In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in distance learning in higher education. Given this, it is extremely important to understand faculty attitudes about distance education, not only because they can vary widely, but also because it is the faculty, through their design and implementation of online courses, that will shape the…

The action research study described in this report outlines the design and implementation of a unit of blended instruction in a traditional high school English classroom. Twenty technical high school students in an 11th grade Honors English class engaged in a variety of internet-based activities in conjunction with traditional learning activities…

To assist second language learners in becoming effective, aware, and reflective participants in higher education, support can be provided by integrating structured awareness raising approaches in the language curriculum. Drawing on self-regulation principles, such a structured awareness raising curriculum is most notably sustained by reflective…

The article provides insights on how the design of discussion activities can be used to facilitate alternative learning objectives in the marketing curriculum. A review of the literature provides insight for making choices with regards to two aspects of discussion design: (a) the choice between face-to-face and online (i.e., threaded bulletin…

For various reasons many teachers struggle to harness the powerful informational, communicative and interactive learning possibilities of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in general. This is perhaps typified by how e-learning platforms and web portals are often used mainly as repositories for content and related online discussion…

This paper presents a model for using technology to help fulfill the Council on Social Work Education requirement for international content in the social work curriculum. The literature on including global content and using Web-based technology in social work education is reviewed. Special considerations for international Web-based discussions are…

"Circuits and Electronics" (6.002x), which began in March 2012, was the first MOOC developed by edX, the consortium led by MIT and Harvard. Over 155,000 students initially registered for 6.002x, which was composed of video lectures, interactive problems, online laboratories, and a discussion forum. As the course ended in June 2012,…

Online discussions can extend learning experiences beyond the time and space of the classroom, allowing students more time to process information, and an additional mode of expression for those who are less active in open classroom discussions. They may be especially appropriate for teaching sensitive or controversial subject matter such as…

Many alternatively certified teachers, as was the case in this study, are employed as the teacher of record while simultaneously enrolled in education courses. Therefore, experiencing the collaborative, supportive, peer mentoring environmental elements that are present in many traditional "fieldwork" settings is not an option. By…

This paper addresses the assessment of an online academic course delivered through WebCT at San Diego Miramar College in Southern California. The native and non-native college students who took this course experienced online academic instruction for the first time. WebCT gives learners both knowledge input and interactive practice by encouraging…

Theatre and drama are areas of performance and inquiry which usually assume engagement and commitment to the ensemble or group process, supported by strong individual input. How can this "dynamic" be brought into a fully online distance course? In this article we analyse and reflect on the design and implementation of an online theatre…

As online professional development courses for teachers have grown, the discussion forum has become a locus of considerable research. This study analyzes the discussion forums in four different sessions of a short (4-week) online course for teachers from six schools in three states. This study also compares four methodologies, all of which have a…

Graduate students in a telecommunications in education class participated in a collaborative project in which they implemented and practiced the curricular models that they studied during the course. The students used distance education to support learning about the field of distance education. They used the World Wide Web and other media for…

These proceedings contain 90 papers that address important human factors in distance education from several perspectives, provide insights into how those factors contribute to successful outcomes, and describe practical methods for implementing similar approaches in other settings. They include "Is Your E-Everything Accessible to…