"Designing Distributed Learning Environments with Intelligent Software Agents" reports on the most recent advances in agent technologies for distributed learning. Chapters are devoted to the various aspects of intelligent software agents in distributed learning, including the methodological and technical issues on where and how intelligent agents…

"Managing E-Learning Strategies: Design, Delivery, Implementation and Evaluation" provides readers with a broad understanding of the emerging field of e-learning and also advises readers on the issues that are critical to the success of a meaningful e-learning environment. It walks you through the various factors critical to developing, evaluating…

This study examines the benefits and challenges of using distributed learning methods for teaching field practice seminars. Over a 3-year period (2000 through 2002), both in-class and online sections were evaluated in terms of meeting learning objectives and student satisfaction with the learning environment. Due to the small number of students…

This article presents the authors' perspectives on Electronic Collaborative Educational Learning Laboratory (ECELL), an innovative summer school experiment conducted over 5 years from 1997 to 2001. The authors offer a detailed picture of the ECELL as a philosophy of professional development, as an organizing framework, and as a community of…

With the evolution of the World Wide Web, online teaching and learning has gained a tremendous amount of popularity. New Web teaching and learning tools are created at a fast pace to help better address the multitude of teaching and learning styles. Liu and Thompson (1999) found that faculty members are more likely to use a wider variety of…

Teachers should consider using web-based platform, such as WebCT, to enhance their regular face-to-face classes. WebCT and other similar systems offer many benefits to teachers and students in traditional settings. Students can benefit by being able view slides or notes they missed in the regular classroom. They can also benefit from the increased…

Like many other universities around the globe, the University of Calgary is preparing to offer its graduate programs through distance delivery. The MEd TESL program, a course-based master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, offered through the Faculty of Education, is piloting the first of its courses by distance. Designing ESL…

Research suggests that the solitary learner's learning preferences might be a mismatch with collaborative instructional settings. A question is therefore posed: "In online learning environments that require collaboration, how do solitary learners experience their own learning?" It is important to answer this question to understand and…

Will head-to-head competition among degree programs lead to greater quality or less? States are pursuing several policies that increase market competition, such as funding distance education and virtual universities. Planning professionals need to understand what factors mediate whether competition does, in fact, occur, such as the market…

Qualitative studies indicate that mathematics does not work well in e-learning. The current study used quantitative methods to investigate more objectively the extent of problems with mathematics in e-learning. The authors used student attrition as a simple measure of student satisfaction and course viability in two studies, one investigating…

Websites that accompany science courses typically aim to provide easy access to learning materials, and to facilitate student-instructor communication. We tested whether these aims were achieved in two web enhanced, lower division undergraduate biology courses in an Israeli college. We collected data on the students' attitudes through pre- and…

To soothe faculty distrust and encourage engagement, or reengagement, in exploring applications of digital technology for teaching, the authors believe it is necessary to do three things: (1) create incentives for faculty that balance public service goals with professional and entrepreneurial rewards; (2) clarify ownership and usage rights of…

More and more colleges and universities seek to extend their reach by offering individual courses and complete degree programs online. Planners of such initiatives will find it useful to examine the different challenges and approaches already in use on various campuses, as in the mentoring program at Florida State University (FSU). The critical…

Distance education technologies may be applied to academic settings, continuing education/continuing medical education settings or in combination to both. This article provides an overview of what we have learned about academic and continuing education/continuing medical education in geriatrics and gerontology. It includes information on the scope…

This article examines many of the issues that the Graduate School of Education and Professional Development at Marshall University has experienced in its move to online delivery of coursework. Institutional, faculty, and student matters are addressed in the context of the transition. Examples of the challenges as well as successes are offered as a…