The primary goal of this research was to extend our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in online and offline early literacy software programs designed for young learners. A taxonomy of reading skills was used to contrast online software with offline closed system (compact disc) based programs with respect to number of skills…

Practical abilities are important for students from majors including Computer Science and Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. Along with the popularity of ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM/ICPC) and other programming contests, online judge (OJ) websites achieve rapid development, thus providing a new kind of programming…

We implemented two different approaches of using peer review to support undergraduate essay assignments for students taking large second-year courses in life sciences and biology: a web-based online peer review (OPR) approach and a more traditional face-to-face peer review (FPR) approach that was conducted in tutorial settings. The essays…

Evaluates student use of an online study environment to determine if college students will voluntarily use online study tools; to identify characteristics of users and nonusers of the tools; and to see if the use of online study tools relates to course achievement. Compares use of different types of online study tools. (Author/LRW)

Evaluates use of BSCW (a groupware system) shared workspaces in higher education by means of a comparison of seven courses in which this environment was used. Identifies different functions for which the BSCW environment has been used and discusses the relative success of these functions across the cases. (AEF)

This paper reports the findings of a comparative study of the content of electronic exchanges among members of learning communities to determine what kinds of online dialogue differences, if any, exist. The virtual learning communities compared are two cohorts within the same professional preparation program for teachers aspiring to become school…

This assessment plan is being developed to provide evidence of the effectiveness of the implementation of CNU Online, the online course delivery system of Christopher Newport University (Virginia). The evaluation of the program is designed to satisfy appropriate standards for methodological rigor and scholarly integrity. There are three focuses to…

This study is an ongoing examination of the effectiveness of an online professional development course designed to examine the connection between learning theory and technology used to support learning in the classroom. The course was taught by three methodologies: a traditional face-to-face class that used the online materials as a resource; an…

Although the "basics" of program planning and instructional delivery in traditional face-to-face settings are a good place for instructors to begin when developing online courses, they are only a beginning. When one educator was faced with the task of designing an online course for inclusion in a distance masters degree program for…

Four models of online teaching are currently being used within the Faculty of Informatics and Communications at Central Queensland University in Australia. The naive model, which is the most widely used, may be characterized as "putting lecture notes on the World Wide Web" with no opportunities for interaction or feedback. The standard…

An alternative system of course delivery, wholly online computer-managed instruction, was evaluated to estimate its contribution to total full-time-equivalent (FTE) students two years after its implementation at Christopher Newport University (Virginia). CNU ONLINE offers eight online courses and one online degree program. In Spring 1997, nearly…

This research asked whether there was a difference in student outcomes in courses taught in both Internet-based and campus-based formats. Thirty-four courses were offered in both Internet-based and campus-based formats at Nova Southeastern University (Florida) during fall term 1999, enrolling 1,613 undergraduate and graduate students. Outcomes…

This study identifies 24 benchmarks considered essential to ensuring excellence in Internet-based distance learning, as used by the following six institutions which are leaders in distance education: Brevard Community College (Florida); Regents College (New York); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; University of Maryland University…

This document examines issues and techniques related to assessment of online learning for adult, career, and vocational education. The document begins with an overview of the disadvantages of assessing at a distance and the issue of security in the online environment. The following aspects of continuous assessment are discussed: characteristics…

This document contains three papers on distance learning and human resource development (HRD). "An Exploration of Perceived Differences in Teaching Roles between On-Site and On-line Instruction" (James J. Kirk) reports on a study in which 144 online instructors at selected institutions across the United States were asked to share their…