Educators who are responsible for the creation, management, and administration of educational programs are central to the planning process. Research suggests that program planning is not driven by theoretical constructs, but rather by the personal experiences and beliefs of individual planners. This study explores how individuals who plan online…

This study examined the independent effects of six approaches to learning in online computer conferencing: (1) deep learning: (2) comprehension learning; (3) relating ideas; (4) surface learning; (5) syllabus boundness; and (6) achievement motivation. Deep learning, comprehension learning, and relating ideas were combined into a more general index…

In this selection of papers from the conference, authors from 10 of the more than 35 countries and every continent (except Antarctica) provide discussions covering all levels of museum Web design. They brought a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds to the conference, all of which ensured new perspectives and new ideas. The meetings opened…

The most ubiquitous of contemporary interactive multimedia (IMM), the Internet, is making steady progress as an interpretive tool within museums.However, its major impact is being felt beyond museum walls. As an outreach agent, the Internet has captivated many museums and particularly their educators. As a communication medium, the Internet allows…

This study sought to analyze the technical problems encountered by students in a technology training course for educators. The results of the study then informed the redesign of the course for its next offering. The study collected data by both qualitative and quantitative means with the overall purpose of determining in which course modules the…

At the university of Hagen a lot of experience exists in performing Web-based teaching and in implementing tools supporting e-learning. To share this knowledge, (inexperienced) instructors more and more ask for tool-based assistance in designing and administrating e-learning courses. Considering experience from other universities, it becomes…

This study investigated the use of various forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to support the formation of a knowledge-building community (KBC) in teacher education. A KBC involves students working in small and large groups to solve "real world" problems, and in the process develop skills of negotiation, communication, and…

Current training strategies implemented in online Web-based training (WBT) sessions are rather simple strategies. They lack a number of typical classroom training strategies, such as: composite training strategies, the possibility to customize and adapt training strategy, and collaborative training strategies. This paper presents a novel WBT tool…

The development of computer-mediated asynchronous platforms for the delivery of online coursework brings college professors new questions about the features these platforms offer and the degree to which each feature is significant to the achievement of students. Are all features designed in the same way across platforms? Are there some features…

Online distance education is being introduced at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor (Slovenia) for an e-business course within which an experience about students' acceptability of online distance education was conducted. In spring 2001, an experiment with online materials (in place of regular lectures) for an e-business…

The electronic dissemination of information via computer networks is having a considerable impact on educational institutions in terms of the mechanisms that they are able to employ for course delivery. As a result of this, the number of courses that are taught electronically through the Internet and/or the World Wide Web has increased…

Factors that increase the likelihood of sustainable on-line learning community success fall into four general categories: the selection of an ease of learning and ease of use application permits an adequate default setting to begin operation yet permits users and managers to customize their on-line environment; creation and support of users,…

This paper describes the experience of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Trento, Italy, in delivering online courses through the Web. The faculty chose to design and build its own system from scratch rather than buy one off the shelf. The paper discusses the considerations informing this decision, and presents the main functionalities…

Retention has been indicated as one of the greatest weaknesses in online instruction. While a preponderance of literature about online instruction is available, concrete ideas about how to retain students are lacking. A DHHS grant for over one million dollars made it possible for the Wright State University College of Nursing and Health (Dayton,…

This paper reports on two key elements of successful online teaching: learner-centric design and harmonization of content and facilities. The paper shows how these two crucial requirements could be fulfilled with great success in a project that involves a non-computing related subject matter (civil engineering) and 31 educators from five European…