Currently a large number of college students belong to social networks and spend several hours a week on them. Some sectors of society, like parents and teachers, are concerned about the negative impact on their academic work and in their personal lives. However, because the potential positive impacts have not been explored enough, this research…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an online automated evaluation and feedback system that assessed students' word processing assignments prepared with Microsoft Office Word. The participants of the study were 119 undergraduate teacher education students, 86 of whom were female and 32 were male, enrolled in different…

The author investigated whether students' effort in working on homework problems was affected by their need for cognition, their perception of the system, and their computer efficacy when instructors used an online system to collect accounting homework. Results showed that individual intrinsic motivation and computer efficacy are important factors…

Computer procedures were taught with either interactive multimedia CD-ROMs or manuals to 46 adults aged 60-74 and 46 aged 75-89. The younger group made fewer errors, required less help, and took less time. Both groups forgot some facts and procedures over time. Format did not affect performance. Spatial and verbal memory, text comprehension, and…

Reviews the growth of library networks and bibliographic utilities, and describes the concept of a national bibliographic network. The impact of microcomputers, the increased computer literacy of librarians, preferences for local autonomy, and the availability of commercial online services on the desire for a national system are discussed. (CLB)

Presents a phenomenological study of student experience in a computer conference learning environment. Issues for students in conferences revolved around spatial disorientation. Students grappled with getting into a computer space, familiarity of use, getting stuck, and the class as a necessary evil within spatial issues. (Author/PVD)

Surveyed 47 students in an online business course at an Australian university to determine their attitudes toward, and use of, the online course delivery system. Identified three critical success factors: (1) the technology; (2) the instructor; and (3) previous use of the technology by the student. (SLD)

An experiment in teaching fifth-year pharmacy students to use computers for on-site quick reference purposes was well received by most students. Additional student training, improved computer access in community settings, and further research into areas of drug information need are suggested. (MSE)

This study sought to analyze the technical problems encountered by students in a technology training course for educators. The results of the study then informed the redesign of the course for its next offering. The study collected data by both qualitative and quantitative means with the overall purpose of determining in which course modules the…

Each new media revolution forces adjustments for both the producers of messages and the receivers of those messages. Integral to the communication process is an understanding of what it means to be literate in an eclectic communication environment and of how the new media may enhance or impede literacy. An important premise for this discussion is…

Recognizing that adjunct faculty in a distance education program may not have convenient access to campus-based training activities, a self-paced 12-week training program was developed by Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). According to staffing by headcount, 63% of all faculty during Winter Term 1997 were part-time employees…

This study, a follow-up to an earlier study (reported in the 1998 "Mid-Western Educational Researcher" v10 n4) used the World Wide Web and a "Class Page" to evaluate interaction strategies in a distance education setting. This study further examines Lev Vygotsky's social learning theories as they apply to the asynchronous…

Examines the nature of interaction in an online course from both teacher and student perspectives. Findings suggest that the structure of the course, class size, feedback, and prior experience with computer-mediated communication all influenced interaction. Results emphasize the importance of socially constructed meanings from participants'…

A study of 522 university students identified variables related to library anxiety: use of computerized indexes and online facilities, gender, year of study, native language, frequency of library visits, number of library skills courses undertaken, and reasons for using the library. Recommends measures to reduce library anxiety. Includes a…

This study investigated the relationship of the effects of library staff attitudes toward computer technology on their level of participation in a library computer literacy program. A series of in-service computer workshops at the University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries provided the opportunity to investigate computer anxiety among library…