This 2004 Association of Small Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) conference proceedings presented the theme "Leading Strategic & Cultural Change through Technology." The conference introduced its ASCUE Officers and Directors, and provides abstracts of the pre-conference workshops. The full-text conference papers in this document…

This report describes the development of a new tool for assessment research in graduate education. The tool, the Algebra Assessment System, is based on GIDE, a pre-existing program that diagnostically analyzes complex constructed responses to algebra word problems. The project had three goals. The first goal was to build a generically usable…

This study describes the use of VaxNotes, an electronic conferencing software, in a 16-week graduate distance learning course at a large Midwestern university. The seminar was taught at two campuses, by two instructors, connected by video and audio distance learning technologies. Discussions held outside class were conducted initially by…

The relationship between the university and the city is explored and implications are drawn for the university's role in improving inner-city education. The article assumes that there is such an institution as the "urban university" within a major city and having a significant level of interchange with it. There are tension points between cities…

A case study analyzed the echolalia behavior of an autistic 11-year-old boy, based on recordings made in his home and school. Focus was on the subset of immediate echolalia referred to as pure echoing. Using an approach informed by conversation analysis and descriptive phonetics, distinctions are drawn between different forms of pure echo. It is…

Using a comparative rhetoric model, a study examined the discourse behavior of native speakers of American English conducting peer review discussions in English and that of native speakers of Chinese performing the same task in Chinese. Data are drawn from audiotape recordings of peer review discussions of eight college students, conducted in…

The capacity for immediate, or almost immediate, interaction between teacher and student is often cited by distance education program developers as one of the key reasons why interactive satellite courses can be as effective as face-to-face instruction. This paper analyzes the interaction between the learner and the instructor in the distance…

This study investigated the collaborative interactions of junior high school boys (N=36) with learning disabilities while engaged in writing stories using a word processor. Half the subjects were of Anglo-American background and half of Mexican-American background. Each subject worked in two dyads, ethnically homogeneous and ethnically…

Presentations at this conference focused on future developments in distance education and innovative uses of learning technologies. Ten papers from the general sessions, including keynote addresses and a panel, are presented in the first of two sections. Topics covered include planning for new priorities in distance education; trends for the…

The purpose of this study was to examine the differential effects of computer conferencing on expository writing for undergraduate students (n=109) of seven intelligence types (linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal). Students were assigned to four treatment groups that provided…

Interactive multimedia (IMM) and problem-based learning (PBL) are both promoted in response to the current need to offer authentic and effective professional education. An emphasis on collaborative work in PBL contexts may have discouraged the application of IMM, more commonly designed for individual use. This paper describes preliminary…

This study examined the cause-effect interconnectivity of various mental models utilized by 10 American and Australian teachers and media specialists when involved in one-on-one teaching-learning episodes using electronic resources in the context of researching information for authentic school assignments. The researchers investigated runability…

This descriptive study formulates a comprehensive picture of the structure, educational practices, and associated positive student outcomes of integrated programs for students with severe disabilities across a variety of California communities. Three of the seven participating programs represented the full inclusion model of integration…

Three elementary students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and aberrant behaviors were taught to initiate and maintain a conversation with nondisabled peers (who were not classmates) utilizing a communication book adaptation. Additionally, all members of their regular education classes were given the information they needed to…

Essays on second language teaching focuses on how the kinds of tasks performed by the learner relate to language output. "Choosing and Using Communication Tasks for Second Language Instruction" (Teresa Pica, Ruth Kanagy, Joseph Falodun) contains a taxonomy of communication task types, based on the concepts of goal and activity,…