This book provides information for researchers and practitioners on the current issues and best practices associated with electronic learning communities. Fourteen contributed chapters include: "Interactive Online Educational Experiences: E-volution of Graded Projects" (James Benjamin); "Hybrid Courses as Learning Communities"…

Technikon Natal is a higher education contact institution in Durban, South Africa. In the last 6 years, the Online Learning Center has evolved bottom-up, driven by the contagious creative spirit of champion lecturers. Activities have grown to such an extent that it has become necessary for the institution's management to develop an institutional…

Designing instructionally sound Web courses is a difficult task for instructors who lack experience in interaction and Web-based instructional design. Learning theories and instructional strategies can provide course designers with principles and design guidelines associated with effective instruction that can be utilized in the design of…

This paper focuses on developing, implementing and evaluating an online, graduate-level distance education course--the first distance-based course to be offered over the Internet for students in Turkey. The authors present experiences of setting up such a course when students and faculty are 10,000 miles apart. The limitations and difficulties…

The Office of Institutional Research at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), Kansas, conducted a survey to help determine the level of interest in Internet training courses. Surveys were mailed in November 1998 to 9,982 individuals selected from six lists representing the JCCC Business and Industry Division's current and potential clients. A…

Educators in higher education are increasingly being called upon to design, develop, and deliver courses via the World Wide Web. Although reasons for the strong push to develop online courses are varied, it is clear that the perceived need for such courses is steadily increasing. Also needed are prescriptions for creating courses that are dynamic,…

Presents two parallel initiatives contributing to an open and distance learning (ODL) deployment, comparing them using the LabSET Keys to implement a Training Embedded Coached Course Construction (TECCC) approach. The article examines some of the challenges faced by the support to trainers using the Web as an instructional tool to facilitate…

This guide by Margaret Driscoll is for those involved in creation or support of an e-learning program. It covers technical and pedagogical aspects associated with the development and maintenance of web-based training (WBT). The accompanying CD-ROM contains templates, design documents, worksheets, and direct web links to additional information and…

Provides an overview of this issue focusing on relationships between instructional design (ID) and classroom teachers. Topics addressed include ID in teacher planning, including the systems approach; teachers' understanding of learning theory; instructional planning; a comparison of experiences of educators who were trained in ID; and distance…

Describes methods for developing and delivering library instruction in an electronic format. Discusses using a customized Web site as a backup for live instruction; creating a computer-generated slide presentation to accompany a live lecture or to be placed on the Web; writing a self-paced Web tutorial; and developing a complete online library…

Reports on the development of an asynchronous learning environment for teaching introductory macroeconomics to approximately 200 distance education students. The research supports evidence in the literature that computer mediated communication an in particular, collaborative learning, can make a positive difference to the educational experience of…

Lists steps to follow when planning a course online: assess needs and necessary conditions to satisfy them; estimate development cost, effort, and implications; plan the virtual classroom; design the virtual classroom; prepare and distribute contents; enable communication; implement online student assessment methods; implement class management…

The 21st Annual Conference on Undergraduate Teaching of Psychology was held on March 28-30, 2007 at Hudson Valley Resort and Day Spa in Kerhonkson, New York. The conference was sponsored by the Psychology Department of Farmingdale State College. The conference included twenty five presentations and ten of these are included in these proceedings.…

With support from the Higher Education Enhancement Project Fund (HEEPF), the Faculty of Science at Helwan University (Egypt) has constructed a number of online courses in support of the graduate diploma in computer sciences programme. All courses in the diploma have a web presence, and the course offerings are now moving towards a much more…

In this paper, the fundamental characteristics and capabilities of ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) networks in a distance learning environment are examined. Current and projected ATM applications are described, and issues and challenges associated with developing ATM networking solutions for instructional delivery are explored. Other topics…