Examines activity cycles in long-distance educational electronic networks based on experiences on FrEdMail (a grass-roots microcomputer-based electronic network) to create effective network-based learning activities. Yearly, weekly, daily, and other cycles are described; and cyclical patterns for two types of instructional interactions are…

Achieving student participation, it has been argued, is one of the most important challenges in distance education. This explorative study examines whether a synchronous communication medium, instant messaging (IM), may enable students to participate more actively in online group work. When comparing two groups that adopted IM with two groups that…