The goals of authors and readers must be satisfied in order for electronic publishing to succeed. Requirements include timely and widespread dissemination, low creation and distribution costs, peer review, and feedback. The goals of communication, collaboration, interactive publication, and quality can be met with e-mail, listservs, bulletin…

Describes the emergence of the cyberspace college, defined as the informal exchange of scholarly information communicated over informal electronic networks. A history and description of academic computer conferences, results of participant surveys, and the impact of this new communication medium on informal academic communication are discussed.…

Examines the need for virtual workspaces and describes the architecture, design, and development of GroupSystems for the World Wide Web (GSWeb), an HTML/JavaScript Web-based Group Support System (GSS). GSWeb, an application interface similar to a Graphical User Interface (GUI), is currently used by teams around the world and relies on user…

With respect to the design of cooperative systems, issues related to the fundamental communication channels, sociotechnical factors, and task characteristics associated with collaborative work situations are reviewed. Research strategies incorporating theory-motivated design, ethnographic methods, and controlled testing methods are discussed as a…

In an experiment in cross-disciplinary collaboration involving three courses at Morehead State University during spring semester, 1997, small groups worked collaboratively within a virtual environment to define solutions for children's health issues as described by an early childhood education class. The instructors and a consultant utilized…

Analyzes the case of a trans-European video-teaching link principally from the standpoint of the expenditure required to implement and run it, set against the benefits it offers. Considers fixed and recurrent costs. Concludes that, despite enthusiasms in the literature and in official reports for interactive tele-teaching, the financial burden it…

Following a brief history of the Internet, the duties of Web site managers (i.e., Webmasters) are described, including coordinating content, answering e-mail, researching new technologies, conducting training, writing behind-the-scenes programs, and keeping the Web site running. Webmasters must possess a blend of technical skills, interpersonal…

Looks at the frames (of time, space, roles, and knowledge) that define learning, and examines how such frames would be radically altered by online learning. Discusses students, teachers, schooling as an institution, commercialization, and curriculum. Concludes that the new frame may deliver much, and may also exclude much. Includes listings of Web…

Uses Tenner's framework of unintended consequences of the introduction and use of technology and applies it to a case study in educational technology change at Curtin University (Western Australia). Discusses distance education, computer-mediated communication based on the World Wide Web, and revenge as a framework for identifying unintended…

Defines digital storytelling, the application of multimedia techniques to the telling of stories. Describes how digital-storytelling assignments, designed to use an online conferencing facility, were developed for a college class. Provides examples of students' approaches to the personal narrative assignment. Discusses how to evaluate the…

Reports on a study in which 31 undergraduate students practiced academic argumentation by e-mail. In the two "tutored" e-mail study groups, discussion topics were selected by the tutor, while in the two self-directed "student-led" groups, selection was by the students. Results support the superiority of the student-led mode over the tutor-led mode…

Describes nursing education integrating the Internet at Ball State University: (1) redesign of a professional-issues course; (2) electronic conferencing and computer quizzes in a health-appraisal course; (3) Internet tools used in an introductory associate-degree course; and (4) redesign of the required registered nurse-completion course. (SK)

Argues that networked classrooms offer a number of opportunities for effective writing instruction. Argues that shared discourse in the networked-computer classroom has three levels forming a continuum of interactivity: students sending messages "at,""to," and "between" each other. Offers classroom examples of each level of discourse. (SR)

Describes how using conferencing software in a computer-assisted writing environment became a catalyst for a distinctive learning ecology that interrelated prosocial student behaviors, learner-centered teaching, and assessment. Argues that the conferencing class not only helped students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in…

Describes how an online conference was used in a graduate poetry class with students not accustomed to using technology in their coursework. Suggests that it extended the depth and quality of discussion, opening up new areas of discourse; and that students went beyond assigned topics to create and engage in their own discourse enriched by their…