The University of California, Davis, is transforming large general education courses in a cost-effective way that maintains high academic standards in the face of rising student enrollments. Two multi-year pilot projects have demonstrated the feasibility of using rich online learning environments to reduce the dependence on formal lectures. This…

This study focuses on alternative ways of thinking about the experiences of two cohorts of high school students participating in separate political simulations, one about peace negotiations in the Middle East (the Arab-Israeli Conflict simulation, or AIC), and one focusing on domestic American policy issues (the Conflix Project, or Conflix). Both…

This paper describes the concept of online knowledge communities. The concept is defined, and six qualities of online communities are identified: members (user roles are clearly defined); mission (generally accepted goal-statement, ideas, beliefs, etc.); commitment (members give their loyalty to the mission); social interaction (frequent…

With the emergence of new technologies, there are many concerns about the use of interactive technology in the art classroom. The literature suggests that interactive media such as the Internet and electronic mail can enhance the learning experience for the art student. Learning is individualized to accommodate students' cognitive styles and…

The proliferation of online resources has resulted in creating and accentuating challenges for national bibliographic agencies throughout the world. Through strategic planning and innovative approaches, providers of national bibliographies are seeking to realize bibliographic control of remote electronic material. For success, they will need to…

A challenge in online collaborative learning teams is assuring that all members of the virtual learning team are actively engaged and contributing to the work of the team. One strategy to hold individual members of a learning team accountable for their contributions is through the use of peer and self evaluations. This paper provides a summary of…

While electronic learning environments provide exciting possibilities for supporting learners, the design of the user interface is as yet little understood. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of specific usability attributes for online learning courses. A review of related papers on usability methods and learning theories…

This paper analyzes problems and issues in making knowledge of teaching and learning visible and sharable online. It also describes some of the ongoing research and development efforts at the Carnegie Foundation's Knowledge Media Laboratory that advance this work through the use of emerging technologies. Implications for future research and…

This paper describes the design and implementation of a real time on-line collaboration tool, EDUCO. The main focus is to demonstrate how the tool is applied to a real life on-line distance education course, discuss the preliminary research findings of the qualitative empirical study, propose directions for future work and discuss implications.…

This paper discusses the design and pedagogy underpinning the use of online quiz items in which students are presented with a range of questions designed to enhance understanding of complex linguistic constructions. It explores the design of different types of quiz questions from the perspective of pedagogy and cognitive demand. The particular…

This first of two guides on Netscape Communicator 4.5 contains six lessons on the basic functions of the Navigator component. Lesson 1 covers terminology and methods to connect to the World Wide Web, hardware needed, and a Netscape Communicator overview. Lesson 2 introduces the Navigator window, toolbars, and menus, and how to change the default…

The Technical Chamber (TEE) is the professional organization of Greek engineers as well as the consultant of the Government to technical issues. Besides central services in Athens, TEE has 15 regional sections and most of them have small libraries to serve the local engineering community. All libraries are connected online to TEE network and use…

This study describes and explores student perceptions regarding the use of WebCT in building and supporting online learning communities (a practical application). Participants were all students enrolled in "AGED 440: Principles of Technological Change," an undergraduate level course at Texas A&M University. Objectives were to describe and explore:…

As the IMS interoperability standards roll closer to widespread usability, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the United States Department of Labor (DOL) have formed an articulated partnership to develop a Web-based project. This interactive project places institution-neutral student services for non-traditional distance learners on the…

The University of Central Florida (UCF) has developed an award winning faculty development program providing experiential, collaborative learning for instructors to build online programs. A project is now underway to extend training throughout the state of Florida. Supporting students is also essential to the success of teaching online. The…