Presents a study of interactions among eight-year-old students working with computers. Students' communicative interactions in front of the computer were compared with interaction occurring in other activities. Students interacted more when they were using the computer. Most of this interaction was concerned with problem-solving. Students…

Discusses benefits of online distance learning and considers some of the barriers that need to be addressed for successful implementation. Topics include quality compared to traditional face-to-face methods; academic workloads; self-pacing issues; the lecturer's role; lack of standards; security concerns; and the need for strategic planning. (LRW)

Discussion of the development of advanced distributed learning environments focuses on a prototype graduate Web-supported course on emerging technologies developed by the National Computational Science Alliance partnership. Describes course materials; student assignments; student evaluations of the course; and future plans. (Contains 30…

Describes the challenges faced and solutions adopted in adapting the multimedia-rich "Varietes de francais" CD-ROM program to operate on the World Wide Web. The program runs locally to retrieve media resources, perform intelligent answer processing and data collection, and turns to the Web only when necessary for data transfer, external Web links,…

A study to determine whether computer software could meet objectives of the Ministry of Education's (Quebec, Canada) secondary school plastic arts program found that SuperPaint enabled students to meet the objectives, fostered creativity, increased motivation, and increased learning autonomy. Recommends computers be used for project sketches…

Introduces and discusses a model of teaching and learning that can be used as a basis for building new types of educational infrastructure based upon the use of Web-based resources, peer group interaction and online tutoring. Discusses the special role that e-tutoring plays within online courses and outlines some of the implications of this…

Describes a study of university students that examined the influences of navigation in hypertext learning environments and discusses advantages and disadvantages of hypertext as instructional media. Discusses active (self-directed) versus passive (pre-sequenced) access; knowledge acquisition; emotional outcomes; and knowledge utilization with a…

This meta-analysis investigated how effective computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is on student achievement in secondary and college science education when compared to traditional instruction. Results showed a small positive effect for CAI use when used in simulation or tutorial modes, with individual computer use, and when used as a supplement to…

Investigated the role that interactive multimedia might play in scaffolding teacher-led classroom activities to help children construct more appropriate external representations for particular tasks and reason more effectively about historical chronological concepts. Reports on the conceptual design and pedagogical approach to developing effective…

A small-group mathematical problem-solving tutorial treatment with explicit instruction including transfer to novel problems was evaluated with 40 students. On word problems and transfer word problems, tutoring effected reliably stronger growth, although effects on real-world problem solving, while moderate to large, were not statistically…

Discusses the instructional processes and theoretical aspects of virtual classrooms in a school context. Reports on a three-year pilot project in Finland linking two lower secondary classrooms (grades seven through nine) with video-conferencing, highlighting the interactive network of the linked classrooms. Concludes that technology use today…

Examines the nature of interaction in an online course from both teacher and student perspectives. Findings suggest that the structure of the course, class size, feedback, and prior experience with computer-mediated communication all influenced interaction. Results emphasize the importance of socially constructed meanings from participants'…

Describes the development of Building Family Foundations, 10 competency-based interactive multimedia modules for preparing social workers for child welfare issues they may encounter in professional practice. Discusses results of pre- and post-tests that evaluated the program in terms of students' content knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes…

Describes a longitudinal study of college students in the United Kingdom that examined factors affecting computer use. Results show situational factors, including access, training, and time, affect student computer use, but academic staff tend to focus on the needs of their department and should focus more on the student perspective. (Author/LRW)

Reports research findings of an experimental design in which cooperative-learning strategies were applied to closed-lab instruction of computing concepts. SimCPU, a software package specially designed for closed-lab usage was used by 171 high school students of four classes. Results showed that collaboration enhanced learning and that blending…