Read anything by Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt. I was lucky enough to hear these two speak at several seminars in 2002. They are delightful speakers well acquainted with their subject. Rena's background in the social sciences and Keith's background in technology provide them a credible and authoritative platform. Visit their web site: Crossroads Consulting Group. Here are there most recent works:

Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt. Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom : The Realities of Online Teaching (Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series). Jossey-Bass, 2001.

Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt. Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace : Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom (The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series). Jossey-Bass, 1999.

Other works by experts in the field:

Collison, G., Elbaum, B., Haavind, S., and Tinker, R.  Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators. Madison, WI: Atwood Publishing, 2000.

Kirkpatrick, D. L.. Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler, 1998.

Preece, J. Online Communities. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000.

Rheningold, H. Tools for Thought: The History and Future of Mind-Expanding Technology. MIT Press, 2000.

_____. The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. Rev. ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000.

Simonson, M., Smaldion, S, and Zvacek. S. Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Merrill Prentice Hall, 2000.

Webb, L. Foundations of American Education. Englewood Cliffs: Merrill, 2000.

Williams, M.D., Paprock, K., and Covington, B. Distance Learning: The Essential Guide. Sage Publications, 1999.