Despite the best of intentions, qualitative researchers can be faced, in some circumstances, with having to make meaning from thin, or less than optimal, data. Using a real study as context, the authors describe the ways that they made sense of their thin data on teachers' perceptions of a large-scale evaluation instrument. They propose a…

The provision of equitable library services to distance learning students emerged as a critical area during the 1990s. Library services available to distance learning students included digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery.…

Previous research and policy in online education has underestimated the amount of effort and commitment required by those asked to develop and deliver courses online. Although implementation of e-learning technologies is on the rise, the faculty adoption rate is slow. Prior studies attribute the lack of adoption to faculty resistance to online…

A random sample of bulletin board users was selected from two online services, and they were interviewed using electronic mail; the bulletin board audience was characterized, focusing on adopters (characteristics that users possess) and social impacts (benefits, usage patterns, and how bulletin board use affects other communications media). (AEF)

The use of online interviews as reflective dialogue for professional growth and development was studied. Doctoral research conducted using electronic mail messaging as a series of online interviews evolved into reflective dialogues between the researcher and subjects. Five users of an online discussion group on teaching participated in a pilot…

This descriptive study examines how the proliferation of electronic hook-ups to remote locations, to databases, and particularly to electronic mail (e-mail), is changing the work, communication patterns and self-image of higher education faculty. In particular the study examined whether technological acquisition had an impact on professors'…

Constructivist teaching has become a dominant theme in educational literature in response to the positivist model of education that is prevalent in schools. In order for K-12 education to become more constructivist, there must be a qualitative change in teaching practice from didactic to self-directed student learning. The use of online technology…