Gayle V. Davidson-Shivers is a professor in the Instructional Design and Development (IDD) program at the University of South Alabama. She serves as the Foundations Area Program Coordinator in her department, Counseling and Instructional Sciences. She developed two graduate certificate programs: Human Performance Improvement and Instructional Design and Development, and now advises master's and doctoral students about them. Being the first in her program to teach online course, she continues to design and teach both online and blended courses in the areas of instructional design and organizational performance improvement and change among others. Her publications and presentations focus on online and blended learning, instructional strategies and needs assessment.

This second edition is a practical, easy-to-read resource on web-based learning. The book ably and clearly equips readers with strategies for designing effective online courses, creating communities of web-based learners, and implementing and evaluating based on an instructional design framework. Case example, case studies, and discussion questions extend readers skills, inspire discussion, and encourage readers to explore the trends and issues related to online instructional design and delivery.