We implemented two different approaches of using peer review to support undergraduate essay assignments for students taking large second-year courses in life sciences and biology: a web-based online peer review (OPR) approach and a more traditional face-to-face peer review (FPR) approach that was conducted in tutorial settings. The essays…

This article presents the executive summary of a report produced by the Center for Digital Education. Investments in digital technologies have helped community colleges across America prepare for the needs and expectations of "millenials," the name given to a generation of 60 million people born between 1979 and 1994, according to the Center for…

Discusses the advantages of using an electronic newspaper service to facilitate research by providing access to vast sources of information. Examines how to plan an online search and presents an example. Evaluates the usefulness of such a service in light of its costs and benefits. (GEA)

To provide quality education, a university needs to make available a well-equipped computing center. However, such centers are expensive, and their provision is a problem for administrators when budgets are tight. Hence, it is important that money be invested in services that will enhance user satisfaction the most. This study explores the…

Coded experience and effective semiotic systems, organizations of patterns of signs that comprise a system of meaning, have proved essential for the propagation of knowledge. In education, communication via semiotic systems forms an important role in guiding children toward the effective use of information and techniques, and it is important that…

In the fall of 2005, CPEC staff convened an Accountability Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) with representatives from the public and private university systems, the community college system, the Department of Education, and education researchers. The purpose of this committee was to obtain feedback regarding the Commission's online data…

Technology is progressing at an unprecedented pace. The world of business is keeping up with it. However, schools are being criticized by the general public, which is skeptical about the ability of schools to produce citizens that will be able to face the challenges of the 21st century. Educators are predicting that the current school system will…

This paper describes the technology and benefits of distance education, especially microcomputer-assisted programs, for isolated schools with limited access to certified teachers. An interactive system known alternately as audiographics teleteaching and microcomputer-aided teleteaching was recently introduced at Brigham Young University's (BYU)…

Many United States institutions of higher education have established Web-based educational environments that provide higher education curricula via the Internet and diverse modalities. Success has been limited primarily to virtual classrooms (real audio/video transmission) and/or test taking (online form filing). An extensive survey was carried…

Discusses online assessment as a method to assess student learning in an online environment. Highlights include educators' perspectives; students' perspectives; administrators' perspectives; online assessment tools and systems; and the future of online assessment. (LRW)

Beginning in the 1960s the interactive capabilities of computers were recognized as providing unprecedented opportunities for the development of computerized career guidance systems. Such systems offered individualized assistance in career decision making to large numbers of people at low cost. Recognizing that each user may present a unique…

The goal of this report is to examine the progress of the Washington Learning Anytime Partnership (LAAP). In 1999, a 1.8 million dollar grant was given to Washington's community and technical colleges to increase and improve the courses offered through the Internet including the development of a "one-step system" to enable students to view and…

This paper describes the use of technology in a first year college writing class. The class utilizes a multi-user object-oriented domain (MOO) which allows participants to talk, perform actions, thoughts, and emotions, manipulate objects and furniture, and altogether control the online environment. The class holds discussions on the computer in…

This study focused on response rates to online student ratings of faculty at Brigham Young University, Utah, where concerns about response rates have contributed to a long period for testing and implementation of the online system (more than 5 years). The first pilot study, in 1997, included 36 courses and yielded a response rate of about 40%. The…

This book is a collection of articles that examine critical issues of technology, teaching, and learning in three areas: access, communication, and literacy. Following an Introduction by Jay Blanchard, articles are presented in three sections: Access and Opportunity; Online Communication; and Literacy. The articles include: "An Exploration of…