This article reports on a case study of the e-learning production unit at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Phase 1 of the study, completed in 2003, was the design and development of a process-based quality management system for web-supported learning (WSL) using a basic ISO 9000 approach (University of Pretoria, 2003). The second phase,…

Many forms of e-learning (such as online courses with authentic tasks and computer-supported collaborative learning) have become important in distance education. Very often, such e-learning courses or tasks are set up following constructivist design principles. Often, this leads to learning environments with authentic problems in ill-structured…

The study reported in this paper has explored the use of an electronic forum facility in order to provide support for problem-based learning (PBL). A Web-based course involving the use of PBL (called "Drug and Nutrient Interactions") was implemented and was augmented with interdisciplinary expert support using electronic forums. As part…

This paper argues that the internet is built around key technology design features of openness, robustness and decentralisation. These design features have transformed into social features, which are embodied within the cultural values of the internet. By examining applications that have become popular on the net, the importance of these values is…

Fullerton, California--College students use technology constantly. They text-message friends, compile playlists for their iPods, and are whizzes at updating their MySpace profiles. But when it comes to one kind of work they are required to do in college--namely, academic research--they can be inept. Too often, college officials say, students rely…

Social interactions profoundly impact the learning processes of learners in traditional societies. The rapid rise of the Internet using population has been the establishment of numerous different styles of network communities. Network societies form when more Internet communities are established, but the basic form of a network society, especially…

To build a web-based virtual learning environment depends on information technologies, concerns technology supporting learning methods and theories. A web-based virtual online classroom is designed and developed based on learning theories and streaming media technologies. And it is composed of two parts: instructional communicating environment…

This research evaluates websites from 200 "non-deviant" and 200 "deviant" non-profit organizations to better understand the relationship between the type of advocacy group and the visual imagery used for self-representation. Seventeen of 21 variables measured for this study found no difference between non-deviant and deviant non-profit…

In an era where technology is advancing at a rapid pace, and where information is readily accessible on the World Wide Web, educators should be capitalizing on these resources for gifted students. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to support individualized and independent learning within a network of peers that will provide challenging…

In the early 1990s, numerous academic libraries adopted the web as a communication tool with users. The literature on academic library websites includes research on both design and navigation. Early studies typically focused on design characteristics, since websites initially merely provided information on the services and collections available in…

Many researchers have investigated several aspects of using Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications and presented many advantages for using CALL in TESL setting (i.e. where English is taught as a second language). In this paper, the author aims to illustrate how CALL applications would improve substantially the process of teaching…

In recent years, information and communication technology has established new opportunities to participate in online learning environments around the globe. These opportunities include the dissemination of specific online learning environments as well as opportunities for learners to connect to online learning environments in distant locations.…

E-learning is an accepted and commonly used component in tertiary education. However, success would appear to remain variable. Effective e-learning is a concept which sometimes eludes even the most reputable of online educators. It is an issue which plagues both the corporate and education fields and which is frequently aggravated by the numerous,…

Heejung An describes the pedagogical framework underpinning the design of an interactive Web-based HTML coding tutorial geared for novice learners attending a technical college. The author discusses the ways in which the tutorial was designed to support the learners' initial stages of cognitive skill acquisition. Of primary interest are the three…

The authors discuss elements that potentially impact student satisfaction with asynchronous learning: the media culture, digital, personal and mobile technologies, student learning preferences, pedagogy, complexities of measurement, and the digital generation. They describe a pilot study to identify the underlying dimensions of student…