Two preservice master's-level courses in early-childhood special education were taught twice across two academic years through distance learning using two-way interactive television (ITV). Results indicated the 103 student participants generally rated ITV as acceptable but most would choose traditional course delivery. Factors crucial to success…

A study identified quality signals for master's programs in business administration (MBAs). Traditional scholarly oriented academic signals are apparently not valued as such by external customer groups. MBA academic quality appears to be a multidimensional construct, with subdimensions of real-worldness; placement; student satisfaction; and…

Discusses how the MATESOL program at Oklahoma State University has overcome the drawbacks of a single-site program by implementing a multiple-site practicum where students choose a primary site according to their particular area of interest or intended teaching job. Illustrates the feasibility of a multiple-site practicum and highlights its…

Presents results of a survey of 158 master's degree programs in mass communication disciplines regarding: thesis, project, and coursework-only options; course requirements; and core courses most frequently required. Compares these findings with those from earlier studies. (SR)

On the Assessment of Student Outcomes 24 graduates rated their self-efficacy in a masters' program in family and consumer science that was delivered through distance education. All 12 courses reached the goal of having 80% of the graduates rate it as adequate. (JOW)

Describes the use of interactive television in distance higher education based on experiences of an accredited MBA program at Ball State University (Indiana). Discusses how graphics were designed and used to deliver accounting instruction and feedback to homework assignments. Describes the presentation software used. (AEF)

Examines the question of copyright violation of audiovisual materials when used in a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) degree offered via satellite transmission through Colorado State University. Topics discussed include fair use; definitions of literary works, performance, and transmission; and the need to revise the 1976 Copyright Act to…

Reviews the development phase of a collaborative inquiry initiative undertaken among staff in the Center for Distance Education, Athabasca University, Canada, to identify competencies required of master's-level experts in distance education. The competencies are clustered in four skill sets, and basic procedures for developing a taxonomy of…

Explores competing pressures toward English for specific purposes accommodation to institutional exigencies and to a critical response to those exigencies. Discussion focuses on the design and implementation of an English for academic purposes course for a master's of Architecture students at a U.S. university. (Author/VWL)

This article focuses on the assessment of writing abilities among master of social work students. The purposes and methods of writing assessment are explored, as well as the evaluation and reporting of results. The article also summarizes results from an assessment project conducted in 2003 of 129 MSW students' writing skill. Among the findings…

Described is the administration and outcomes of an asynchronous, Web-based, comprehensive exam covering MSW foundation curriculum. Over a 48-hour period of test availability, 198 students completed the 4-hour-long exam composed of 100 randomly generated questions. Significant differences in student performance across college locations were found.…

This article explores some specific issues involved in online learning and assessment. It draws on data from a postgraduate course for professional educators, delivered globally online, and highlights the relationship between students' online discussion and their written assessed work, arguing that we need to focus on both of these in terms of the…

Dual degree programmes are becoming increasingly common at universities, especially in the USA. A dual degree programme at the University of Arizona now includes the additional and systematic study of the critical field of entrepreneurship by students studying for dual degree qualifications in business and science or engineering. All participants…

This article addresses the issue of second language writing, with English as a second language, for advanced learners in a UK university. Confirming research findings about the limitations of second language writing, we examine the translation commentaries written by 14 Chinese students on a MA translation programme and find learner problems in…

This study focuses on the discourse of an intercontinental on-line Master's programme in adult learning, using English as the lingua franca of the programme and involving four collaborating universities in Sweden, South Africa, Canada and Australia. The programme is highly interactive, emphasising communication between students. Taking the…