This article focuses on an evaluation of the impact of an innovative instructional design of internships in view of a new integrated pharmaceutical curriculum. A key innovative element was the implementation of a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. Students were, as part of their formal curriculum, expected to work in a…

This study used quantitative measures to gather data from online students to analyze the effects of perceptions about teacher verbal immediacy and classroom community on students' level of satisfaction, perceived learning, and online discussion frequency. Using convenience sampling, 214 students were recruited from undergraduate and graduate…

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…

This paper focuses on a cross-university computer-mediated communication class which was taught during the spring semester at the University of Kansas (the other campus was at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York). The paper's first part briefly introduces the class design including set-up, assignments, and topics covered. The second part…

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…

Teams working in distributed projects go through the same stages and encounter the same problems as typical face-to-face teams. The main difference when the environment is moved to a distributed setting is that some problems become more complex, other problems become less noticeable, and some new obstacles occur. One of the main problems with…

New tools, whether developed organizationally, commercially, or within a domain may represent innovation in the workplace and can be part of larger scale reform and change. The focus of this research is on exploring the roster of issues arising as the theory of communities of practice is applied to specific cases of online professional development…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two cooperative computer-assisted language learning (CALL) environments--face-to-face and distance cooperative CALL--on learners' spelling performance and learning attitude. Traditional classroom lecture learning and self-directed CALL environments were employed as control groups. Learning…

Reports on a study of 14 master's degree students' online communication patterns when their classroom environment had been expanded electronically through a public listserv for classroom interaction and private e-mail on the Internet. Student attitudes and reactions are described, based on results of questionnaires. (Author/LRW)

This study analyzed how students and teachers of one Finnish elementary class participated in and communicated through the Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) during 1997-1998. The density of the interaction within class, students' participation rates, students' position in the CSILE mediated network of interaction, and the…

Investigates learner perceptions of the use of asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a means of extending the community of learning in tertiary Chinese language and non-language courses. Finds that there exist pedagogical benefits in employing CMC, but the benefits do not necessarily arise from community building. (VWL)

Highlights the use of electronic discussion boards in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. Suggests that discussion boards provide flexibility, interconnectiveity, and many other benefits for teachers and learners. (Author/VWL)

Discusses a distance-education, library and information-technology program developed by Northwest Technical College (NTC) in Bemidji, Minnesota taught via correspondence, interactive television, and the Internet. (PEN)

Provides examples of Internet lessons for elementary school students using electronic mail. Projects include sending messages to a listserv to ask schools to send temperature reports; seeking contacts at a school where a story took place; assembling a list of spring-related words and pictures; and soliciting greetings for a school's anniversary.…