Analysis of computer-mediated communications of three groups of distance students (17 in a diploma program, 26 in a required course, 13 in an elective) identified the occurrence of 13 supportive online strategies. Most frequently used were referential statements, signatures, greetings, and horizontal questions. High- and low-support groups…

Discusses media of scientific communication used for research and publication, focusing on the Internet as medium. Describe a study of German social scientists that investigated the relationship between the Internet and other scientific communication media, including how scientists use the Internet for publication as well as for communication.…

Describes a range of currently available and developing technologies for creating and presenting annotations, glosses, and other comments on digital documents. Discusses the potential applications of these tools for providing feedback to student writers, supporting extended group discussions around digital texts, and facilitating research and…

Presents participant responses to a doctoral online support group conducted with The Palace software. The Palace allows for online chatting via the Internet, but adds a two-dimensional space that allows participants to be in a virtual room and represent themselves with various digital images. A summary of participants' journal entries and verbal…

Describes how directed online discussions served as a useful complement to face-to-face encounters by promoting greater interaction and wider participation among language learners. (Author/VWL)

Describes how a teacher educator uses a Web-based discussion board to promote reflection, encourage engagement, and develop collegiality in preservice teachers. Investigates the effects that a discussion board (forum) created on a website would have on the discourse and reflection of preservice teachers. Considers how the discussion board would be…

Describes a study that investigated a possible gender-related communications difference, the use of linguistic qualifiers and intensifiers, in the online computer conference transcript in a graduate course. Explains the use of sentences as the units of analysis and the use of a new tool for coding, the Transcript Analysis Tool. (Author/LRW)

Discusses reflective practice and suggests that participants in computer-mediated conferencing can be encouraged to engage in reflecting about onscreen experiences with the help of a trained moderator. Provides examples from Open University (United Kingdom) classes and concludes that reflective practice helps participants to learn online and…

Describes the nature of interpersonal relationships on the Internet, and argues that Internet correspondence has an effect on our lives. Similarities and differences between electronic and face-to-face relationships are discussed. (Author/JKP)

Examines student use of a prototype networked collaborative design environment to support or augment learning about engineering design. Finds that students use the channels for a variety of activities to increase depth of communication, increase breadth of communication, and overcome technical difficulty. Suggests that students need multiple…

Explores communication ethnographically in six text-based virtual realities through four items of jargon: spoof, spam, lurk, and lag. Suggests that articulated aesthetics serve as rules for proper behavior, markers of experience and belonging, metaphors for poetic expression, and resources for play and challenge within the community. (RS)

Provides an overview of the Gulfnet Academic network, set in the context of development in Saudi Arabia and the establishment of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). Goals and objectives of KACST are presented, Gulfnet members in the Gulf States are listed, and Gulfnet management, services, and facilities are discussed. (JKP)

Describes how a specific online program, the Online Writing Laboratory (OWL) of Purdue University, aids the teaching of writing. (SR)

Assesses the related effects of anticipated future interaction and different communication media (computer-mediated versus face-to-face communication) on the communication of relational intimacy and composure. Shows that the assignment of long-term versus short-term partnerships has a larger impact on anticipated future interaction reported by…

Explores effects of electronically decentralizing writing centers. Suggests that asynchronous conferencing promises to simplify scheduling but complicate supervision, while its potential effects on workplace ethos are more difficult to predict. Explores the potential for information technology to preserve conference talk. Concludes that a writing…