Defines mentoring, focusing on its use in distance education. Outlines categories of mentoring--traditional, peer, group or team, and online or virtual (telementoring). Discusses mentoring and technological change types of mentors in distance education classes; the role of computer-mediated communications; and decreasing attrition by pairing…

Focuses on various technological tools that support online learning: e-mail (voice mail); online discussion groups; online resources; CD-ROM; online courseware; asynchronous communication; synchronous communication; and World Wide Web. Analyzes the attributes of online delivery systems, addressing interactivity and feedback; media features;…

Presents an exploratory case study with preservice teacher education students of an experience in collaborative discourse mediated through an educationally designed network-based application. Topics include computer mediated communication; text-based communication; small group discussion; and software design, including the design of IdeaWeb that…

The Computer Use Scale (CUS) measures how people use computers across four dimensions: Enthusiasm, Entertainment, Efficiency, and Communication. The scale was found to be reliable and was able to detect differences among various classes of users. Applications of the scale to computer training, software design, and job placement are discussed.…

Illustrates the importance of teaching students about rights and responsibilities involved in online communications. Describes how ethics lessons were taught as part of a high school computer curriculum. Discusses behavioral and resource usage policy development. (AEF)

Investigates perceptions and practices of 138 business communications students, finding that using e-mail and Internet to complete assignments encouraged students to become active learners and to contact instructors. Suggests that e-mail helps African-American students see instructors as facilitators, and fosters an informal rhetorical…

Discusses the concept of a Virtual Company--a collaborative, distributed learning environment built on the notions of competence-based, constructivist, open learning, and distance education. It features an authentic, role-playing game that is strongly modeled upon the functional structures of real-life companies. Outlines the set-up of a Virtual…

Discusses the Internet and how it works, beginning with its origins in the U.S. military and covering such issues as clients and servers, upload and download, and the World Wide Web. (Author/PVD)

Explores differences in the range and types of graduate students in a campus-based and a Web-based graduate course on teaching adolescent literature. Finds useful discussion in all class settings, with spontaneity and surprise being more apparent in face-to-face classes and in-depth discussion more apparent in electronic discussion on the issue of…

Presents an interview with an associate professor of psychology who has written extensively on the use of the World Wide Web in the classroom. Discusses various options and functions of the Web from the very simple to the more complex. Discusses student reactions for and against these innovations. (MJP)

This research examined whether collaborative hypermedia systems could improve upon results achieved in traditional collaborative and individual learning environments without a computer. The students did not feel positively disposed to sharing their ideas and work with their peers; the group experience did not improve the quality of individual…

Students and faculty in distance education programs encounter barriers to success that do not exist in traditional classrooms. This article explores student and faculty barriers, compares the current literature on barriers to success with data gathered from an online master-of-science degree program offered by Walden University (Minneapolis, MN),…

Defines telematics and argues that India should exploit telematics resources for training. Describes training through telematics and virtual means, as well as a redefinition of the notion of training. Discusses the cost factor and its influence on policy at different levels. (AEF)

Explores issues related to the design of collaborative-learning environments mediated by computer conferencing from the perspective of challenges faced in the sociocultural context of the Indian sub-continent. Examines the impact of online features on social cohesiveness, group dynamics, interaction, communication anxiety, and participation.…

Examines how multimedia communication networks can be viewed both as the technological enabler of the global information society and as creating barriers between cultural groups. Discusses the concept of the global information society from different perspectives; outlines the use of multimedia communication networks; and links the two concepts to…