We apply the object oriented software engineering (OOSE) design methodology for software objects (SOs) to learning objects (LOs). OOSE extends and refines design principles for authoring dynamic reusable LOs. Our learning object class (LOC) is a template from which individualised LOs can be dynamically created for, or by, students. The properties…

Many educational institutions suffer from a lack of funding to keep telecommunications laboratory classes up to date and flexible. This paper describes our Remote Unix Lab Environment (RULE), a solution for exposing students to the latest Internet based telecommunications software tools in a Unix like environment. RULE leverages existing PC…

The global software industry is in the midst of a major evolutionary shift--one based on open computing--and this trend, like many transformative trends in technology, is being led by the IT staffs and academic computing faculty of the higher education industry. The elements of this open computing approach are open source, open standards, open…

As an increasing number of researchers have been trained to use programs such as Atlas/ti, NUD*IST, Nvivo, and ETHNOGRAPH their value in analyzing qualitative data has gained greater recognition. Drawing on the experience of two PhD candidates at the University of Tasmania, this paper reflects upon some potential uses of a suite of computer…

Asynchronous computer conferencing refers to the use of computer software and a network enabling participants to post messages that allow discourse to continue even though interactions may be extended over days and weeks. Asynchronous conferences are time-independent, adapting to multiple time zones and learner schedules. Such activities as…

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceived effectiveness of the CourseInfo instructional technology package implemented at a regional Midwestern university. An online survey was administered, with 971 students and 44 faculty responding. Results indicate attitudes of both faculty and students were positive--both believed that the web,…

This research presents a Web-based learning and instructional system for Pneumatics. The system includes course material, remote data acquisition modules, and a pneumatic laboratory set. The course material is in the HTML format accompanied with text, still and animated images, simulation programs, and computer aided design tools. The data…

Metadatabase modeling and design integrate process modeling and data modeling methodologies. Both are core topics in the information technology (IT) curriculum. Learning these topics has been an important pedagogical issue to the core studies for management information systems (MIS) and computer science (CSc) students. Unfortunately, the learning…

Forty Swedish elementary students, 7-12 years of age and working in pairs, constructed a series of bar graphs and pie charts using a graphing application software as an instructional tool under the guidance of the researcher. After successive withdrawal of help, each pair drew a small number of graphic displays manually at the end of the data…

There is a tremendous amount of pressure on educators to incorporate highly advanced computer-mediated communication (CMC) into the classroom, but the research shows that this is not an easy task. Part of the difficulty learners experience within current network applications is a lack of support from the design of the software for the development…

This study examined teachers' beliefs about technology adoption as a reasoned, deliberate, intentional decision-making process, as reflected in Ajzen's (1985) Theory of Planned Behavior. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from teachers in four schools located in the southeastern region of the United States. Overall results indicated…

When MIT first announced the OpenCourseWare (OCW) project in the spring of 2001, many people hoped similar projects would proliferate, allowing instructors in less-developed countries to access timely materials to support their teaching--materials that would otherwise never be available to them. This is happening, as part of a quickly spreading,…

With a new wave of campus IT solutions comes a familiar challenge: How does one encourage and help build distributed applications without being overrun by stovepipe solutions? Anticipating significant enrollment growth (5 percent per year) for the next several years, double-digit annual growth in funded research, and little chance that resources…

Purpose: Seeks to show that the software development process is based on the premise to provide an enhanced e-learning environment by supporting individual learning styles and preferences through the use of emerging adaptive technologies that also enable performance evaluation in the context of meeting agreed learning outcomes.…

The study reported here investigates collaborative learning at the computer. Ten pairs of students were presented with a series of comprehension questions about Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein or a Modern Prometheus" along with a CD-ROM, "Frankenstein Illuminated," containing the novel and a variety of source material. Five students worked with…