This report provides information on Americans' connectivity to the Internet, broadband services, and computers. Findings are based on the September 2001 U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey--a survey of approximately 57,000 households and more than 137,000 individuals across the United States. The report shows the rapidly growing use of…

Considering the popularity of the Internet, an automatic interactive feedback system for Elearning websites is becoming increasingly desirable. However, computers still have problems understanding natural languages, especially the Chinese language, firstly because the Chinese language has no space to segment lexical entries (its segmentation…

This study was an expanded replication of an earlier endeavor (Shermis, Burstein, & Bliss, 2004) to document the writing outcomes associated with automated essay scoring. The focus of the current study was on determining whether exposure to multiple writing prompts facilitated writing production variables (Essay Score, Essay Length, and Number…

The author has previously reported on principles of diffusion of innovations, the processes by which new technologies become popularly adopted, specifically in relation to anatomy and education. In presentations on adopting handheld computers [personal digital assistants (PDAs)] and personal media players for health sciences education, particular…

The Thompson Library, the main library of The Ohio State University (OSU), began a major renovation in fall 2006 that required the library to close for three years. During this time, the bulk of the circulating collection and many of the personnel relocated to an interim facility. The distance imposed by the renovation created special challenges…

The growth in Internet courses (E courses) and degrees is continuing but controls to insure academic honesty do not seem to be keeping pace with the growth in offerings. Responses to a questionnaire distributed to chairpersons of accounting departments relating to the use of controls for controlling academic dishonesty in E courses indicated that…

Providing effective feedback on writing is a challenge in any learning environment, but it is even more problematic in fully online instruction. The lack of face-to-face interaction in web-based classes increases the need for highly transparent, prompt, and personalized feedback. Student views on the use of a semi-structured template combined with…

In many ways assessment drives the curriculum and often pedagogy at all levels of education. In a world where it is more important what you can do with what you know rather than just what you know, it is critical that practical performance is assessed in reliable and valid ways that are also cost-effective. Increasingly the use of digital…

This study examines how student learning can be enhanced by using a multi-course project that simulates an industry environment and emphasizes the interrelationship among course concepts through collaborative efforts of student teams. The role of technology as a tool in facilitating student teamwork is examined. The researchers found that students…

This article describes the evolution of the development of a framework for e-learning to reconsider e-learning in relation to the cooperative work framework, identifying critical weaknesses in the fundamental nature of e-learning and its consequent propensity for failure. (Contains 4 figures and 2 notes.)

The following autoethnography reflects a neophyte instructor's obsession with teaching an online graduate course. The experience forces her to move ethnographically forward and backward with students in a novel, and sometimes, more intimate fashion. She struggles to balance a serving of technology with a dollop of human interaction, but finds…

Understanding the concept of the sampling distribution of a statistic is essential for the understanding of inferential procedures. Unfortunately, this topic proves to be a stumbling block for students in introductory statistics classes. In efforts to aid students in their understanding of this concept, alternatives to a lecture-based mode of…

Assessment is a key component of the learning process. In order to maximize student learning, instructors need to provide students with appropriate, explicit and timely assessment. Despite the potential benefits of problem-based learning, some instructors may be reluctant to adopt this approach because it will require them to modify their current…

Most computer users have to deal with major software upgrades every 6-18 months. Given the pressure of having to adjust so quickly and so often, it is reasonable to assume that users will express emotional reactions such as anger, desperation, anxiety, or relief during the learning process. To date, the primary emotion studied with respect to…

Since online learning technology, such as streaming video, was introduced to the college distance-learning environment, there has been a need to study the attitudes of college students toward the use of this modality in hybrid courses. Understanding students' attitudes toward using online materials and the impact on class attendance is not only…