This volume focuses on the LIVE (Learning in Virtual Environments) project, a three-year project focusing on developing distance education and open and distance learning skills in teacher education. The pilot stage, reported in this volume, was conducted in the spring of 1997 at the Department of Teacher Education of the University of Helsinki…

This report summarizes the Year 2 evaluation study results of the Students and Teachers Accessing Real-time Knowledge (STARK) Program in the West Orange Consolidated Independent School District (CSID). The overall purpose of the evaluation was twofold: (a) to provide formative evaluation data to the participant schools to serve as a basis for…

Despite its primary function in the delivery of undergraduate and post-graduate programs, together with its role in generating new knowledge through research, the university is also a workplace for the academic staff and others who function within it. Historically, universities, in their role as employer, have a poor record in providing…

This paper draws on experiences with teaching on online course in digital library issues. The course is offered as part of an MLIS programme. The paper explores student reactions to the online learning environment, which has been delivered using the commercial products WebCT and Blackboard. Student reactions to the use of synchronous and…

The widespread deployment and use of Information Technologies (IT) has paved the way for change in many fields of our societies. The Internet, mobile computing, social networks and many other advances in human communications have become essential to promote and boost education, technology and industry. On the education side, the new challenges…

This report on state virtual schools outlines the recent trends associated with virtual high schools over the last 15 years. It notes that early trends indicate that virtual schools are on the rise. The report provides reasons for why the trends have occurred, and describes the Southern Regional Education Board's role in providing information and…

The E-Learn program is a collaboration of all seven University of Hawai'i (UH) community colleges to offer a distance-delivered Associate in Arts degree. The core mission of the UH Community Colleges is to put postsecondary education within the reach of every resident of the state. To provide that access, community colleges must be affordable,…

Online discussions are an effective method used to enhance interactions among learners and the instructor. The study examined the differences in communication based on whether the discussions were instructor-moderated or peer-moderated and based on whether the classes consisted of undergraduate or graduate students. Results indicate that student…

Though it has been rightly said that what is wrong with education cannot be fixed with technology; there is no doubt that modern life is dominated by technology. There is universal recognition of the need to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education as we enter the era of globalization where the free flow of information via…

This paper explores how human service learners subjectively experience a web-based approach to learning. The course was a new iteration of an earlier course on enhancing cultural competency and involved a sample size of 72 participants. A course on cultural competency can be a difficult one to deliver via a web-based medium given the potentially…

The prevalence of the Internet and the World Wide Web in higher education has been transforming higher educational institutions in various degrees. There are a wide variety of terms indicating such phenomenon, ranging from "web-based instruction" and "online courses" to "cyber degrees" and "virtual…

This paper reviews the development and delivery of a higher education module as part of the University of Plymouth's (England) Integrated Masters Programme (IMP) through the Rural Area Training and Information Opportunities (RATIO) telematic centers. The aim of the project was to provide computer-supported solutions that could assist remote…

The development and validation of an instrument designated as the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI) are described. Scores on both the classroom form and the school form of the CSCI possess strong content validity, construct validity, internal consistencies, and 2-week test-retest reliability. Using a sample of 341 traditional and…

This book will improve the quality of instruction that college students need. It makes numerous suggestions that must be tended to when teachers instruct students. For example, the authors speculate about ways teachers can present what may at times seem to be a mountain of information without burying students under it; why teachers must…

For the thirty-third year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. This is Volume #2 of the 33rd "Annual Proceedings of Selected Papers on the Practice of Educational Communications and Technology." This volume includes…