This study looked at the instructional and assessment effects of using learning journals in three distance asynchronous computer conferencing courses (n = 18, n = 16, n = 17). The instructor used a design-research methodology: each iteration of the course involved modifications to how learning journals were used based on analyses of the responses…

This paper discusses the use of the new technologies in noncredit courses for adults who are interested in learning about a particular subject or in developing skills without concern for formal accreditation, whether the course is designed for professional upgrading, loosely related to work, or taken for purely personal satisfaction. Uses of…

Describes the use of electronic messaging in elementary and junior high schools in Canada and the United States. Highlights include differences between electronic mail, bulletin board services, and computer mediated conferencing; the role of the teachers; equipment and telephone line considerations; and costs. (LRW)

Describes 10 educational functions of computer conferencing for undergraduate and graduate students based on the CoSy system at the University of Guelph. Influences on student behavior are examined, the importance of adequate training is stressed, and guidelines for the use of conferencing are given, including use in distance education.…

Explores the use of a cyberspace technology, i.e., computer conferencing, to support collaborative learning in courses at two Canadian universities. Instructional design for online learning is examined, including course design, learning tasks, group size, and course requirements; problems are identified; and improvements are suggested, including…

This document contains a collection of 85 abstracts, of which 56 are written in English, 27 in French, and 2 in both languages. These abstracts discuss research studies, evaluation studies, needs assessments, and the advantages and disadvantages of distance education and related issues. Some of the titles are: "Activation of learning in…

This paper presents a collection of experiences from the Canadian educational institutions that offer distance education. The first of four major sections defines the need for an alternative to traditional, classroom-based education, and describes the characteristics of distance education. The second section discusses the three institutions in…

Twenty-three conference papers focus on the use of information technology in Ontario's technical colleges and universities: "The Analytic Criticism Module--Authorial Structures & Design" (P. Beam); "Computing by Design" (R. D. Brown & J. D. Milliken); "Engineers and Computers" (P. S. Chisholm, M. Iwaniw, and…

This report on technology in education has been prepared, primarily for TVOntario staff, to highlight new and growing educational applications and to summarize recent evaluations of earlier application efforts. The descriptions of trends and developments are classified by media format. Representative applications of the media include: (1)…

Three articles address different uses of computers in education. British inservice training for primary school teachers using microcomputer-based adventure software is described; fundings of two Canadian projects using computer teleconferencing are reviewed; and the use of computer-assisted instruction for primary school mathematics education is…

The web has the potential to offer an environment that can support standardized medical education to students dispersed in time or place and, in the process, respond to reduced availability of patients for practice. This exploratory article describes how we evaluated critical thinking in an online collaborative Problem-based Learning (PBL)…

Describes study of two online graduate courses designed and delivered via a computer conferencing system at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Advantages and disadvantages based on student responses are examined, new learning strategies for computer-mediated courses are discussed, and topics for future research are suggested.…

This paper examines communications and information technologies and the ways in which they have been used in both the formal and the nonformal education of Canada's native people (four groups: status Indians, non-status Indians, Metis, and Inuits). It is noted that generalizations about the use of technology in native schools is difficult because…

This article addresses an impasse in debates about online education in university education. One side presents a story of the progressive development of technology as it is applied to the organisation of higher education, leading to pedagogical advances and to the new forms of administration required for the realisation of the technology's full…

Existing knowledge of computer conferencing is synthesized to indicate how it could address some of the current professional difficulties faced by Ontario teachers with regard to computers in the classroom, and strategies and guidelines for introducing such a computer-mediated learning approach into educational activities are provided. This report…