Second-generation web technologies provide a platform to reach international audiences and support international students in their potential higher education experiences. Research is needed that examines the usage of Web 2.0 technologies by International Student Services (ISS) staff and international students. Utilizing Walther's (1992; 1996)…

For second language writing (SLW) instructors, decisions regarding technology-mediated feedback are particularly complex as they must also navigate student language proficiency, which may vary across different areas such as reading or listening. Yet technology-mediated feedback remains an underexplored realm in SLW especially with regard to how…

In organizations of any size, communication, collaboration and informal learning among employees can be critical contributors to meeting goals and succeeding in the marketplace (Mason & Lefrere, 2003). When done well, over time these groups of employees form loose bonds and evolve into communities of practice that promote shared learning and…

This study examined the digital and social media communication practices of nine urban universities including UMSL and compared those to known corporate best practices. The purpose of this study was to (1) research how these universities are using social/digital communications to engage with students and prospective students; (2) compare the…

A dialog system or a conversational agent provides a means for a human to interact with a computer system. Dialog systems use text, voice and other means to carry out conversations with humans in order to achieve some objective. Most dialog systems are created with specific objectives in mind and consist of preprogrammed conversations. The primary…

Social media provide a multitude of opportunities for knowledge contribution and sharing. However, the content reliability issue has caused comprehensive attention, especially on credible social media, such as Wikipedia. Despite Wikipedia's success with the open editing model, dissenting voices give rise to unreliable content due to two…

Social networking tools have become an integral part of a pre-service teacher's educational experience. As a result, the educational value of social networking tools in teacher preparation programs must be examined. The specific problem addressed in this study is that the role of social networking tools in teacher education learning communities…

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned a report called, "Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education", asking educators to, "...test new teaching methods, content deliveries, and innovative pedagogies using technology-based collaborative applications" (p. 6). Fittingly, technology-based collaborative…

Web 2.0 technologies provide school administrators the opportunity to offer teachers meaningful professional development. The purpose of the qualitative case study was to investigate ways in which U.S. K-12 public school teachers who participated in weekly Twitter Edchat discussions perceived the use of a social network site for professional…

The purpose of this study was to determine if online reflections through social networking affect students' sense of community and levels of perceived conceptual learning in Algebra I courses. Social constructivism, connectivism, and computer-mediated communication in relation to reflective practices form the theoretical and practical framework…

In March 2011, the U.S. Department of Education released a list of Teacher Shortage Area (TSA) nationwide. In most states the need for certified teachers fall in four main areas: English as a Second Language (ESOL), Mathematics and Science (6-12), and Foreign Language. The current study explored the ways in which career changers enrolled in online…

Among the many qualities or attributes that serve as the framework for school leadership development programs, communication is repeatedly noted as being an important facet of the administrative leader's repertoire (Finch, Gregson & Faulkner, 1992;Gougeon, 1991). It is not enough for a leader to be concerned only about communicating with…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the self initiated conversations held by school principals on web2.o platforms, such as blogs, through the lens of current leadership standards. The online writings of thirteen school principals were analyzed using grounded theory techniques (Strauss and Corbin, 1998) to elucidate emerging…

The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating an online learning community as part of a comprehensive new teacher induction program. First, the researcher created an online learning community model based on the results of a comprehensive review of literature and from the previous year's…

Since the creation of the Internet in 1991 (Casey, 2008), the use of online tools to deliver academic higher education has continued to grow exponentially (Allen & Seaman, 2010b). The existing base of literature is replete with studies of online education modalities, outcomes and faculty concerns. However, little of this research has focused…