Research on learning environments at the higher-education level has been quite sparse compared with studies at other educational levels. Because statistics is perceived as a difficult subject across disciplines, it suffers from low passing rates in many universities. This study involved validating questionnaires for assessing the psychosocial…

Following a multi-year effort that developed not only a detailed list of functional requirements but also the preliminary physical and logical design layouts, the concept for a multi-faceted cybersecurity center was approved and the physical, as well as, additional infrastructure space was subsequently allocated. This effort briefly describes the…

This paper reports the results of a survey conducted to assess students' usage and perceptions of a finance lab. Finance labs differ from simple computer labs as they typically contain data boards, streaming market quotes, terminals and software that allow for real-time financial analyses. Despite the fact that such labs represent significant and…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to model the relationship between student performance, student attitudes, and computer laboratory environments. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 234 college students enrolled in courses that involved the use of a computer to solve problems and provided the laboratory experience by means of…

This case study describes the use of a synchronous communication application (MSN Messenger) in a large academic computing environment. It draws on data from interviews, questionnaires and student marks to examine the link between use of the application and success measured through module marks. The relationship is not simple. Total abstainers and…

In its second decade of education reform and its third cycle of national ICT master plans, Thailand struggles to transform its aspirations into practice. This paper chronicles three decades of Thailand's ICT national plans and their relation to education reform. It also discusses the effect of global trends, Asian cultures, and Thai cultures on…

An interview with Steven Bingler, President of Concordia, Inc., a research and planning firm, and Concordia Architects, an architectural design firm, reveals his views on planning a learning community in educational facilities. He addresses what tools to use to facilitate the group process for planning, discusses how school districts save money…

This study focuses on the computer laboratory class as a learning environment in university courses. In it, two previously developed instruments, the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory (CLEI) (based on an instrument designed by B. Fraser, G. Giddings, and C. McRobbie, 1993) and the Attitude towards Computing and Computing Courses…

There are two main ways in which the practical component of computer science and information systems courses, the computer laboratory class, may be organized. They may be closed laboratories, which are scheduled and staffed in the same way as other classes, or open laboratories where the students come and go as they please. In U.S. universities,…

Describes the educational Quick Response (QR) Center developed at the Fashion Institute of Technology to enable students, faculty, and industry to bridge the technology learning gap between college and the workplace. QR is a working model of a Just-in-Time computer system that enables companies to produce and deliver finished goods just in time to…

Lack of accessibility in the design of e-learning courses continues to hinder students with vision impairment. E-learning materials are predominantly vision-centric, incorporating images, animation, and interactive media, and as a result students with acute vision impairment do not have equal opportunity to gain tertiary qualifications or skills…

This book about the relationship between computer centers and libraries at academic institutions contains the following chapters: (1) "A History of the Rhetoric and Reality of Library and Computing Relationships" (Peggy Seiden and Michael D. Kathman); (2) "An Issue in Search of a Metaphor: Readings on the Marriageability of…

This paper explores the challenges that South Mountain Community College (Phoenix, Arizona) faced in order to take advantage of the opportunities computer technology offered in its teacher education program. Three issues are examined which were critical to the effective use of computer technology: (1) the technology itself, including the college's…

This study presents a descriptive account of the effects of two computer based tutorial programs used in high school Pre-Algebra and English classes via an interactive computer technology laboratory environment. The laboratory settings described, joint enterprises developed by a state university, the United States Air Force, and two public school…

Discusses the need to create a learning environment in the computer lab that encourages students to "dabble." Benefits include increased student motivation, help for special needs students, and a decrease in truancy. Presents answers to possible objections to this form of student-directed learning and provides tips for running a lab efficiently.…