Describes a study which explored undergraduate students' reactions to a Web-based environment supporting problem-based learning. Findings revealed that while the majority of students saw value to be gained from learning in a student-centered, collaborative setting, many expressed preference for learning in the more conventional teacher-directed…

Argues for understanding distance education as a community of practice that must acknowledge and accommodate diversity in the context of increasing economic globalization. Suggests that any community of practice is embedded in a larger social context that influences values and practice. Examines the historic and contemporary social, economic, and…

In a teaching experiment, 16 face-to-face and 11 e-mail Finnish university students studied academic debating in an argumentation course. Results indicated the e-mail students learned to identify and choose relevant grounds, while face-to-face students improved in putting forward counter-argumentation. The study suggests that argumentation skills…

Case studies at the University of Northumbria (England) are investigating the impact of assessment methods such as unconventional exams, oral presentations, group projects, and peer assessment. Many positive effects on learning have been identified and students strongly support new assessment methods; problems include the difficulty in…

Entrepreneurial universities (nontraditional institutions that provide instructional services in alternative formats at multiple locations) face a variety of challenges as they attempt to incorporate quality assurance and improvement strategies. The development of these institutions; the resistance they face within academe; and the processes they…

Reports the reactions and attitudes of students to taking a computer-based course through two questionnaires. Data from the study are analyzed in detail, and the attitudes and reactions of the students are linked to features of the computer-based learning (CBL) material and its use, and to possible more general attitudes of the students.…

Describes some of the dimensions of the "e-cology" of Internet-based "e-Learning" in higher education. Discusses e-Learning service and operating dimensions; higher education's challenge to balance virtual and traditional educational delivery; instructor-led and instructor-less learning; the roles of content and instructor in instructor-led…

Examines what distance education offers, and the difference between computer-mediated and traditional classroom instruction. Discussion includes investment in education; the reduced cost of travel; standard training and liberal education; prejudice in favor of traditional instruction; the uniqueness of the Internet; matching instruction with…

Increased student expulsions have resulted from safe schools policies. The York Region (Ontario) school district established a program for expelled students to continue their education that includes academic learning, social and psychological counseling, life-skills development, work-related programs, and anger management. Students cited small…

Integrated curriculum applied to the outdoors is a blending of traditional subjects presented through a holistic teaching approach in the outdoor classroom, whereby students gain credit for the integrated subjects. Four innovative programs in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory are described that use this approach for environmental, science,…

Reports the results of a number of research projects undertaken by the Learning in Virtual Environment (LIVE) research group at De Montfort University (Leicester, UK). These projects included surveys of staff and student attitudes and their experience of videoconferencing. Results identify important issues, including technical, human,…

Examines implications of the research regarding whether traditional "stand up" training will be replaced by "sit down" computer-based, online distance-delivered sessions. Concludes that they will coexist in the training environment of the next decade, that some organizations will gravitate toward one extreme or the other, but that most trainers…

A survey was conducted on one of the largest distance learning institutions in Hong Kong on students' reactions to various distance teaching media, including face-to-face instruction, written materials, visual and audio media, the tutor system, and small study group method. The tutor system method showed the most favorable result. Includes the…

The language of school reform is rooted predominantly in the technological perspective. Reviews technological, psychological, ideological, and sociological (descriptive and prescriptive) perspectives and elaborates on the technological, highlighting the need for competitive education, especially in math and science; efficient programs (physical…

Discusses the teaching perspective of Systemocentrism, or teacher/learner-centeredness, and two of its main elements: (1) attention to teachers' and learners' inner experience; and (2) attention to the intersubjective systems that develop among teachers and learners. Suggests that Systemocentrism provides faculty developers with a new tool for…