Online learning has infiltrated tertiary learning and teaching applications and offers enrichment in the construction of student learning through opportunities unfathomable for most university teachers when they were students. While all students benefit from online learning components that are supplemental to more traditional modes of teaching, it…

The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of instruction based on constructivist approach on 9th grade students' understanding of chemical bonding concepts (n=41). Also, the effects of gender differences were investigated. Control group students were taught by traditional instruction. Experimental group students were instructed by…

Concisely defined, "streaming media" is moving video and/or audio transmitted over the Internet for immediate viewing/listening by an end user. However, at Saint Francis University's Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas (CERMUSA), streaming media is approached from a broader perspective. The working definition includes…

The inclusion of metaphors within a World Wide Web-based environment offers users the opportunity not only to obtain a visual understanding of the information being presented, but also aids users in developing a clearer understanding of the information and builds on their previously conceptual framework of understanding. The importance of a…

This book offers teachers guidance in the task of lesson planning, providing four instructional design models: basic, integrated, differentiated, and problem-based. The models are progressively complex and nuanced, providing teachers with guidance as they increase their lesson-planning proficiency. The book includes a series of key questions and a…

This book offers college and university faculty members and administrators practical, well-established methodologies for teaching large classes. In addition to providing an overview of the research, the contributing authors, drawn from a wide range of disciplines and institutions, also provide advice about the mechanics of large-class pedagogy.…

With the increased demand and interest in electronic performance support systems (EPSS), particularly for supporting knowledge-based problems solving expertise in the information age (Gustafson, 2000; Dickelman, 2000; Kasvi & Vartiainen, 2000), instructional designers are facing a new challenge designing a system that could deliver (or…

This paper describes the results of a United Kingdom research program evaluating computer-based learning software and determining its suitability in supporting the different learning styles of users. A design taxonomy is proposed that helps designers build software to target multiple specific learning styles. This enables the courseware to be more…

The Sixth Floor museum in Dallas, Texas, is dedicated to the memory of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The museum's success as a learning/instructional environment may be explained through a theory of learning and instructional design based on three components: authentic presence, collective design, and sacred connection. "Authentic…

The purpose of this digest is to provide background information and sources that help to understand the concept of educational technology and to serve as a pathfinder to relevant and timely publications that view the field from a variety of perspectives. The following frequently asked questions are addressed: (1) What is educational technology?…

The main focus of this document is on audioconferencing, which in distance education contexts provides "virtual" interaction equivalent in quality to face-to-face, conventional classroom interaction. The applications of audiotape and audio broadcast are covered only briefly. Discussion first includes reasons for using audioconferencing…

The main purpose of this paper is to draw attention to assumptions that guide the instructional design process when implementing and organizing network-based learning environments in practice. In this case, the situated and socially shared cognition model and participation metaphor create the guiding paradigm for collaborative learning action,…

After analyzing the reuse of learning resources from different pedagogical paradigms, this paper argues that there is a gap between the learning technology community and the education community. The pedagogical paradigms described include: tutorial, drill, and practice; case method; goal-based learning; learning by designing; World Wide Web-based…

Since the World Wide Web became in 1994 the first new mass medium since television, online learning design has evolved at Internet speed, taking in less than a decade what it took exhibit design over a century to develop in sophistication. Although virtual exhibits consisting of pictures and text are still common, educational Web designers…

This Critical Issue Bibliography (CRIB) Sheet focuses on distance education in higher education. Included are citations for some of the most recent ERIC literature in the field. Citations are grouped into: (1) Initial Steps (Directories); (2) Accreditation; (3) Challenges and Innovations; (4) Curriculum; (5) Institutional Applications; (6)…