Facilitating meaningful interaction among students is a significant challenge of teaching in the online environment. This paper presents a semester-long approach that enables quality interaction among group members within undergraduate online group communication courses while experiencing the challenges of working with geographically dispersed…

Profitable creative ideas can emerge from within virtually any phase of the instructional design and development process. However, the design of user interactions is perhaps where learners can most directly experience the benefits of such ideas. In this article, the authors discuss principles of learner interaction as found in the instructional…

The type and amount of student interaction with major socializing agents on campus--faculty and their peers--determine the impact of college on students. Much of the research on postsecondary education links the quality of peer interactions directly to student learning outcomes and satisfaction with the college experience, and Alexander Astin went…

Instructional Transaction Theory specifies a set of rules for automated instructional design and development. Components include descriptive theories of knowledge and of strategy, and a prescriptive theory of instructional design. Rules include selecting and sequencing knowledge objects, selecting and sequencing instructional transactions,…

The 4S model uses the criteria "Simple, Stable, Scalable, and Sustainable" as a filter for selecting instructional technologies. This paper considers a social dimension that uses culture and interaction as the primary consideration in the deployment of any instructional technology within the context of the 4S model. (Author/MES)

Instructional Communications Systems (ICS), an academic support unit for the University of Wisconsin System, has been a leader in teleconferencing for more than 30 years. ICS personnel have been heavily involved with videoconferencing during the past 2-1/2 years, working with clientele at all of the various training levels--orientation, planning…

Reviews characteristics of computer-based training (CBT) that make application of communication theories appropriate and presents principles from communication theory (e.g., general systems theory, symbolic interactionism, rule theories, and interpersonal communication theories) to illustrate how CBT developers can profitably apply them to…

Describes how an understanding of "engagement" can be applied to multimedia systems design and can support learning goals and motivation. Provides examples of engaging interactions, suggests methodologies for evaluating their impact on the learner, and offers practical hints for incorporating them into multimedia system design.…

Discusses four major elements of computer assisted instruction (CAI) program (instructional objectives; presentation, interaction, feedback); describes attributional consistency, which involves developing CAI programs so each major element has a common topography (e.g., to discriminate, describe, demonstrate, depict graphically); and presents…

Provides an example of staff and undergraduate student development through collaborative writing within a discipline. The "writing to learn" initiative involved staff developers working alongside academic staff and students within subject tutorials, which placed the developer at the nexus of both staff and student development and facilitated an…

This paper reports on research that used the development of interactive multimedia learning environments as a device to allow faculty to explore principles of the Learning Paradigm. The following pedagogical feature set of this technology that resonated with faculty and that can foster transition to the Learning Paradigm is presented: (1)…

While the idea of reusing objects in digital learning environments is not new, continual strides are being made toward improving the prospects of reusability. A major trend in company training settings is to think of reusability in terms of a LMS (learning management system), but instructor use and pedagogies are little considered. This paper…

This paper reports on the design strategies and technical solutions that the authors have adopted to increase interaction in a World Wide Web-Based Instruction (WBI) system aimed at supporting new didactic approaches to the subjects of urban planning and architecture through the activation of online modules at the university level. Specifically,…

The 35 papers included in these proceedings report on innovative approaches to teaching used by faculty members at Ontario's technical colleges and universities. Included in this collection are papers on optimum instructional methods using microcomputers, teaching French conversational classes through drama, competencies for the educational…

Presents the basics of an instructional delivery model used in a course developed at Troy State University (Alabama). The program combines the best elements of traditional and distance education. The reading and writing materials, interactions, audiovisual media, and tests are discussed. (AEF)