ARIS is a one-stop information service for advice and support on adult education, specializing in adult English language, literacy and numeracy. ARIS has a resource collection for teachers and researchers. The emphasis on adult numeracy is especially interesting. ARIS recognizes that in today's technological society it is necessary to absorb, use and critically evaluate large amounts of information, much of which is presented in numerical or graphical form. In order to interpret this information a range of mathematical skills is needed. Although these activities vary depending on the culture and the context in which they occur, they utilize a range of mathematical skills which include basic number skills, spatial and graphical concepts, use of measurement and problem solving. These skills are all essential for participating effectively in society. A large part of the ARIS program focuses on developing such skills.

The Distance Education Clearinghouse Web site provides a wide range of information about distance education and related resources. This site brings together distance education information from Wisconsin, national, and international sources. New information and resources are being added to the Distance Education Clearinghouse on a continuing basis. Components of the Clearinghouse include:

• Today’s Headlines
• Journals
• Conferences
• Legislation
• Distance Education Systemwide Interactive Electronic Newsletter (DESIEN)

This Internet Directory is derived from a database compiled by Tom Eland, formerly Coordinator of the Minnesota/South Dakota Regional Adult Literacy Resource Center, to aid in locating Internet resources of interest to the Literacy and Adult Education community

The Internet Directory contains information about 164 resources. In addition to being an invaluable resource for the community of those interested in literacy or adult education, the Directory has the capability to generate multiple ways to access the information from a single database extract source file with style and navigation aids.

The Internet Directory reflects four categories of Internet resources:

• Listservs
• Gopher sites
• World Wide Web sites
• Other miscellaneous areas such as email, FTP, and  telnet database resources.

Founded in 1971 in San Diego, California, National University, a private, accredited, nonprofit institution, lays claim to being a leader in adult education and accelerated learning. The university offers accredited bachelor, master, nursing, and MBA degrees online. In addition, National University offers teaching credential and certificate programs for continuing education. National University provides relevant programs that are learner-centered, success-oriented, and responsive to technology. National University's central purpose is to promote continuous learning by offering a diversity of instructional approaches, by encouraging scholarship, by engaging in collaborative community service, and by empowering its constituents to become responsible citizens in an interdependent, pluralistic, global community.

The United States Distance Learning Association, a nonprofit organization formed in 1987, has as its mission to support the development and application of distance learning. The association's purpose is to promote the development and application of distance learning for education and training. The constituents served include Pre-K through grade 12 education, higher education, home school education, continuing education, corporate training, military and government training, and telemedicine.

The association has become the leading source of information and recommendations for government agencies, Congress, industry and those entering into the development of distance learning programs. USDLA began a process in 1993 of establishing chapters in all fifty states. In addition, USDLA has expanded its global role with annual meetings with leaders of distance learning programs in Europe, the Pacific Rim, Asia, and Africa.

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The Institute for Learning Technologies seeks to help advance changes by exerting educational leadership through innovative projects, research, and enlightened counsel. It aims to nurture, in a sustained manner, the humane application of information technologies, expanding educational opportunity and achievement for all.

The Institute seeks to advance four basic objectives:

• Technology configuration -- ILT seeks to configure advanced technologies in everyday educational settings, especially inner-city schools, to support constructivist curricula and pedagogies.
• Curriculum innovation -- ILT acts to promote the reconfiguration of knowledge into an integrated, comprehensive resource, open to all, for bringing ideas and understanding to bear in the conduct of life.
• Professional development -- ILT works to help teachers adapt to a setting in which students will exert substantial control over their educational work and have direct electronic access to all the resources of their culture and in which teachers will exercise influence primarily by posing powerful questions and by guiding student inquiry towards the frontiers of knowledge, understanding, and reflective practice.
• Policy formation -- ILT aims to sustain public policy initiatives that rally broad coalitions of interested parties from academe, government and industry committed to transforming education through the astute use of information and communications technologies.

The Center for Excellence in Distance Learning (CEDL) works closely with universities that are recognized leaders in distance learning in order to increase distance learning resources available. Lucent Technologies' Center for Excellence in Distance Learning  has an overall purpose to advance the state of the art in distance learning. The plethora of published articles provides practical insights into ways that technology and research can effectively link to benefit adult learners in both the academic and business setting. While at first this site may seem like more of a promotion for Lucent Technologies, there is a vast array of information (both technological and academic) to make it a valuable resource.

The Institute for the Learning Sciences (ILS) is an interdisciplinary research and development lab dedicated to applying principles of cognitive science, computer science, artificial intelligence, and educational theory to improving the way people learn. Their mission is to extend the understanding of human learning, to develop computer-based learning environments based on that understanding, and to train future educational-software developers in both the theory and practice of creating such learning environments. This site includes a link to Roger Schank's occasional column Educational Outrage.

This site contains an incredible array of information about learning. New Horizons for Learning is an international, non-profit, educational network founded in 1980.

New Horizons offers an expanded view of teaching, learning, and developing intelligence more fully. Their activities include publishing materials, producing conferences, consulting, and collaborating on projects and programs. The website is organized around a "skyscraper" theme, with links to various "floors" of special interest in the area of learning.

Of special note are

The mission of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy is to conduct the research, development, evaluation, and dissemination needed to build effective, cost-efficient adult learning and literacy programs.

NCSALL is a collaborative effort among the following universities:

• Harvard Graduate School of Education
• World Education
• University of Tennessee
• Portland State University
• Rutgers University

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Organizations such as SeniorNet are thriving in an attempt to provide learning centers for older adults to learn about computer technology to enhance their lives and share their knowledge and wisdom with the world. With over 128 Learning Centers already available throughout the United States, SeniorNet plans to open an additional forty centers next year, many in lower socioeconomic and under-served areas. SeniorNet addresses the needs of those adults over the age of fifty who are not opposed to technology, merely unfamiliar with it.

Humboldt University Library [WWW document]. URL

The Humboldt University Library provides a website dedicated to assisting people cope with information overload. The various strategies include:

• Establishing priorities
• Doing one task at a time
• Eliminating clutter
• Establishing a retention schedule for documents
• Learning to use Internet search tools effectively

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R.A.S.C.L. (Regional Association of Student Centered Learning Activities) in Western Australia [WWW document]. URL

This site serves as a forum for all issues surrounding Student Centered Learning and also as a networking structure. Each link provides a multitude of additional links to specific areas of interest. Included among these are links to the following:

• Conferences
• Brain Compatible Learning
• Multiple Intelligences
• Student-Centered Learning
• Collaborative Learning
• Training Organizations
• Professional Development

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According to Blackmore, perhaps the most important thing an instructor can do is be aware that there are diverse learning styles in the student population! The author initially summarizes some of the most well known theories of learning styles then proceeds to show how a knowledge of these learning styles can guide the development of appropriate instructional strategies.

Links in this website include the following:

• Adult Learning Styles
• Motivation
• Barriers
• Differences between Men and Women
• Learning Style Preferences
• Kolb
• Gardner
• Implications for Instruction

The Community College of Aurora provides a learning style inventory that can be taken online. Evaluations are immediate. The inventory measures learning style preferences in the following domains:

• People
• Facts and Theories
• Problem Solving
• Visionary

Each domain is scored and a compendium of characteristics including strengths, weaknesses, instructor preferences, and suggestions is given. The test provides a quick, succinct overview, but results are complementary to other similar (if not more widely known) inventories.

Multiple Intelligences for Adult Literacy and Adult Education explores innovative ways to apply the theory of multiple intelligences to basic skills, learning styles, and adult literacy education.

This site focuses in on helping instructors and students discover their many intelligences and how to use them effectively in mastering whatever content is being learned in the classroom and at home. The emphasis is on tapping the student's unique and natural learning processes to ensure success.

This website provides a basic overview of the most common learning style inventories. In addition, the site contains an overview of various factors which impact learning styles, such as motivation, environmental effects, research on brain-based learning, and socio-economic factors.

This website provides a number of online learning style assessments such as:

• Assessing Your Learning Style:
  Auditory-Visual-Tactile/Kinesthetic
• Learning Style Evaluation Questionnaire
• The Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Style Scales
• The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II

In addition, there are numerous links to research in this area.

FlowNet, the global internetwork, was established to facilitate the exchange of ideas and experiences associated with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow theory. This website contains thought-provoking ideas designed to help people experience more fulfillment in everything they do; to use body and mind for profoundly enjoyable experiences, to discover the hidden potential for satisfaction in the work that they do, to transform stress into strength, to turn relationships into a source of happiness, to stretch skills in new directions, to master new challenges, and to find a unifying life theme. One component of this website is the "Flow Thought of the Day," a positive thoughtform for enhancing the quality of everyday life.

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