Information and communication technologies--ICTs--have become a defining feature in the vocabulary of 21st century education and training. The major question now is not when and how they will be introduced into the education system, but what impact the manipulation inherent in their use will have on the resulting production of knowledge. The added…

A unique resource in course management systems (CMSs) is that they offer faculty members convenient access to a variety of integrated features. Some features allow faculty members to provide information to students, and others allow students to interact with each other or a computer. This diverse set of features can be used to help meet the…

In the study of online learning community, many investigators have turned attention to automatically logged web data. This study aims to further this work by seeking to determine whether logs of student activity within online graduate level courses related to student perceptions of course community. Researchers utilized the data logging features…

Rapid development of computer-based instructional methods, combined with the rapid evolution of the Internet and the World Wide Web, have made it technologically possible to develop fully interactive self-study materials. While programmed instruction methods were developed in the 1960s and early 1970s, they were not widely used and, although…

The work described in this paper is part of a larger project, called InterQuest, which is dedicated to establishing effective models and methods for teaching using Internet technology, especially the World Wide Web. Features of two InterQuest projects, CalculusQuest and QuestWriter, are discussed. CalculusQuest is a first-term differential…

As learners use World Wide Web-based distance learning systems over a period of years, large amounts of learning logs are generated. An instructor needs analysis tools to manage the logs and discover unusual patterns within them to improve instruction. However, logs of a Web server cannot serve as learners' portfolios to satisfy the requirements…

Online teaching and learning has been in transition for its entire existence. The number of courses offered at a distance has grown rapidly. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (Waits & Lewis, 2003), in 2000-2001 more than 56% of four-year colleges and universities in the United States offered distance education degree…

Evolution of communication technology has enabled the educational community to interact synchronously or asynchronously with almost equal ease. Many instructors feel that synchronous interaction is the epitome of learning, while others feel that asynchronous interaction offers better learning opportunities. This paper uses the Delphi Technique in…

The purpose of the Web Retargetable Course Generation System, or "ReCourse," developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Massachusetts) is to facilitate both distance and on-campus learning via the World Wide Web. ReCourse's features include the ability to retarget a Web course for different levels of students, multi-user chat rooms, a…

This paper discusses a model of integrated instruction and assessment called SMART (Special Multimedia Arenas for Refining Thinking). SMART involves interactive use of the Internet and multimedia software. The Internet serves three important functions: it acts as a formative assessment tool by providing individualized feedback to students, creates…

This paper describes the use of distance learning capabilities to augment and amplify the learning opportunities for part-time graduate students at George Mason University. The students in the biochemistry course described meet periodically on campus for brief interactions with the instructor and peer classmates. Between these synchronous…

This paper describes a computer-supported environment designed to facilitate distance learning through collaborative problem-solving. The goal is to encourage distance learning students to work together, in order to promote both learning of collaboration and learning through collaboration. Collaboration is defined as working together on a common…

This paper describes a World Wide Web-based introductory course titled "Hypermedia Structures and Systems," offered as an optional part of the curriculum in computing science at the Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands). The technical environment for the current (1996) edition of the course is presented, which features…

This paper describes a project which created a set of World Wide Web (WWW) pages documenting the state of the art in educational multimedia design; a prototype WWW-based multimedia teaching tool--a podiatry test using HTML forms, 24-bit color images and MPEG video--was also designed, developed, and evaluated. The project was conducted between…

This paper describes a system called ANDES, designed for the management and delivery of distance education courses. ANDES enables students to study at home at their own pace, as well as interact with instructors and other students in virtual classrooms. It uses World Wide Web technology for transmission and delivery, with extensions relevant to…