Discussion of the use of the Internet and World Wide Web for interactive distance education courses focuses on the importance of providing iterative usability evaluation of online courses and strategies to ensure effective online course presentation. Design heuristics are suggested, including feedback, help and documentation, and controls for…

Describes a strategy for enhancing counselors' effectiveness with elderly women in group settings by using a pregroup reminiscence session. The interviews provided a warm-up to a more extensive group experience, served as a potential screening mechanism, and identified themes that might later be developed. (RJM)

Describes evaluation activities after a seven-week unit on botany and natural communities in a fifth-grade class. The six tasks designed for multiple learning styles include writing a topical essay, drawing and labeling plant parts, clinical interviews, group discussion, concept mapping, and evaluating questions. (PR)

A survey of 162 adult members of the general public evaluated their attitudes toward people with disabilities. Among results was that the number of movies viewed about people with disabilities was positively associated with number of discussions and with positive attitudes toward people with disabilities. Gender was also significantly related to…

This paper calls for development of powerful instructional strategies that will enable teachers to educate students with wide-ranging abilities and backgrounds in integrated settings. Three peer-mediated instructional procedures that have been used with at-risk students are described: classwide peer tutoring, classwide student tutoring teams, and…

The 15-year history of research and application in cooperative learning in primary and middle schools in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel is described. A specific application is discussed of some cooperative learning structures in a postsecondary foreign language classroom. (12 references) (Author/LB)

Seeks to determine which aspects of managerial communication and decision-making are amenable to technological support. Finds groups using computer-mediated, electronic communication generated more unique and high-quality ideas (over a fixed time period) than groups using verbal communication. (NH)

Describes the use of reading guides as an interactive technique to stimulate comprehension. Provides an example using a popular novel. (MG)

Asserts that role-playing peer-response groups provide effective feedback and help students develop a sense of the characteristics of a particular audience. Illustrates with a sample lesson (a college application essay) by outlining five steps of the process. Offers other uses of the role-playing peer-response groups method. (PRA)

Presents recent research in developmental psychology that supports conclusion that understanding of dynamics of self-development within social context of group is necessary to curriculum development in ethics education. Suggests that group work is central to successful implementation of any ethics education program and that group discussion of…

Presents a content analysis of PUBYAC, an electronic discussion list for Children and Young Adult Services in Public Libraries. Information is provided on the different themes and topics that appear in the list, the lifespan and liveliness of specific discussions, percentage of active participants, and distribution of messages by participant. (AEF)

Investigates the effects of implementing individual and small-group learning structures with a computer simulation in college accounting. Results indicate students working alone expressed significantly more continuing motivation for their learning structure than did partnered students; students using extensive small-group structure exhibited…

Applies results from field and laboratory studies about business usage of electronic meeting systems (EMS) to the classroom setting. Argues that it transforms the classroom from a traditional instructor-centered environment to a student-centered environment in which students participate, participate more equally, and report a highly satisfying…

Describes the patterns of interpersonal interactions relating to group development in an asynchronous computer conferencing-based graduate course. Results suggest that people engaged in such collaboration have similar interpersonal issues, at comparable stages and proportions, as reported for face-to-face groups. (Author/AEF)

Reports on a study of undergraduates at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland) that was designed to explore computer support for peer-based learning in methodology tutorials. Describes software that was developed to organize group discussion and discusses student ratings of their reactions to the software and to the tutorial sessions. (Contains…