This document describes the origins of cybermentoring and focuses on projects with elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of Washington. It discusses use of telephone communication, email, web design, and low-end videoconferencing technologies in initial cyberprojects, and recent cyberprojects that have begun to make use of high-end…

Digital literacy involves more then just using software. It includes reading instructions from graphical interfaces (photo-visual literacy), utilizing digital reproduction in learning (reproduction literacy), constructing knowledge from non-linear navigation (lateral literacy), and evaluating information (information literacy). These literacies…

Describes a joint project in which California State University, Los Angeles delivered an advanced course to students at Tomsk Polytechnic University in Tomsk, Russia using Telnet communications. Discusses the technology, course alterations, the role of local coordinators, delivery, and future opportunities. (AEF)

Examines how emerging technologies may reshape both face-to-face and distance education. Delineates a three-part conceptual framework (knowledge webs, virtual communities, and shared synthetic environments) for understanding the new types of instructional messages that enable distributed learning. (Author/AEF)

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…

Explores the different forms and potential applications of computer mediated communication (CMC) for Web-based and Web-enhanced courses. Based on their experiences with three different Web courses (Research Methods in Psychology, Statistical Methods in Psychology, and Basic Learning Processes) taught repeatedly over the last five years, the…

A survey of graduate students enrolled in computer-mediated conferencing courses and a follow-up analysis of help seekers who used a dedicated hotline found that many students had encountered computer communication difficulties. Students varied in their ability to solve these problems and in their attitudes toward them. (Author/LRW)

Describes a world-wide science project aiming to help students measure the absence of light. The project is accomplished through the Internet. On the first day of Spring, students from all over the world will measure their shadows (absence of light) and use the information to compare and contrast data with that of other students participating in…

Reports findings from a study on the use of computer-mediated communication to support postgraduate second language teacher education. Findings are reported according to organizing categories of social interaction and different tasks that can effect online communicative exchanges.(Author/VWL)

Discussions of distance education courses develop according to needs/interests of conference participants, course requirements, and nature of the instructor's online facilitation. Findings of this research suggest other factors. Analysis of threads and their growth patterns reveals a bias in favor of elongated note structures, explained by a…

Describes an off-campus distributed language course in Indonesian and discusses the use of computer mediated communication in on-campus and off-campus courses. Argues that off-campus delivery language programs need to seek the linking of learners to a community of learners with whom they share common goals and to the broader native speaker…

Examines current limitations of Web-based learning systems (WBLS) in higher education and describes a prototype Web-based Asynchronous Synchronous Environment (WASE) that is designed to circumvent those limitations. Includes 10 figures and 2 tables. (AEF)

Examines instructor perceptions regarding issues of civility in online instructional communication. A survey containing fixed-choice statements was completed by 32 instructors at Northern Arizona University. Summary descriptive statistics were computed for each fixed-choice survey item. Six tables and four figures present results. The survey is…

Discusses telematics and the use of computer networks to support collaborative education, both among teachers for training and planning and among students in their learning process. Highlights include traditional class groups and groups using computer-mediated communication; teachers' roles; learning circles for teachers; online teacher training;…

Describes six models of virtual schools which use e-mail, online chats, Internet resources, and archived resources to teach courses. Discusses advantages and limitations of virtual schools, and presents some questions for evaluating them. A sidebar lists 10 virtual school Web sites. (AEF)