The study investigated liberal arts and science faculty's (1) overall adoption of WebCT, a course management software, (2) use of different WebCT functions, (3) perceptions of technology's impact on teaching, and (4) demographic factors that might explain the differences between WebCT adopters and non-adopters. Only 37% of respondents reported…

The continued and increasing use of online training raises the question of whether the most effective training methods applied in live instruction will carry over to different online environments in the long run. Behavior Modeling (BM) approach--teaching through demonstration--has been proven as the most effective approach in a face-to-face (F2F)…

The success of distance courses has prompted universities nationwide to increase the number of courses offered online. As the number of these courses has increased, the challenges involved in developing and offering them have become more apparent. One particular difficulty when teaching in an online format is that it can be more time-consuming…

Higher education is currently undergoing what may be its most significant change since the advent of the printing press in the fifteenth century. A number of socioeconomic forces, primarily globalization, have increased student mobility and created a need for increased and more flexible access to education. At the same time, the recent vast…

Collaboration among institutions of higher education involves the sharing of financial, administrative and infrastructural resources with others through a formal memorandum of understanding. There are occasions where due to bureaucratic or political barriers, a formal collaborative arrangement may not be possible, however, academic partnerships…

This paper describes the initial findings of a longitudinal case study that investigates the use of e-learning and communications technology to enhance the placement experience for full-time post graduate certificate in education (PGCE) students. It is a work in progress examining how a VLE might be used to support trainees while they are on…

This paper reports findings of a study that examined student performance and attitudes towards the use of information technology in virtual and conventional settings. Students were preservice undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an educational media and technology course. All were fulltime, on-campus students, but one group completed…

This study describes instructional design elements most valued by nontraditional adult learners in hybrid learning environments that combine limited face-to-face contact with online learning and collaboration. It identifies the online course features and instructional goals selected as most important by a sample of 67 adults. It then compares this…

"Online Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice" provides a resource for researchers and practitioners in the area of online collaborative learning (also known as CSCL, computer-supported collaborative learning), particularly those working within a tertiary education environment. It includes articles of relevance to those interested in both…

Educators recognize that group work and physical involvement with learning materials can greatly enhance the understanding and retention of difficult concepts. As a result, math manipulatives--such as pattern blocks and number lines--have increasingly been making their way into classrooms and children's museums. Yet without the constant guidance…

E-learning is part of the wider debate on the changing role of higher education (HE). It is associated with the agenda on graduate employability and competencies for the knowledge economy (KE). Policy documents make explicit that participation in the KE is congruent with the acquisition of meta-skills. The role of HE is to provide for these…

Professors in higher education are experimenting with a wide array of techniques in order to preserve integrity of the academic evaluation process in the online environment. Current instructors perceive some increased risk of "cheating" in cyberspace classrooms, and some changes in the forms these incidents take. We anticipate the continuing…

Hypermedia has long been considered to have great potential to support educational tasks and applications. Many success stories of hypermedia support in education have been reported. Much of this work has been done in the context of traditional closed hypermedia systems rather than more contemporary open hypermedia systems. Developing hypermedia…

The paper discusses a blended learning concept for a university teacher training course for prospective teachers of English. The concept aims at purposeful learning using different methods and activities, various traditional and electronic media, learning spaces covering contact and distance learning, and task-based learning modules that begin…

Most Virtual Learning Environments are designed to be simple to use by staff and students alike. We report a case study where this feature has led academic staff to reject formal centralised training and teach themselves how to use the system. What has resulted is widespread use of the system but with poor pedagogic development, leading primarily…