In its purest form, accounting is a method of communication, and many refer to it as the language of business. Although the average citizen might view accounting as a convoluted set of complex standards, the recent abuses of data have resulted in legislation and investor demands for timely and relevant information. In addition, global requirements…

In this article we describe a system that matches learners with complementary content expertise in reaction to a learner-request for knowledge sharing. It works through the formation of "ad hoc," transient communities, that exist for a limited period of time and stimulate learners socially to interact. The matchmaking system consists of a request…

Online collaboration and project-management tools allow people to work together without being in the same place at the same time. However, that is not all, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, for example, allows the creation of documents and spreadsheets just like in Microsoft Word and Excel, but with more collaborative capacity. Google Calendar lets…

The most effective blogs provide important and cutting-edge information (e.g., Tech Crunch), communicate deeply personal experiences through narrative (e.g., the Cancer Blog), or write to a specific audience (e.g., chemistry teachers). Most people with successful blogs are deeply committed to posting, for personal reasons, such as a passion for…

Chapters in this book include: (1) Courseware Adaptation to Learning Styles and Knowledge Level (Boyan Bontchev and Dessislava Vassileva); (2) Assisted On-Job Training (Claudio Teixeira and Joaquim Sousa Pinto); (3) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Factors in Physicians for Implementing E-Learning in the Continuing Medical Education Programs…

Schools that give students access to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) studies are accomplishing several objectives: introducing students to higher-level academic and career studies, expanding project-based learning in the curriculum, enticing students to remain in school until graduation, and preparing students for…

Purpose: The purpose of this self-reflective paper is to focus on practical efforts to combat inequality and foster intercultural dialogue in education. It introduces "knowledge alliances", a type of social practice open for education technologies. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is structured in a theoretical and an empirical…

In this article, we present a co-adaptive design approach named TE-Cap (Tutoring Experience Capitalisation) that we applied for the development of an assistance environment for tutors. Since tasks assigned to tutors in educational contexts are not well defined, we are developing an environment which responds to needs which are not precisely…

A growing number of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who display complex learning needs present challenges to educators who struggle to meet their educational needs. Teaching is stressful and additional instructional challenges may increase teacher vulnerability to burnout, leading to a greater likelihood of attrition. Increasing…

Introduces the concepts of idea viruses and viral communication, a technology-based communication that spreads ideas quickly. Explains its applicability in the area of direct marketing and discusses a technology platform that provides the opportunity of sending a message to a large number of people and emotional or pecuniary incentives to…

Asks whether computer-mediated communication allows creation of isolated virtual communities for its interlocutors or brings closer the ideal of a global community. Examines the question from the standpoint of R. Cathcart and G. Gumpert's medium theory. Uses data derived from an ethnographic study to illustrate how a new approach is required. (PA)

Discussion of virtual communities focuses on Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutic theories which accounts for temporal and spatial distance in the exchange of the community's texts. Topics include virtual communities and computer mediated communication studies; the linguistic aspects of virtual communities; and empirical hermeneutics. (Contains 61…

Instructors designing online learning can utilize an array of computer-mediated communication tools to promote student engagement and interaction. This paper surveys the tools available, focusing on uses of the tools for learning (Type II uses). Research results and implications for practice are presented for asynchronous (e-mail, listserv,…

This paper reports two studies into the efficacy of sentence openers to foster online peer-to-peer interaction. Sentence openers are pre-defined ways to start an utterance that are implemented in communication facilities as menu's or buttons. In the first study, typical opening phrases were derived from naturally occurring online dialogues. The…

Recent advancements in technology have changed the way educators teach and students learn (Wells, Fieger & Lange, 2005). In the last decade, educational trends have progressed towards online and blended instruction. One key in this revolution is the development of the Learning Management System (LMS); software that enables the management and…