This article provides a report on NetMeeting as an appropriate fourth-generation tool for interactive language learning in distance mode. It follows on earlier research by Wang and Sun (2000, 2001) on the most urgent problem facing distance language education--lack of provision of oral-visual interaction and the emergence of a fourth-generation…

Eighty-one female and sixty-seven male undergraduates at a Malaysian university, from seven faculties and a Center for Language Studies completed a Computer Self-Efficacy Scale, Computer Anxiety Scale, and an Attitudes toward the Internet Scale and give information about their use of the Internet. This survey research investigated undergraduates'…

Can "Information Age" learners effectively multi-task in the classroom? Can synchronous classroom activities be designed around conceptually related tasks, to encourage deeper processing and greater learning of classroom content? This research was undertaken to begin to address these questions. In this study, we explored the use of…

Advancement in information and communication technologies has brought about the development of newer tools that can promote collaborative learning. Conversant Media is a tool that allows users to engage in collaborative discussion based on viewing authentic video footages. This article reports the impact of the use of the tool on collaborative…

NonStop University is an online university community application service designed, developed, and deployed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) to serve the computer product training needs of 2,500 staff members in more than 50 countries. By identifying a set of learner characteristics that supported a set of key elements while using technology and focusing on…

In an attempt to improve services to rural populations, distance education has become an increasingly popular form of continued training to adult audiences. The increasing workplace demands on social workers require a feasible solution to providing on-the-job training for those who reside in both urban and rural areas. Social workers need to know…

This document contains all of the articles from an "Education Week" special report examining technology's role in bringing schools and homes closer together. Articles include: (1) "Homeward Bound" (Peter West), about one of the nation's first "virtual teachers" and the effect of the changing dynamics of the…

This set of proceedings assembles papers presented at the 1995 Council for Higher Education Computing Services (CHECS) conference, held at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. CHECS members are higher education computing services organizations within the state of New Mexico. The main focus of the conference was the Internet…

The Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) surveyed Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions to measure the degree of electronic resource sharing in ARL libraries; to discover which resources are being shared and between what kinds of institutions; and what documentation is available. Of the 119 ARL institutions surveyed, 53…

The 12 papers in this volume explore the development of electronic texts in the humanities and describe the possible roles for libraries as electronic books take the place of printed ones. The diverse perspectives of librarians, publishers, system administrators, scholars, readers, and writers are brought into conjunction, and a number of…

This study examined the efficacy of a class discussion conducted by listserv which was used instead of classroom meetings for a graduate seminar. Research focused on whether this mode of communication was successful for the purpose of the course, and how this mode of communication could be improved as a means for replacing or supplementing…

This paper presents tips for educators to integrate and facilitate virtual learning teams within online courses. The techniques are grounded in current research and theoretical foundations of systems theory and group dynamics. Tips emphasize facilitation of virtual learning teams, assembled for the purpose of formal education and supported by…

This descriptive study examined the meaning of student responses to computer-mediated communication in a distance learning setting. The theoretical framework of the study was based on social and collaborative learning theories within a constructivist perspective. Participants were 13 studio and 24 off-site students enrolled in a distance learning…

This book is organized in three parts that address the following broad topics related to educational computing: discursive practices, i.e., who speaks of educational computing and how (chapters 1-4); classroom practices (chapters 5-6); and democratic possibilities, i.e., the constructive potential of the technology (chapters 7-9). Following an…

This paper discusses problems confronting the use of group-based project work as an instructional strategy in higher education, and describes two technical courses (i.e., courses in online learning and applications of business information technology) at the University of Twente (Netherlands) in which course-specific World Wide Web environments are…