Surveys were administered to 548 students from three regional universities in the southeastern United States, examining: how many students regularly use the Internet, hours per week regular users spend on the Internet, types of computers used, use of e-mail, use of the Internet to obtain university information, number of students who had home…

Describes an initiative at the University of Missouri-Columbia to design and implement a technology infrastructure and associated enterprises in a college of education. Outlines technology priorities (improve teaching, develop new media, create learning environments, increase information exchange); presents technology, facility, organizational,…

Examines the decline in Latin provision in English state schools before discussing practical, technical, and pedagogical issues arising from a small-scale, one-year project in which two state schools ran Latin classes without Latin specialists but with the support of Web-based electronic resources and e-mail tutors. (Author/VWL)

Argues for understanding distance education as a community of practice that must acknowledge and accommodate diversity in the context of increasing economic globalization. Suggests that any community of practice is embedded in a larger social context that influences values and practice. Examines the historic and contemporary social, economic, and…

Explains essential factors found in recent research for student accomplishment in Web-based degree programs and how these can be facilitated in the course level through instructional design, teaching, and technical assistance. Examines academic and administrative services at the institutional level, and explains factors of both types, with…

In a teaching experiment, 16 face-to-face and 11 e-mail Finnish university students studied academic debating in an argumentation course. Results indicated the e-mail students learned to identify and choose relevant grounds, while face-to-face students improved in putting forward counter-argumentation. The study suggests that argumentation skills…

Describes a USENET news group on the Internet that allows parents of children in grades K-12 to electronically share and discuss child-rearing experiences and advice. The addresses and descriptions of mailing lists, World Wide Web sites, and news groups where parents can locate child-rearing information are given in a sidebar. (JMV)

Examines what distance education offers, and the difference between computer-mediated and traditional classroom instruction. Discussion includes investment in education; the reduced cost of travel; standard training and liberal education; prejudice in favor of traditional instruction; the uniqueness of the Internet; matching instruction with…

Discusses a view of learning based on an individualistic model, which emphasizes the information aspect of information and communications technology. This view presents an incomplete view of the nature of learning and the teacher's role. An alternative perspective based on social psychology, activity theory, and social practice is outlined,…

Information technologies, particularly the personal computer and the World Wide Web, are changing the ways that scientists communicate. This article offers a new paradigm for communication in science, and suggests how digital media might bring new roles and functionalities to participants. The argument is made that behavioral and organizational…

Five-hundred twenty-seven full bibliographic records containing URLs were downloaded from SCISEARCH as part of an exploration of the extent of Web publication of electronic research-related information (E-RRI) in the sciences and classified as to resource type, subject area, and degree of intellectual property protection. (Contains 28 references.)…

Describes the design of a prototype for the graphical user interface component of an electronic classroom (ECR) application that supports real-time lectures and question-and-answer sessions between an instructor and students. Based on requirements analysis and an analysis of competing products, a Web-based ECR prototype was produced. Findings show…

Discusses a typology that can be used to guide educators in selection of cyberspace tools to accomplish specific tasks. The typology consists of four main divisions of properties: number of people communicating; real-time communications; permanency of communications; and automatic delivery to audience. These four divisions result in 16 possible…

Examines factors that will influence how distance education is practiced in the first few decades of this new century. Discusses developments in digital technology; the exponential growth of knowledge about the brain, as well as physiology, chemistry, and psychology of learning; the system relationship between individual learners and instructors;…

Analyzes current research on successful distance education programs. Reviews the learning communication process; identifies responsibilities of the deliverer: conduct a learner needs assessment, know how to use the technology, address multiple learning styles, promote interaction, project a friendly image, be a team player, operate from a systems…