This study examined faculty and student conceptualizations and distinctively communicative practices of mentoring in the academy. The study included three phases: (1) open-ended surveys conducted with faculty and students via e-mail, (2) focus groups conducted with faculty and students to elaborate on findings from the e-mail interviews, and (3)…

This study investigated factors that might be related to successful academic progress and students' satisfaction with a competency-based graduate program in an online environment. It offers an in-depth look into the structure and operations of a Master of Arts Program in Learning and Technology at Western Governor's University, Utah. At the time…

This paper discusses a letter writing approach to teaching in which K-12 teachers in a course on curriculum theory identified and developed their reactions to readings in the field of curriculum theory. Students were asked to use e-mail letters to react and respond to some aspect of the assigned readings for the week. They exchanged their letters…

Describes a study of doctoral program students that investigated whether more frequent instructor-initiated emails would result in more favorable student perceptions of the student-faculty relationship, higher student ratings of perceives sense of online community, higher degree of satisfaction with the learning experience, and higher levels of…

Notes the importance of online writing groups in an English 101 class. Suggests that for any writing group to be effective, students need to feel safe to express themselves. Describes three main writing assignments which created connected, motivated writing groups: the biography assignment, an essay on identity, and a group essay. (PM)

Presents the results of a study on using the electronic bulletin board system (BBS) as computer-mediated communication to promote reflective thinking among student teachers in a teaching practicum course at National Taiwan Normal University. Reports student feedback that showed interactions with peers was a positive influence. (Author/LRW)

Studied two approaches to classroom assessment: the use of e-mail as a teaching and learning tool, and engaging students in preparing their own assignments. Surveys of undergraduate and graduate students in two academic years indicated that the initiatives improved the level of learning, increased student and teacher interactions, promoted…

Describes a study of Taiwan university students that investigated the impacts of incorporating email into the classroom on student achievement and attitudes using a posttest-only control-group design. Results showed a statistically significant difference in academic performance but not in student attitudes toward computers. (Author/LRW)

With the rapid development of technologies, online learning, especially email dialogue journaling, has been playing an increasingly important role in foreign language learning and teaching in recent years. While many studies have examined the effect of email learning on student learning performance, few have looked into students' attitudes towards…

In this article, the author describes the liberatory and critical classroom she tried to create with preservice teachers. She reflects on how the perceptions of her teaching and of her class by one student led him to feel silenced inside the classroom but liberated to express his views of the community in e-mail dialogues. Anthony's actions in…

The study examined an ESL writing class, which consisted of 36 students, at a community college of Hong Kong. The students took part in three online collaborative writing tasks by sending drafts to peers who gave them suggestions and comments for improvement and working together on the completion of the writing tasks via email. The 36 students…

Electronic mail (e-mail) is an extremely important medium for Internet-based education. Due to its unique characteristics, there is reason to be concerned that students do not put appropriate care into writing messages that are sent via e-mail. This has significant implications for the effectiveness of online learning environments. This paper…

A composition instructor inquired into the effect of computer conferencing in two composition courses taught entirely through computer-mediated instruction and infused with the pedagogy of feminist collaboration. The instructor encouraged the naming of self and the developing of relationship. The instructor prepared a composition curriculum,…

Reports on a study of 14 master's degree students' online communication patterns when their classroom environment had been expanded electronically through a public listserv for classroom interaction and private e-mail on the Internet. Student attitudes and reactions are described, based on results of questionnaires. (Author/LRW)

Twelve groups of business students met face to face to complete a report; 10 groups used groupware (computerized decision support system). Overall report quality did not differ, although groupware users needed more time. Appearance and appropriate format were rated higher for the face-to-face group, and students found this method easier, faster,…