This article discusses the role of open and distance learning to widen participation and promote social inclusion within Australian higher education, as well as the benefits that open educational resources (OER) could bring to that context. It also explores some of the most relevant social inclusion policies and related initiatives developed in…

A challenge faced by most heads of academic departments around the world is to manage the adoption and use of appropriate learning technologies in order to support the department's learning offerings to students. Earlier research undertaken by the authors revealed that lecturers within the Department of Marketing and Retail Management at the…

In this study, an interpretive qualitative approach was employed to explore how pre-K children interact with educational software programs. This study addressed four aspects of children's computer use: mouse manipulation, interface interpretation, level of enthusiasm or disengagement, and human interaction between peers and between a child and…

In this article, the authors report on a study that was carried out at the University College of Boras. Teachers using an online learning platform (WebCT) were surveyed to see to what extent they made use of the various features available to them on the learning platform. The extent to which teachers employed all the features was low. The article…

The purpose of this study was to investigate proper website and courseware for e-learning in higher education. Methods used in this study included the data collection, the analysis surveys, the experts' in-depth interview, and the experts' focus group. Results indicated that there were 16 components for website, as well as 16 components for…

Discussion of complimentary computer software for college-level textbooks focuses on a study that investigated how a complimentary program was used and identified factors that influenced its use or nonuse. Barriers to use are described, including personal, technical, process, political, and economic factors. (Contains four references.) (LRW)

Describes Blackboard CourseInfo, a software package for distance learning; defines elements that are used in an on-campus graduate class; and gives results of a survey on how useful and usable the software was. Discusses results of group interviews, usability testing sessions, and an end-user survey, as well as staff and faculty interviews.…

This study examined ways in which microcomputers are used in schools and the complex issues that surround their implementation. Three fictional geographically distinct school districts with a diversity of microcomputer applications at both the elementary and secondary levels were studied: Salerno, a large southern city; Granite, a midwestern city;…

This sabbatical report surveys some computer software presently being developed, already in use, and/or available, and describes computer use in several Massachusetts colleges. A general introduction to computers, word processors, artificial intelligence, and computer assisted instruction is provided, as well as a discussion of what computers can…

Thirty-two families were given six market-leading, educational CD-ROMs each, and usage of them was logged over 11 weeks. These children and their parents were also interviewed on three occasions. Although parents and children were enthusiastic upon receipt of the software and envisaged that it would be a useful learning tool, children's use of…

A study of 60 elementary and secondary math and science teachers who were nominated by their peers as effective microcomputer-using teachers was conducted to describe how peer-nominated teachers use microcomputers instructionally, and how these uses vary as a function of teacher characteristics (e.g., knowledge, attitudes) and other background…

This paper presents the methods and results of a year-long evaluation study, conducted for the purpose of determining disability accessibility barriers and potential solutions for those barriers found in four World Wide Web-based learning environments. The primary questions used to frame the evaluation study were: (1) Are there any features of the…

This study of patterns of microcomputer-based instruction in elementary and secondary schools had three objectives: (1) to describe how teachers who were nominated by their peers as "unusually successful" in their microcomputer-based mathematics and science teaching use technology for instruction; (2) to describe how these uses vary as a…