Scaffolding is a form of temporary support offered to a learning to assist in the process of becoming a skilled practitioner. Traditionally, the most common form of learning has been apprenticeship, where a novice learns through active participation in a task, initially only peripherally, and then assuming more control and ownership. Originating…

Describes a web site called Newsweb, an online newswire and resource center designed for high school journalists and their advisers. Explains what can be done at the site and lists its goals. (TB)

This paper outlines design problems and other instructional delivery issues that need to be addressed by potential on-line program designers, and it suggests some possible solutions to these problems. The first issue was transforming a traditional, three-credit course in a developing student-centered curriculum into a course delivered through…

Discusses essential elements of effective distance education using the World Wide Web, foremost of which is good instructional design. (PKP)

Carnegie Mellon Online has been used to deliver several university courses to thousands of students at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) over the last 2 years. This paper describes the experiences gained from redesigning an introductory art history course using Carnegie Mellon Online to deliver supplemental course content. The…

This book brings together a selection of articles published in "The American Journal of Distance Education" that are related to Web-based delivery of distance education. Articles include: "Performance and Perceptions of Distance Learners in Cyberspace" (Peter Navarro and Judy Shoemaker); "Distance Education for Dentists: Improving the Quality of…

Explores the different forms and potential applications of computer mediated communication (CMC) for Web-based and Web-enhanced courses. Based on their experiences with three different Web courses (Research Methods in Psychology, Statistical Methods in Psychology, and Basic Learning Processes) taught repeatedly over the last five years, the…

Describes the use of a World Wide Web server to support a team-taught physiology course for first-year medical students. The students' evaluations indicate that computer use in class made lecture material more interesting, while the online documents helped reinforce lecture materials and textbooks. Lists factors which contribute to the…

This guide by Margaret Driscoll is for those involved in creation or support of an e-learning program. It covers technical and pedagogical aspects associated with the development and maintenance of web-based training (WBT). The accompanying CD-ROM contains templates, design documents, worksheets, and direct web links to additional information and…

Examines current limitations of Web-based learning systems (WBLS) in higher education and describes a prototype Web-based Asynchronous Synchronous Environment (WASE) that is designed to circumvent those limitations. Includes 10 figures and 2 tables. (AEF)

Discusses UtahLINK, the most widely connected state online education system in the United States, and SiteFIre, a server-resident software package that speeds up Web access and stores Web-site data directly in user-designated folders. Describes the instructional possibilities and benefits of using UtahLINK and SiteFire. (AEF)

Web-based training will probably become the medium of choice for most technology-delivered training because of its worldwide accessibility and the ease with which it can be updated. The effect it will have on learning will depend on how well principles of learning and instruction are applied. (JOW)

Addresses some problematic aspects posed by the design and implementation of a Web site aimed at providing some extracurricular online EFL (English as a foreign language) resources to science students at the University of Sassari (Italy). Discusses teacher training, needs analysis, content organization, teaching of grammar, and evaluation and…

Describes six models of virtual schools which use e-mail, online chats, Internet resources, and archived resources to teach courses. Discusses advantages and limitations of virtual schools, and presents some questions for evaluating them. A sidebar lists 10 virtual school Web sites. (AEF)

Reviews currently available instructional systems design models and describes a new design model for Web-based knowledge management (KM) systems, based on a living-systems approach, and the mechanisms it contains for accommodating change and growth. Illustrates the application of the phases of the model in the development of a KM system with…