A survey of 306 undergraduate and graduate students, focus groups, and lecturers' reports evaluated a Web-enabled distributed learning system. The system was popular with students, flexible, self-paced, and empowering; technical support difficulties generated frustration. There was less interaction than desired and a lack of instant feedback and…

Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSSs) are replacing traditional training in many settings. This article describes a package to determine the return on investment (ROI) of an EPSS used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, applicable as well as to the calculation of ROI for other EPSSs. (Author/AEF)

Learning technology standards are increasingly gaining importance in the field of Web-based teaching. At present, two standards dominating the market are taking shape. These are the AICC (Aviation Industry Computer Based Training Committee) standard of the AICC organization and the SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) standard of the…

The Internet environment is suitable for many types of learning activities and teaching and learning styles. Every World Wide Web-based course should provide: home page; introduction; course overview; course requirements, vital information; roles and responsibilities; assignments; schedule; resources; sample tests; teacher biography; course…

Suggests research issues of motivation in Web-based instruction (WBI). Discusses motivational issues of WBI. Proposes a definition of motivation in WBI (based on Keller's ARCS Model). Conceptualizes three types of motivation (motivation to initiate, motivation to persist, motivation to continue), with motivational problems related to each.…

Discusses the software review process recently completed at the University of Kansas that resulted in the adoption of an integrated Web course development package. Highlights include stakeholders represented on the evaluation team; establishing review criteria; identifying and evaluating software; demonstrations; and recommendations. (Author/LRW)

Scaffolding refers to a temporary support framework used during construction. Applied to teaching and learning it describes measures to support a learner to become confident and self-reliant in a subject. In a Web environment scaffolding features need to replace the instructor. This paper discusses an approach to Web-based scaffolding based on the…

Argues that learning a skill requires the kind of commitment which is undermined by the Press (the Public) and the Internet, citing Soren Kierkegaard's "The Present Age", and states that learning by apprenticeship is impossible in cyberspace. Includes: aesthetic sphere--commitment to the enjoyment of sheer information; ethical…

Reviews the research literature about cooperative learning and technology, describes role-playing software programs designed for cooperative learning, and shows how Web pages built on a WebQuest model can be used to augment these programs. (AEF)

This paper examines the benefits to be derived from networked computer-based instruction (CBI) and discusses the potential of the World Wide Web (WWW) as an effective tool in employee training. Methods of utilizing the WWW as a training tool and communication tool are explored. The discussion is divided into the following sections: (1) "WWW and…

Explores the different forms and potential applications of computer mediated communication (CMC) for Web-based and Web-enhanced courses. Based on their experiences with three different Web courses (Research Methods in Psychology, Statistical Methods in Psychology, and Basic Learning Processes) taught repeatedly over the last five years, the…

Reviews the development of computer-aided instruction (CAI) and provides criteria for effective CAI on the World Wide Web. Presents an experimental CAI package called "oo Micro!" intended to satisfy those criteria. Describes the package contents and procedures, and provides an Internet address where a demonstration can be found. (DSK)

Web server logs contain a great deal of information about who uses a Web site and how they use it. This article discusses the analysis of Web logs for instructional Web sites; reviews the data stored in most Web server logs; demonstrates what further information can be gleaned from the logs; and discusses analyzing that information for the…

AHA! is a simple Web-based adaptive hypermedia system. Because of this simplicity it has been studied and experimented with in several research groups. This paper identifies shortcomings in AHA! and presents AHA! version 2.0 which tries to overcome the known problems with AHA! while maintaining its biggest asset: simplicity. The paper illustrates…

This paper presents two decisive factors for Web-based training (WBT) software in the context of E-education. The report focuses on offline education, as real time communication (except chats) is not yet sufficiently reliable due to low bandwidth Internet access in most European rural areas. One of the main advantages of WBT software is being able…