Several studies have analysed and assessed online performance and discourse using quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative measures have typically included the analysis of participation rates and learning outcomes in terms of grades. Qualitative measures of postings, discussions and context features aim to give insights into the nature…

The relationship between interaction and learning is a central concern of the learning sciences, and analysis of interaction has emerged as a major theme within the current literature on computer-supported collaborative learning. The nature of technology-mediated interaction poses analytic challenges. Interaction may be distributed across actors,…

It is commonly argued that a key challenge for e-learning is to encourage learner participation. Even though this challenge has received increased attention by researchers, little effort has been put into developing a sound theoretical understanding of what online participation actually is and how it may be studied empirically. This paper examines…

This paper reports on a study of the use of self-repair among learners of German in a task-based CMC environment. The purpose of the study was two-fold. The first goal sought to establish how potential interpretations of CMC data may be very different depending on the method of data collection and evaluation employed. The second goal was to…

The analysis presented in this article tries to obtain a global view of the field of interactive learning environments (ILE) dedicated to arithmetic and algebra. As preliminaries, a brief overview of evaluation methods focusing on educational software is given and a short description of ten ILEs concerned by the study is provided as a kind of a…

Testing the hypotheses that reflective timed-essay prompts should elicit memories of meaningful experiences in students' undergraduate education, and that computer-mediated classroom experiences should be salient among those memories, a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods paints a richer, more complex picture than either…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) has become an important topic in education during the last three decades. At the same time, advances in technology have made it possible to create complex Technology Enhanced Learning Environments (TELEs). While there is some evidence that these TELEs have the potential to foster SRL, there is only little research on…

Earlier studies have suggested that higher education institutions could harness the predictive power of Learning Management System (LMS) data to develop reporting tools that identify at-risk students and allow for more timely pedagogical interventions. This paper confirms and extends this proposition by providing data from an international…

Presents five research designs--sequential analysis, value added analysis, nonequivalent dependent variables, regression discontinuity, cohort design--for studying computer-based teaching methods when a randomized two-group design is impractical; provides examples of studies employing these designs and decision flowchart; and discusses selection…

This paper develops a critical methodology which could be applied to the study and use of e-learning environments. The foundations are, first, an ontological appreciation of environments as multiple, dynamic and interactive: this is based on the environmental theories of Vladimir Vernadsky. The next step is then into epistemology, and here use is…

This is an introductory presentation of economic evaluation methods for assessing computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Six different costing techniques, including cost effectiveness, are reviewed. Cost effectiveness is then examined in terms of its usefulness for evaluating CAI. A simplified system for cost effectiveness evaluation is presented…

Discusses empirical evaluations of Integrated Learning Systems (ILS) in United Kingdom classrooms that were conducted to determine their effectiveness in gains in numeracy and literacy. Results were inconclusive, and influencing factors including research methodology, conceptual analysis, and ways in which technology are assimilated into teaching…

A project was devised to develop and test a revision model for systematically designed educational materials based on the literature and on previous procedures. The model divides the revision process into content changes and procedural changes, and decisions are based on data collected from measures of student performance and attitudes and on…

Discusses epistemological issues involved in the use of qualitative methods to assess classroom-based microcomputer programs, specifically Apple Computer's "Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow." Six models of qualitative data design and use are examined: anecdotal, structured observations, case study, multisite case study, ethnography, and…

Presents a methodological framework for practice-based research in the field of networked learning, based on a case study evaluation of a networked professional development initiative for information services staff in higher education. The theoretical case for the framework is made with reference to principles associated with contructivist program…