Reflection is considered as a mental process of an individual's internal problem-solving activity and rarely observed in face-to-face instruction. As a consequence, students have few opportunities to observe and learn from each other. This study aimed to arouse students' reflection on both self-correction (one's own problem-solving process in…

Examines online discussions using lexical scoring techniques. Suggests that online conversations become more sophisticated as learners interact with each other over the duration of a course, that collaboration among learners fosters the social construction of knowledge and that evidence of such knowledge-building activities is embodied in the tone…

Examines the matter of authenticating distant student identities, and discusses several strategies including: proctored exams; digital signatures; getting to know the online student; and databases and online forums that yield student background information. (AEF)

Describes the University of Texas at Austin's undergraduate writing center and its in-progress "virtual writing center." Discusses the problems and pitfalls of writing online, such as online identity and how face to face conversation turns are arranged. Compares the advent of computer technology with the ancient Hittites' beginnings in…

In 2 years, RMIT University (Melbourne, Australia) set up an online learning system for 50,000 students. The development of the RMIT Distributed Learning System has taken the University from a cottage industry model to a fully fledged enterprise system for flexible online learning, integrated with the University's student administration system and…

This paper focuses on the experiences and the research of two communication instructors who are currently using Blackboard CourseInfo, an online software program, to enhance learning and communication. The paper states that ,in 1999, Ohio University made Blackboard CourseInfo available to its faculty to enable instructors to have the option of…

Online computer conferences used to assist distance learning courses often fail because the moderator-usually the instructor responsible for the conference-is not properly trained in techniques that build a community of learners. It has often been assumed that the skills required to create a vibrant classroom discussion translate easily to an…

Presents 4 guiding concepts--organization, communication, collaboration, and enculturation--and 10 related principles for supporting instructors as they develop online courses. The principles are described using examples from the authors' experience as faculty development specialists. Principles focus on technical, pedagogical, and production…

While the World Wide Web receives most of the publicity, another aspect of the Internet also draws considerable attention. IRC, more formally referred to as Internet Relay Chat, provides a means by which one user can type a message in real time to one or more Internet users, and almost instantaneously, the message appears on the monitors of all…

In this paper, five doctoral students at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), calling themselves the New Technology Group (NTG), describe their research on online communication as a method of inquiry. The focus of the inquiry is to contribute to the formal knowledge base of adult online learning, the impact and possible benefits of…

As more courses in higher education move to an on-line format, a major concern that has arisen is the lack of personal interaction between the professor and student. The literature provides evidence that often on-line courses are configured and delivered in a style more often associated with independent study or correspondence work, i.e., students…

This paper describes two studies involving men and women who participated in online discussions in a Web-based graduate course. The purpose of both studies was to examine the frequency and types of response these students made during the course chats and threaded discussions. The first study took place at the end of the course in a two-week…

This book brings together a selection of articles published in "The American Journal of Distance Education" that are related to Web-based delivery of distance education. Articles include: "Performance and Perceptions of Distance Learners in Cyberspace" (Peter Navarro and Judy Shoemaker); "Distance Education for Dentists: Improving the Quality of…

This book provides information for researchers and practitioners on the current issues and best practices associated with electronic learning communities. Fourteen contributed chapters include: "Interactive Online Educational Experiences: E-volution of Graded Projects" (James Benjamin); "Hybrid Courses as Learning Communities"…

Examines the effect of group size on students' behavior in asynchronous, nonmandatory instructional discussion groups. Focuses on four main questions on whether group size: affects the proportion of learner-learner and instructor-learner interactions; influences number of messages instructors post; have an effect on number of contributions that…