Distance education according to Moore depends upon "dialog" and "structure." The actual distance between the learner and the teacher is nothing but the degree of dialog and structure in them. This degree is represented as "distance continuum.""Interaction scores" are defined based on this distance continuum and the "mediapackage" is quantified.…

Discusses information retrieval systems and the need to have them adapt to user needs, integrate information in any format, reveal patterns and trends in information, and answer questions. Topics include statistics and probability; natural language processing; intelligent agents; concept mapping; machine-aided indexing; text mining; filtering;…

Reports on a two-phase study of academic libraries to identify patterns of database use and the factors that might influence this use. Online data was used as well as results from a survey that investigated factors that may influence online use, including level of instruction and availability of remote access. (LRW)

Focuses on the use of e-mail games for learning. Discusses terminology; reasons for using virtual games; promoting person-to-person interaction online; how to play an e-mail game, including three examples of specific games; player reactions; design components; the functions for facilitating an e-mail game; and the game as an excuse for debriefing.…

Investigates one component of a Web site--the index structure, comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of 20 subjects who used one index and three experimental variants to complete five tasks. Findings indicate that a hypertext index with multiple access points for each concept, all linked to the same resource, led to greater effectiveness and…

Describes Pellissippi State Technical Community College's development of an online library instruction tutorial to help reference librarians teach information literacy skills to students, faculty, and staff. The tutorial teaches library patrons to use the college's OPAC and its online periodical indexes. Includes the online quiz/evaluation…

Raises several questions about information technology. After arguing for the importance of physical place and presence in how people construct meaning, form personal biographies and public histories, and develop living communities, the article contrasts this with the consequences of the abstractions of place and presence in virtual, on-line…

Discusses results of a college writing instructor's initial experiment with electronic portfolios-in-progress that caused her to reconsider how she used the system and what she would change. Notes that the instructor found herself taking charge of student texts in ways she had not done in years, and effectively violated most of her beliefs about…

Describes organizational issues of the Integrated Information Center (IIC) at the University of Minnesota, the technological structure of the IIC, and the services which it offers for faculty in identifying, retrieving, and organizing scholarly information. (JAK)

Describes the use of concept mapping as a tool to gather data about student misconceptions. Student concept maps are used to inform the design/development of an innovative, simple-to-use, computer-based learning tool which may be incorporated into online courseware. The interactive grouping tool is designed to allow students to construct their own…

Based on a five-year ethnographic study of the activity of an online, international academic community of practice supported by ListServer technology, this article covers selective findings pertaining to patterns of communication deemed crucial to community building. Implications of learning and collegial support are discussed. (Author/AEF)

A qualitative study of a successful e-mail mediated help service which incorporated content analysis of service logs and interviews with staff and users revealed two models of ideal service exchanges: concise question/response dyads and extended dialog. Staff tend to consider dialog typical, while users almost exclusively consider the minimum…

Describes developments in Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) electronic reference services. Presents a background on networked cataloging and the initial implementation of reference services by OCLC. Discusses the introduction of OCLC FirstSearch service, which today offers access to over 65 databases, future developments in integrated…

Presents a generic reference model for online distance learning and discusses security issues for each stage (enrollment, study, completion, termination, suspension). Discusses a security framework (authentication and accountability, access control, intrusion detection, network communications, nonrepudiation, learning resources provider…

Describes a method of full-text scanning for matches in a large dictionary. The method is suitable for selective dissemination of information systems, accommodating large dictionaries and typical digital data rates. It can be implemented on a single commercially-available board hosted by a personal computer or entirely in software. (Author/AEF)