a nice cup of hot cappuccino (or plain old coffee), you might want to pull up a chair, prop your legs up on your desk and explore or revisit any of the following online journals below:

1.  American Journal of Distance Education
http://www.ajde.com/
This journal was originally published by the American Center for the Study of Distance Education (ACSDE).  It is now published by Lawrence Erlbaum. It was created to disseminate information and act as a forum for criticism and debate about research and practice of distance education.

2.  Continuing Higher Education Review
http://www.ucea.edu/pages/cher.html
The Continuing Higher Education Review is published annually by Harvard University and the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) professional journal.  This journal contains scholarly articles written by experts in continuing education and contains research reports and book reviews.  It is created for administrators, faculty, and policy-makers in continuing education.

3.  DEOSNEWS
http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/deos/deosnews/deosnews.asp
DEOSNEWS is a monthly electronic journal, published by the American Center for the Study of Distance Education (ACSDE) at Pennsylvania State University.  It has promoted distance education scholarship, research, and practice since 1991.

4.  Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN)
http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/index.asp
The Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN) is published online by Vanderbilt University for the Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALN) Center. It includes original work in asynchronous learning networks (ALN), including experimental results focusing on papers that emphasize results supported by data.

5.  International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl
The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning is a refereed, interactive online journal. Its purpose is to contribute and disseminate scholarly knowledge on international distance education in theory, research, and best practices.

6.  Journal of Continuing Higher Education
http://www.acheinc.org/publicat.html#journal
The Journal of Continuing Higher Education is a refereed journal published by the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) at Pennsylvania State.  It is published three times a year and features major articles and shorter columns of professional interest. It strives to support continuing higher education by serving as a forum for the reporting and exchange of information based on research, observations, and experience relevant to the field.

7.  Journal of Distance Education
http://www.cade-aced.ca/en_pub.php
The Journal of Distance Education is a publication of the Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) its aim is to promote and encourage scholarly work of an empirical and theoretical nature that relates to distance education in Canada.  It is published twice a year.

8.  Quarterly Review of Distance Education
http://www.aect.org/Publications/qrde.htm
The Quarterly Review of Distance Education is the official journal of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and is a refereed journal published quarterly.  The Quarterly Review of Distance Education publishes articles, research briefs, reviews, and editorials on the theories, research, and practices of distance education.

9.  Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/jmain11.html
The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration is a peer-reviewed online journal published four times a year by the State University of West Georgia, Center for Distance Education. Articles within the journal are based on original work of practitioners and researchers with specific focus or implications for the management of distance education programs.

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