Examines ways that issues of sexual orientation can successfully be taught in the computer-assisted composition classroom. Shows how both gay and straight students can benefit from online and networked discussions of sexual orientation. Suggests that computerized learning-spaces offer possibilities for open discussion not available in conventional…

Qualitative researchers who study electronic communities or describe online communications must change their research tools and adapt their activities to new environments to continue ethical practices. Possibilities of online research within the context of ethical qualitative practice are explored, and suggestions are offered for appropriate ways…

To reduce attrition in an entry-level programming class, students who performed poorly on the first exam were matched with interested alumni, who could only communicate with their mentorees by e-mail, mail, or phone. The program produced a significant reduction in overall course attrition and for the at-risk students. (Author/AEF)

Nebrask@Online is a computer-based electronic information and communication service created by the Nebraska Library Commission. This article discusses its development, describes the operation of an online service and options for network development, and describes the public/private partnership that emerged as a model for network management…

Discusses the types of computer-mediated communications (CMC) systems now available for supporting collaboration over the Internet. Discusses alternative frames of references for understanding how the growing array of Internet tools can be applied to collaborative projects, concluding that initiators of collaborative activities need to avoid being…

Group treatment, education, support, and organizational and community participation are now available through telephone and computer technology. A review of professional, popular, and social psychology literature, and a conceptual framework for social work practice is presented. Ways to prepare social workers and guidelines for practice are…

Studies the electronic contributions of academic and practitioner public relations professionals on the listserv called PRForum. Examines 200 messages for dialectic interacts (two or more messages on one topic); analyzes further in terms of the applied model of speech act theory. Assesses the impact of language creation via technology, especially…

Describes a broad framework for examining economic aspects of the Internet; the framework consists of four sets of processes, services, and participants, including information creation, use, communication, and value-added information processes. Each process involves several economic measures and relationships among these measures. Examples are…

Looks for appropriate interaction analysis/content analysis techniques that assist in examining the negotiation of meaning and coconstruction of knowledge in collaborative learning environments facilitated by computer conferencing. Reviews strengths and shortcomings of existing interaction analysis techniques and proposes a new model based on…

Draws upon the metaphor of "apprenticeship" to explain how individual cognitive development of children and adults alike can be enhanced by mentoring relationships within a particular educational "culture." Proposes that computers and related technologies can be instrumental in creating socially interactive and reflective learning communities.…

University portals provide a new computerized interface between colleges and constituent groups. This article discusses: campus portals and possible features they may contain, nine strategies for portal projects, collaborative mechanisms to develop and implement portal projects, criteria for determination of campus portal readiness, potential…

Describes a survey on factors influencing the use of computer mediated communication (CMC) by teachers in secondary schools in Brussels (Belgium). Results show predictors of CMC use included language teaching (due to a CMC project oriented toward language teachers), the willingness of teachers to adopt technological innovations, and perceived CMC…

Investigates the use of asynchronous (mailing lists) and synchronous (chat sessions) Internet-based communication and its impact on teachers' attitudes toward collaboration, activity completion rate, and test performance. Also examines the impact of collaboration on activity completion rate and teacher performance measured by objective tests. The…

This essay proposes the theory of normative behavior and presents general discussions of two communities-the online world of virtual communities and the world of feminist booksellers associated with the Women in Print Movement-that can be used as test cases for that theory. (Contains 73 references.) (AEF)

An intranet is a system which has "domesticated" the technologies of the Internet for specific organizational settings and goals. Although the adaptability of Hypertext Markup Language to intranets is sometimes limited, implementing various protocols and technologies enable organizations to share files among heterogeneous computers,…