Practical guidelines are offered for the use of synchronous online conferencing software by session administrators and moderators. The configuration of the software prior to conferencing sessions is discussed, and the planning and implementation of useful collaborative activities such as "synchronised browsing." The combination of these…

The 2007 Annual Meeting of the Association for Continuing Higher Education was themed "Refining Our Mission: Continuing Education's Role in Engagement, Outreach and Public Service." Opportunities were available to participate in sessions relating to outreach, partnerships and public service and perspectives on this theme were presented…

This paper discusses the use of new technologies for distance learning-- including interactive video, computers, and the Internet-- at Mercy College (New York) and DePaul University (Illinois). The description of a course on discrete mathematics that is taught using the Mercy College Long-distance Instructional Network (MerLIN) focuses on the use…

This paper outlines CLEW (collaborative learning environment for the Web). The project combines MUD (Multi-User Dimension), workflow, VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) and educational concepts like constructivism in a learning environment where students actively participate in the learning process. The MUD shapes the environment structure.…

Manchester Business School employs a distinctive approach to learning known as the Manchester Method which is based on the principle that the most effective and rewarding way to learn and remember is through a practical reflective, live/real project-based approach. This paper investigates the use of a collaboration and information sharing…

This paper describes the faculty training model utilized in the development and/or conversion of course materials to be delivered on the World Wide Web. A description of the online learning environment (WTOnline) is provided, as well as the process by which faculty members in the West Texas A&M University College of Education interact with…

An on-line education administration course was evaluated using Seven Lessons Learned by Graham, Cagiltay, Lim, Craner, and Duffy (2001 ) as the framework. The framework was found to be useful in revealing areas of strengths and weaknesses in offering virtual education administration courses. The evaluation provided information that clear…

We report on how technological developments have enabled us to change our concepts and practices regarding voice and text coaching and how this in turn has raised the level of literary competence among non-native doctoral students seeking publication in English in scientific journals. We describe models for marking, peer reviewing and coaching…

This paper describes two empirical studies which investigated the importance for spatial learning of view control and object manipulation within 3D environments. A 3D virtual chemistry laboratory was used as the research instrument. Subjects, who were university undergraduate students (34 in the first study and 80 in the second study), undertook…

NonStop University is an online university community application service designed, developed, and deployed by Hewlett-Packard (HP) to serve the computer product training needs of 2,500 staff members in more than 50 countries. By identifying a set of learner characteristics that supported a set of key elements while using technology and focusing on…

This volume focuses on the LIVE (Learning in Virtual Environments) project, a three-year project focusing on developing distance education and open and distance learning skills in teacher education. The pilot stage, reported in this volume, was conducted in the spring of 1997 at the Department of Teacher Education of the University of Helsinki…

Doctoral research considered whether healthcare students were able to develop characteristics of Communities of Practice when engaged in an interprofessional online module. Using a case study approach the research included two phases. Within phase one a questionnaire was administered to the group of 109 healthcare students. These were analysed to…

In the United States, there were more than 500,000 enrollments in online courses in grades K-12 and more than one-third of public school districts offered some type of eLearning during the 2005-2006 school year. Research has been done on several virtual schools in North America; however, little information is available about current K-12…

One of the big fears digital technology provokes in people, perhaps those on college campuses more than anywhere else, is that its use will cause everyone to lose something unique to themselves. Assuming for a moment that this is true, it is a particularly dire vision for colleges and universities, where the institution's identity goes a long way…

This qualitative study examined the structure and interaction in an online course from the meaning-perspectives of the actors involved. Participants were a teacher and teaching assistant who taught a graduate course in distance education at Arizona State University, delivered through a computer conferencing system. Data collected included…