A conference for Deans of Instruction of Junior and Community Colleges consisted of prepared papers and special interest discussions, with nationally known resource people available for consultation. This report of the conference includes the contributed papers and summaries of the special interest discussion groups. The prepared papers discuss…

This study examined how adult graduate students made use of technology to mediate group interactions and processes in an online learning environment, also noting why individual groups of students chose particular tools and methods. The online course was delivered using a third-party course management tool. The structure of the course and the use…

This study examined the collaboration of four adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners as they participated in a small groups to construct meaning in response to English short stories. The study investigated learners' oral responses and utterances and noted how group discussion influenced the content of their responses to short stories…

This paper presents three case studies of collaborations with student teachers in a college course on the Psychology of Teaching in which they reflected after class on class events. The paper traces the development of the reflective laboratories through the three cases, which illustrate the process and content of collaborative reflection. The…

The Adult Numeracy and Mathematics On-Line (ANAMOL) project investigated the use of online technology as a medium for professional discussion, networking, and collaboration among a small group of isolated adult numeracy practitioners in Australia. After investigation of several methods of online communication, freeware was selected because, in…

Presents moral development as consisting of reasoning and action. Analyzes it from the perspective of small-group processes and behaviors. Discusses the bureaucratic and authoritarian nature of the school system and suggests it mitigates against moral behavior and reasoning. Concludes that schools should promote moral education toward action.…

Contends that the English coffee house was a social and economic institution that served as a daily newspaper and a center of commerce. Discusses coffee house origins, development, significance, and decline. Concludes that the coffee house served as a transition from medieval society to an age of rationality and industry. (CFR)

An exercise used to address a serious college classroom communication problem is described. The activity consisted of small group discussions of the important dimensions of teacher performance and subsequent feedback to the teacher and larger group. It provided students with valuable experience in providing useful feedback and improved class…

The College of Wooster (Ohio) has instituted a required one-semester freshman seminar, designed to teach students critical writing and thinking skills, and focusing on racism and sexism in U.S. society. Critics see the seminar as a left-wing attempt to ensure "political correctness." (DB)

Reports on a study that examined undergraduate student pairs carrying out an electronic discussion task in a synchronous computer mediated communication system. Discusses collaborative argumentation; focusing; knowledge construction; learning processes; comparative analyses of dialog between tutor and student; and peer coaching. (Contains 33…

This study examined factors influencing the use of electronic networks by science and engineering faculty (216 faculty members) at six small universities. Survey included e-mail, electronic discussion groups, accessing remote databases and remote computer facilities, and file transfer. For each service, data are reported for frequency of use by…

Presents results of a survey showing increased use of the Internet by language professionals (e.g., language teachers, translators, interpreters). Results of the survey show a qualitative improvement in the Internet for information retrieval, teaching, and idea exchange. If K-12 foreign-language teachers receive appropriate equipment and training,…

Three courses in the adult education division of Loyola University (Louisiana) combined religious studies and literature appreciation using an interdisciplinary, team-taught approach. Instruction was guided by the metaphor of conversation, first through collegial discussion of the ideas underlying the courses and later, in the classroom, in the…

Presents a variety of examples of work by practitioner researchers (students, coteachers, principals, and school leadership teams), touching on university-school collaborations, research across authority lines (for example, students and teachers), research as part of professional development, and research by experienced teachers who studied their…

Discusses the use of computers in qualitative research, including sources of information; collaboration; electronic discussion groups; Web sites; Internet search engines; electronic sources of data; data collection; communicating research results; desktop publishing; hypermedia and multimedia documents; electronic publishing; holistic and…