This paper provides an overview of electronic mail (e-mail) systems and identifies curricular applications of common systems available to educators. Highlights include an outline of selected e-mail services; a description of hardware and software needed to use e-mail; an introduction to the Internet; a look at how e-mail systems help students; and…

A nontraditional degree program for adult students at Southwest Texas State University instituted a bulletin board system (BBS) in support of required courses in both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs to provide information, communication, and mentoring. The BBS was especially useful to students in preparing their portfolios of life…

A study examined how organizational members describe their use and perceptions of electronic mail systems. Fifty-five subjects with access to electronic mail systems were interviewed at two organizations. Results indicated that subjects used the electronic mail system in the following ways: 84% for memos, notes, and correspondence; 53% for voice…

This paper describes Connect Ed, a program offering graduate and undergraduate courses for credit via computer conferencing. It is noted that these courses are offered in conjunction with the Masters Degree in Media Studies at the New School for Social Research and the Polytechnic Institute, both in New York City. A progress report on Connect Ed's…

For 3 years, the Diagnostic and Evaluative Procedures course of an education college was offered by electronic mail as well as by a more traditional "chalk and talk" approach, enabling a comparison of the two approaches. In the electronic setting, papers were submitted and questions asked and answered electronically. In the traditional class,…

Due to easy accessibility to the Internet and prevalence of programs for designing World Wide Web sites, a special education teacher may now create a Web site with little cost or trouble. Special education teachers may want to consider creating a Web site to inform parents and caregivers about classroom activities, invite participation in special…

An instructor's idea of using required e-mail as a communication link with students in the basic public speaking course sprang from his work with Gerald M. Philips in the pioneering reticence program he developed at Penn State University in the 1970s and 1980s. The instructor's focus in teaching a basic communication course has always been more on…

This study compared the effects of using voice mail (v-mail) to electronic mail (e-mail) over the Internet to provide student feedback using Media Richness Theory (MRT) and Social Presence Theory (SPT) as the theoretical framework. MRT and SPT would predict that v-mail would be perceived as higher than e-mail in media richness and social presence.…

This paper discusses the ideas of how to unite global villages to help create a better world. Argues that it takes just two people to begin a conversation between countries. It proposes that e-mail conversations can take place between children in classrooms in two different countries. Another benefit, besides breaking down the cultural barriers…

The purpose of this paper is to portray children's writing as a medium for participation in social response to an audience, in a situation where children are active contributors to evolving written dialogues. Throughout this 2-year project, data were collected by compiling the e-mail correspondence between the adults (the researcher and five…

This study involved a teaching experiment in which academic argumentation was practiced during a ten-week email course in a Finnish university. During the course, two working methods were used: free debate and role play. The aim of the study was to clarify how these two working methods activated students in mutual argumentative dialogue and…

Describes the implementation of an electronic mail system at the University of Calgary Libraries, and reports the results of a survey that examined user satisfaction with the system and usage patterns by library staff. Suggestions for the successful implementation of electronic mail systems are offered. (CLB)

Responding to the dramatic changes in the style and form of communication, a communication instructor integrated the Internet into his communication courses at a liberal arts college. Students are required to sign up for a discussion group (listserv) that focuses on the course offering as well as a discussion group in their area of interest. Every…

Since little empirical research has been conducted on adoption of currently available information technology by the advertising industry, a study explored the extent of advertising agencies' adoption of selected information technologies such as online database services and electronic mail. The study discussed data from earlier studies and analyzed…

This paper describes practical issues involved in using LISTSERVs as a means of enhancing graduate-student education. During the spring semester of 1995, two classes in the Educational Administration and Educational Technology Departments of the College of Education, Kansas State University, utilized LISTSERVs as a means to continue class…