Proposes a three-tiered model of online teaching, consisting of low-level information dissemination, Web-enabled course supplements, and Web-engaged activities. Discusses how existing online course management systems generally do not support the full range of Web-engaged activities currently possible. Highlights stand-alone tools which do so and…

This paper describes the creation and evaluation of a World Wide Web-based courseware module, using conceptual models based on constructivism, that teaches novices how to use the Internet for searching. Questionnaires and interviews were used to understand the difficulties of a group of novices. The conceptual model of the experts for the task was…

Defines social and instructional interaction and outlines key elements influencing the design of adaptive computer-mediated learning. Discusses options for the design of interactivity: Web-based, groupware, programming tools, and hybrid course design programs; proposes a graphical model for choosing design tools balancing interactivity and…

Recently, platform independent software components, like JavaBeans, have appeared that allow writing reusable components and composing them in a visual builder tool into new applications. This paper describes the use of such models to transform an existing course into a modular construction kit consisting of components of teaching text and program…

Discusses cognitive apprenticeship, an educational practice that focuses on students actively engaged in activities with a variety of supports, or scaffolding. Presents a model of scaffolding that was implemented in courseware for learning computer graphics on the World Wide Web. An evaluation on the use of the courseware at Georgia Institute of…

This paper reports on the evolution of a software environment called ClassACT (Class Annotation and Collaboration Tool) from a simple multimedia annotation program to a multi-domain archival database management system. ClassACT was developed at Northwestern University (Illinois) for instructional use, and, although its original goal was to solve a…

This paper presents aspects of modeling, authoring, and presenting structured documents corresponding to teaching material presented in the World Wide Web. In this context, the importance of providing the formalization of the structure of the documents using Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) is discussed. Next, specifications for…

Discusses an evaluation of WebCT (Web Course Tools) in practice at University of New South Wales (Australia) to assess the accessibility of WebCT for people with sensory, cognitive, and physical disabilities. Topics include evaluation methodology; learner-centered courseware design model; course evaluation by students; staff perceptions; and…

This paper presents a model that was developed for the categorization and evaluation of stand-alone interactive media and that now is used to contribute to a more detailed and specific educational discussion of Internet use. The paper begins with a review of the foundations on which the model is built, including software as subject, tool, or…

This paper proposes a framework for supporting the authoring process of distance learning courses. An overview of distance learning courses and the World Wide Web is presented. The proposed framework is then described, including: (1) components of the framework--a hypermedia design methodology for authoring the course, links to related Web sites,…

The goal of the Carnegie Mellon Online project is to build an infrastructure for delivery of courses via the World Wide Web. The project aims to deliver educational content and to assess student competency in support of courses across the Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania) curriculum and beyond, thereby providing an asynchronous,…

This paper discusses a model of integrated instruction and assessment called SMART (Special Multimedia Arenas for Refining Thinking). SMART involves interactive use of the Internet and multimedia software. The Internet serves three important functions: it acts as a formative assessment tool by providing individualized feedback to students, creates…

Engaging learners on the World Wide Web is more than sending Web pages to the user. However, for many course delivery software programs, the smallest unit of delivery is a Web page. How content experts can create engaging Web pages has largely been ignored or taken for granted. This paper reports on an authoring model for creating pedagogically…

The Learning Engines (LE) model, developed at the University of Melbourne (Australia), supports the integration of rich learning activities into the World Wide Web. The model is concerned with the practical design, educational value, and reusability of software components. The model is focused on the academic teacher who is in the best position to…

This paper presents a methodology of courseware development that aims to build a global system of training on the Internet. Although the researchers' practice is based on a mix of constructivist and cooperative learning theory, it is noted that courseware would have to support other theories and practices in order to be transferable. Three spaces…