The concept of physical and chemical change is far from being the clearest and most self-explanatory concept in the world. If a number of chemists are asked to define physical and chemical change, there may well appear to be a fair degree of uniformity in their answers, until a few examples are suggested. When chemists are asked to place a variety…

Compares the interactions in two listservs, one dealing with a chronic illness (diabetes), the other with a more acute disease (colon cancer). Analysis of 1000 messages from each list categorized messages by problem orientation and into socioemotional areas having positive and negative reactions and into task areas for asking questions and…

Describes the Keypal Project, a project in which e-mail was introduced in two kindergarten classes with the intent to enrich children's literacy and communication skills and foster long-distance relationships. Found the project had great learning potential and was easily incorporated into constructivist programs which emphasize active learning.…

Discusses barriers to threaded-topic discussions in online teaching. Suggests a better way to enhance communication and promote collaborative learning: a jointly prepared, "shared document" format. Describes the development and use of Forum MATRIX, a software program designed to maximize the potential of the shared document format. (AEF)

Discusses problem solving, problem-based learning, and collaborative learning, and describes a university study that investigated the effects of individual Web-based learning versus computer-mediated collaborative Web-based learning and ability grouping on learner performance in solving ill-defined problems. Considers time on task, participant…

Discussion of computer mediated communication for interactive learning focuses on a study of social science students conducted at Southern Cross University (Australia) that investigated students' perceptions of the importance of online discussion. Topics include social cohesion; social constructivism; benchmarking; student motivation and…

Explores early adolescent girls' use of digital technologies in their literacy practices. Highlights the technology-mediated literacy practices of two seventh-grade girls. Discusses two major themes which emerged from data analysis: the centrality of multimedia popular culture texts in the girls' technology-mediated designing; and the importance…

Investigates whether differences in mode (technology-enhanced or traditional) of commenting and interaction result in difference in the area, type, and nature of comments produced by peer reviewers in second language writing, and what impact observed differences have on students' revisions. Findings show the overall number of comments and…

A Web-based curriculum requiring critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills was developed. A multidisciplinary team of educators created the "virtual exchange." Students are assigned a scenario character to portray in their interactions with the other characters (students). They interact on the Internet to promote critical thinking…

Presents a process-based framework for evaluating students' efforts in online discussion. Delineates criteria for evaluating students' contributions to an online discussion and describes processes for implementing student-centered evaluations and professor-centered evaluations. Offers implications for future theoretical and empirical endeavors.…

Reports on a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of computerizing a liberal arts university. Discusses problems of measurement when tracking changes in the educational outcome; and uses data from the study to develop a reliable scale to measure attitudes related to interaction, computer-mediated communication, student expectations, and…

Discusses the role of copyright law in managing intellectual property rights in a digital age. Topics include the application of fair use to digital materials; the impact of information technology in defining intellectual property rights; and the need for change in the notion of fair use. (KRN)

Discusses the use of intercultural e-mail via the Internet to provide language students with real audiences, authentic language experiences, and immediate feedback from native speakers. Highlights include examples from high school classes in Florida and Mexico City, task-based learning activities, and problems and possible solutions. (LRW)

Describes an innovative undergraduate course in information management developed at the University of Sheffield (England) that uses the Internet. The module, based on active learning principles, is facilitated through electronically mediated group project work. Results indicate students gain practical experience using communication technologies…

Discusses the results of a study of a graduate course that was delivered to adult students at three locations by interactive video conference. The course was supplemented with the computer-mediated communication of two Internet discussion groups that provided a framework for collaborative learning in which personal experiences enriched knowledge…