As higher education enters an age of global convergence of human activities and knowledge, the virtual university gains acceptance on three fronts: accreditation, government support, and foundation endorsement. The current environment seems to favor the primacy of the instructor, with technology in a supporting role, and a mixture of profit and…

Describes training strategies developed to introduce Web-based instructional projects to an assistant professor of drama and a senior professor of classics, both of whom had limited computer skills but were interested in including multimedia technology and the Web in their courses. Suggestions for incorporating these ideas into current training…

Summarizes how current scholarship is redefining and extending literacy understanding, materials, and instruction to encompass more than reading/writing print texts. Demonstrates principles for applying these conceptions. Offers three lesson plans and an account of their recent use to show how educators may apply changing literacy ideas to their…

Discusses the adoption of online instruction for distance education in the context of the Open University of Hong Kong. Academic and non-academic services that can be offered online are described. The importance and benefits of instituting electronic tutorials are addressed, including time savings, peer interactivity, and student/tutor…

A survey of 70 deaf education faculty and 50 administrators of programs serving students who are deaf of hard of hearing found 99 percent used computers and printers for instruction during class, 84 percent used VCRs for instruction during class, and 56 percent used video cameras for instruction during class. (Contains references.) (CR)

Focuses on the misgivings of language professors familiar with the LINGUA program due to a new development in European programs of teacher education. The SOCRATES program continues the previous arrangements of LINGUA while introducing some changes. This article analyzes the changes that have a direct bearing on the education of future teachers.…

Factor-Q is a problem-solving computer assisted instruction system for teaching polynomials in grades 9-12 that addresses the limitations of most problem-solving programs, among others, the user interface. The system is designed to help students master the skills of factorizing polynomials. It demonstrates the ease with which inadequately trained…

A six-year case study was conducted on the impact of, and teachers' role in, the use of computers and the Mathcad program in mathematics instruction at a technical college. Results for 2 teachers and 51 of their students showed definite stages in the teachers' use of the computer technology. (SLD)

Identifies reasons for using discussions as part of online courses. Outlines a framework for designing successful discussions; presents guidelines for facilitating discussions for maximum learning; and discusses evaluation of online discussions. Three figures list the four steps or components that are involved with each of these processes. (AEF)

Focuses on designing the right questions for promoting discussion in online adult learning environments. Discusses levels of questions; purposes of questions; tips for online questions; principles for designing an online discussion; preparing learners for discussions; and managing the discussion in process. (Contains 9 references.) (AEF)

Israel's Software Evaluation Project sets national standards for hardware and software that is used in schools. All courseware must be approved for technical requirements and pedagogical content. After approval, the courseware is certified for use within Israel's school system for 2 years. Three times each year, schools, inspectorates, and…

Describes "Trace-it," a computer tool that traces the writing processes and makes accessible extra information about individual students' written second-language skills. A study of differences in revision behavior as Swedish students' written English ability improved determined that Trace-it found additional information about writing…

Presents evidence against the use of standardized curricula and testing and in favor of discovery-based instruction. Describes a successful experience with a relatively new form of discovery-based instruction, the scenario educational computer software. (AEF)

Argues that current computer-based instruction does not exploit the instructional possibilities of computers. Critiques current models of computer-based instruction: behaviorist as too linear and constructivist as too unstructured. Offers a design model of Expanded-frame Hypermedia Knowledge-bases as an instructional approach allowing hypermedia…

Presents a series of incremental changes that were made to an existing course at Arizona State University West to assure that preservice teachers were proficient in the use of interactive video and its incorporation into daily lesson delivery. (Author/AEF)