Discusses conflicts between traditional versus innovative instructors and the need to focus on the learning activities that tutor and student engage in, based on experiences at Staffordshire University (United Kingdom). Suggests that staff developer and tutor need to work together to maintain the authenticity of learning activities. (Author/LRW)

Describes a team research project that explored and compared students' satisfaction with course delivery methods (blended distance learning with a remote site and an on-campus site, and a traditional section) based on the students' learning preferences. Explains research methodology used and results from the current study, and provides…

This retrospective study presents a comparison of assessment results achieved by distance learning students undertaking the same module in a degree course to compare the quality of distance education versus conventional instruction in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Identifies educational, cultural, and personal factors to explain higher scores…

Discusses online learning and the possible impact on classroom-based courses. Highlights include profits and online courses; problems with classroom learning; hybrid courses; potential for interactivity; adult learners and online courses; policies regarding the implementation of online learning; and a sidebar on the nature of interaction. (LRW)

Discussion of instructional technology in the university highlights new demands on the structure of the university, different assumptions about the definition of knowledge versus information, the role of the university in an information-oriented society, and the difference between supplementing media and comprehensive planned instruction. (LRW)

Describes the form of whole-class teaching found in Japanese and Chinese classrooms and points out the benefits of this type of classroom organization and teaching when lessons are conducted by well-prepared, skilled teachers. Information was obtained from the authors' visits to East Asian classrooms and from a large observational study involving…

According to responses from 68 of 91 faculty who had taught via the Washington Higher Education Telecommunications System, most felt lecture, question/answer, and case studies were equally or more effective via distance education. Although concerned about loss of active involvement with students, 89 percent were satisfied with telecommunications…

Describes the minimal use of the personal computer in the mathematics curriculum at three Japanese universities. (11 references) (MKR)

Proposes a model for the transformation of academic equivalency in distance education, shifting from a unit of measurement that relies on time in the classroom to one that focuses on learner achievement. Explains how the Capabilities-Based Educational Equivalency (CBEE) model permits the comparison of student achievement in face-to-face and…

Explores the types of written questions students ask after reading one or more chapters from a textbook and investigates students' ability to improve their questions during the course of a single semester. Examines two comparable populations, undergraduate students who were taught in the traditional lecture format and students who were taught in…

Research using Freire's critical pedagogy and critical educational gerontology revealed that a Maltese University of the Third Age uses traditional one-way models of educational practice that fail to engage learners in transformative learning. Overemphasis on adult participation neglects the question of the purpose of learning. (Contains 72…

Explores the debate between academic, skills-oriented mathematics instruction and more discussion- and context-centered approaches and offers strategies to move beyond the debate and improve mathematics education. (EV)

Describes a study that was conducted to determine whether the use of the integrated learning system Learning Logic by high school students in Algebra I had a significant effect on their performance in a traditionally-taught algebra II course. Results showed no significant differences, but teachers using Learning Logic noted some benefits in…

Discussion of distance learning models suggests they should not follow the traditional lecture-discussion course. Proposes a model that is a community of learning and practice, supports collaboration and is not compatible with traditional academic conventions; and explains instructional strategies that can lead to improved access for…

In Canada, some distance education providers are starting to behave more like conventional educational institutions in terms of forming study groups and student cohorts. Conversely, new telecommunications technologies are causing conventional universities to establish administrative structures similar to those used by distance education providers.…