This study examined whether computer mediated communication (CMC) is an effective method of delivering graduate courses in comparison to face-to-face instruction. Discusses CMC as a means of providing access to advanced degrees for working adults who live a distance from an institution and/or who need to pursue part-time studies. (Contains 25…

Discusses how certain strategies can enable successful chat rooms in academic courses. Examines some of the author's own pedagogical trials, errors, and successes with chat rooms. Offers some strategies for conducting effective participation among students in such settings. Discusses several models of teacher-student interaction for developing the…

The success of distance education programs is directly related to the systematic instructional design and communication technology; the quality of instructional material and systems is critical to the success of a distance learning system. Merging technologies are of great importance to distance learning programs because the advanced instructional…

Reports on a four-phase study conducted to clarify the role of the facilitator and to identify other factors that support or inhibit online learning. Postgraduate students who had participated in online learning rated the relative importance of 12 facilitator tasks. Results show facilitators must clarify expectations, initiate and guide online…

Considers some of the ways in which Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can support teaching for understanding in primary (elementary) schools. Previous research and research in progress about ICT training for teachers suggest that there are clear possibilities for improving learners' understanding using ICT. Identifies some barriers…

A synthesis of five studies that explored social climate issues in synchronous and asynchronous online courses found that teachers find it difficult to change their dominant role; students do not have enough interaction opportunities; teachers should support creation of a social climate; and students need training in new communication skills for…

Presents several strategies that have proven successful for community building in Web-based learning environments. Discusses challenges to community building in terms of space, time, and tools, and how to overcome these challenges. (EV)

A binational management course used computer-mediated small-group discussions between students in the United States and Hungary. Individual and dyad (U.S.-Hungarian student pairs) case analyses were evaluated using an integrative complexity measure. Despite technical difficulties, students produced complex and comprehensive arguments after three…

Describes one professor's experiences, doubts, frustrations and rewards with developing and teaching an online course. Suggests that four factors influence the success of an online course: development of a risk-free environment for student discussion via the course conference; student-control of the course conference; balance in the nature and…

Compares the impact of two different computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems, with different prescribed guidelines for use, on the per-person volume of online interchanges in two graduate classes. Hypothesies a relationship between system characteristics, guidelines for use, and the perpetuation of verbal interaction in settings where CMC is…

Compares the effect of pedagogical tasks implemented in synchronous face-to-face tasks versus text-based computer mediated communication. Analysis reveals that the first signs of change in developmental stages of morphosyntactic development are more clearly identified in the computer-based interaction task than in the face-to-face oral task.…

Examines the influence of a student's visual access to the instructor during Internet-based audiographics training. A course was taught through lecture and slides over the Internet to students at seven remote sites and the availability of instructor video was manipulated. Results showed that increasing the video capability of an Internet-based…

Explains how electronic mailing lists operate, and provides information about the objectives and membership of the four largest physics education-related electronic mail lists. (WRM)

An information view of history is proposed. This would include the study of information and communication technologies as products of communal human labor. The late 19th-century United States is suggested as a critical period for innovation in modern information technologies. (Author)

Reports on research on computer-mediated communication among adolescent females in the United States Midwest, examining the purposes served by a particular kind of Internet communication (Instant Messaging) in the life of one girl and her best friend. Points to the need for new pedagogies that both incorporate and offer critical frames for new…