Three-dimensional virtual worlds are an emerging medium currently being used in both traditional classrooms and for distance education. Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds are a combination of desk-top interactive Virtual Reality within a chat environment. This analysis provides an overview of Active Worlds Educational Universe and Adobe…

In a large online course, students were divided into 18 asynchronous online discussion groups with different gender mixes. The number and cognitive content of student messages were analysed. Females wrote more messages than males with no difference in the cognitive quality of message content. In mixed groups, females wrote fewer messages than in…

Planning, managing, and maintaining distance learning courses present challenges and opportunities for faculty that require shifts in teaching techniques and management. Interviews with experienced professors, published reports, and primary data assist in identifying reasons for the successes and failures of previous e-learning efforts while…

This case study looks at teacher candidates who were enrolled in a content-area literacy course and used online technologies and literacy strategies to promote meaningful learning among students at a remote elementary school some 45 miles away from the university campus. As they worked under the guidance of a classroom teacher, a professor and a…

This paper reports and analyses data from a longitudinal qualitative research study which is investigating the changing teaching self-concept of university lecturers who combine online and face-to-face teaching. The first phase of this collective case study research has focused on the experiences of five 'early adopter' university lecturers during…

Student services Web sites need to be student-centered, convenient, and efficient in order to address the complex needs of both distance and campus-based students. (Contains 1 figure and 12 online resources.)

I develop the argument in this article that the new literacies of screen-based and internet communication work in particular ways in low technology and socially distinctive African contexts. I claim that study of the new literacies in such contexts illuminates the ways that they work more generally, which is often obscured by much that is taken…

The authors of this article provide a forum using Louis Owens's novel "Wolfsong" as a collaborative reading project which aims to gain experience teaching Native American literatures and to explore the effect of bringing an author directly into the classroom discussion. The following sections reflect the structure of the project: (1) Reflective…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand discourse types (i.e., factual, prudential, and justificatory) of in-service teachers in the graduate program in literacy education when they engaged in Computer Mediated Discussion (CMD). This study also sought to uncover the kind of support that CMD provided, and to identify their attitudes…

The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law with an aggressive goal of improving the academic performance of all students and eliminating the achievement gap between different races and classes. NCLB also required the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to make recommendations for a National Education Technology Plan, which was released in…

This article reports on how a social sciences instructor teaching contemporary global issues implemented collaborative learning among students in a virtual environment. A substantial part of this particular course was delivered at a distance with the help of the Web. The bulletin board feature of WebCT was used to implement a simulation game where…

The purpose of this paper is to share findings and reflections arising from an AUA study visit of the US and Canada in 2002. It explores how e-learning, i.e. computer-mediated teaching and learning, is changing higher education in North America. How do they see the future? What strategies are being developed for managing online learning and…

In 2001, the MeneMAC (Media Arts Communications, dubbed "MeneMAC" in honor of the school mascot, the menehune) Learning Center at Moanalua High School (MoHS), inaugurated its integrated media curriculum for its class of 27 entering freshmen. MeneMAC originated as a media learning center, offering students a chance to explore their…

The purpose of this article is to help determine whether the use of emoticons in computer mediated communication (CMC) are truly nonverbal cues. A review of the literature revealed that the traditional nonverbal theorists failed to predict the future employment of nonverbal cues in electronic CMC. A variety of emoticons are then described…

Objective: To lead a brief training session over a distance-learning network. Type of speech: Informative. Point value: 20% of course grade. Requirements: (a) References: Not specified; (b) Length: 15 minutes; (c) Visual aid: Yes; (d) Outline: No; (e) Prerequisite reading: Chapters 12-16, 18 (Bailey, 2002); (f) Additional requirements: None. This…