Discusses virtual universities and the design of Web courses. Topics include current traditional college courses; computer assisted instruction; reconsidering education; why professors teach; what they teach; what students expect; how employers view graduates; certification; why knowledge is overrated; goal-based course design; and conceptual…

Presents several strategies that have proven successful for community building in Web-based learning environments. Discusses challenges to community building in terms of space, time, and tools, and how to overcome these challenges. (EV)

Describes how the core principles of learning science lead to associated best practices in instructional design and how to translate those into practical applications in Web-based online courses. Topics include knowledge construction; student motivation; higher order learning; learning styles; experiential learning; cooperative and collaborative…

Examines the nature of student participation in an online discussion-oriented course delivered via the Web. Highlights include access to course materials; a focus on course content; changing participation while students served as course moderators; and community building through student dialog with each other and with the instructor. (Author/LRW)

Presents the development of a Web-based course model and the results from an exploratory study conducted to determine the effectiveness of this model on student satisfaction. Results showed students had a positive experience, were satisfied with the online learning environment, appreciated the flexibility, and were satisfied with quality and…

Discussion of academic library instruction and information literacy focuses on a Web-based program developed at Washington State University called Speakeasy Studio and Cafe that is used for bibliographic instruction. Highlights include the research process; asking the right question; and adapting to students' differing learning styles. (LRW)

Addresses recent developments in Web-based electronic distance learning in the United States with special attention to its historical antecedents in correspondence education. Discusses distance education within higher education, offers predictions for the future, and considers implications for continuing education professionals and applications of…

Discusses use of the Internet in higher education. Topics include online teaching and the World Wide Web; online distance learning; instructional design; Internet course development; converting traditional courses to online courses; evaluation of online programs; and advantages of Internet support of traditional courses. (Contains 55 references.)…

Suggests that Web courses have the potential to be more immediate than conventional classroom instruction by introducing a new "agency" into the learning environment, the computer. Presents an exploratory qualitative ethnographic content analysis of three Web courses that identified potential indicators of immediacy in Web classrooms and…

The Temasek Polytechnic Library in Singapore launched its new digital library portal in December 2002. Circumstances precluded usability testing prior to this so it was with some concern that the library web team monitored its use. A few months later it became clear the users were having problems, so a new website was designed. This article deals…

Providing learning support for students has been the most challenging issue for Universitas Terbuka (UT) in Indonesia since most students live in rural areas within which qualified tutors are hard to find. Attending face-to-face meetings within regular scheduled times is not feasible for most working students. Similarly, disseminating academic…

Because of its interactive and multimedia nature, the Internet has been touted as an increasingly important aspect of both elementary and secondary education. A recent survey, however, indicated that the Internet and all of its apparent potential is not often used by K-5 social studies teachers. One possible reason for this is that sorting through…

In pedagogical literature, asynchronous, computer-mediated courses have been promoted as an interactive mode of course delivery. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of different teaching strategies in this medium. In this paper, I describe the development of my asynchronous course and outline the fundamental dilemmas in…

School districts have two basic routes to incorporate online courses: Develop their own online curriculum or buy into an existing virtual school program. Decision makers might consider six strategic questions before moving ahead with their plans to build their own online course offerings. These questions deal with sizing up of existing providers,…

In this article, the author reports on how several models are meeting the challenges of time, technology, and motivation. Some of the models discussed are videoconferencing models, the Anytime, Anywhere learning initiatives, and Educational Impact, a larger-scale provider of professional development resources that addresses this challenge by…