This new column describes Internet and provides a guide to its resources for new users. The hierarchical organization of Internet is explained; library applications including cataloging, bibliographic instruction, government documents, interlibrary loan, reference, and serials are described; access to Internet is explained; common problems are…

Discussion of open learning and the use of computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS) focuses on Information Technology-based Open Learning (ITOL), a small-scale trial model of open learning developed at Lancaster University (United Kingdom). Application of ITOL to a master's program in management learning is described, and evaluation results…

Describes computer-assisted activities used in the University of Michigan's teacher education program (computer conferencing and an interactive educational software package). The article discusses what the applications convey about the teaching and learning process, what they communicate about teacher knowledge, and what kind of educational future…

Compared two sections of upper level undergraduate course on professional stress and burnout, one delivered to students (n=11) by interactive audio teleconferencing and other delivered to students (n=36) by traditional on-campus classroom instructional mode. Results indicated that student academic achievement and satisfaction with course was…

Explains how students are able to interact with a team of interplanetary scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) by using the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). Discusses the professional development component in detail. (DDR)

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…

Discussion of networked continuing professional development (CPD) for staff in higher education focuses on two case studies: one uses the outcomes of a graduate course to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-conferencing system; the second uses learning outcomes to influence the redesign of a CPD program to a Web-based open learning system.…

Examines recent research on student interactions and student course evaluations in six Web-based courses taught at Arizona State University between 1996 and 1998. Topics include online interaction; computer conferencing; teaching research methods; teacher perspectives; and student perspectives. (Author/LRW)

Reviews the Web as an instructional delivery medium and describes a hybrid model for continuing medical education (CME) delivery that merges the Web and CD-ROM. Discusses an evaluation that demonstrated the effectiveness of the model for delivering CME to rural physicians in regions with low bandwidth. (SK)

This study evaluated a videoconferencing system for lifelong learning at a distance between Koriyama Women's University (Japan) and rural public halls, using a student questionnaire to rank pedagogical and human factors. Results indicated that the system was acceptable for students, content affected evaluation, and a sense of unnatural compressed…

This study tested the Adult Distance Study through Computer Conferencing (ADSCC) model to determine if learner readiness, online features, and computer mediated communication learning approaches are associated with learner satisfaction in an academic computer conference. All three variables were correlated with learner satisfaction, with online…

Describes the use of a Web-based conferencing system in graduate courses for enhancing interpersonal communication among students and the instructor, resolving problems related to course content and procedures, and providing the instructor with feedback on the course. Discusses achievement gains, student attitudes, and improving student learning.…

Discusses results of the evaluation of an educational teleconferencing system in a Mexican university. Highlights include student expectations; student perceptions of efficacy for self-regulated learning; student perceptions of the course; differences from traditional courses; and the importance of considering student variables in evaluations of…

Valdosta State University (Georgia) uses audio/video conferencing in its teacher education program, a low-cost alternative to travel that enables student teachers to access the expertise of their supervisors more frequently; supervisors to observe student teachers; simultaneous interactions between supervisor, student teacher, and mentor, or among…

Through the use of videotaping and postconferencing via a telecommunication link, first-year North Carolina teachers received assistance from a support team composed of a site mentor and a university professor in a remote site. The paper describes the project and its results, which the participants considered a limited success. (SM)