This article reports on an exploratory study aimed to identify which ways of marking required and optional fields help older people fill in web forms correctly. Drawing on a pilot study and selective attention research in ageing, modified versions of widely used forms were created, in which standard asterisks were replaced with one of three…

Computer-based communication has tremendous potential to support older adults. But if people are to use such systems autonomously, it is necessary to move beyond current interfaces and systems and develop devices that fit into the environment of the user. Using a Grounded Theory approach, three focus groups were held and, subsequently, 9 older…

Describes an electronic distance collaboration ("collaborative effort done over distance, using computer networks such as the Internet") via electronic mail between students at three universities. Topics include how success in electronic distance collaboration should be defined, what factors are related to success, and the importance of social…

Examines the introduction of electronic mail into three elementary schools. A contingency model of technology adoption by organizations was used to develop the instruments and interpret results. Findings indicated that a majority of the contingency factors (expectations, influence of peers and administrators, training, technical support, and…

Based on expectations from previous studies, data from field notes, pre-and post-questionnaires, class documentation, student papers from 35 undergraduate and graduate students, and the content of a focus group session were analyzed to relate students' pre-course attitudes and expectations, and several cognitive factors to participation levels and…

For the past three years, a bulletin board system (BBS) has provided messaging and computer conferencing facilities for the students and staff of the Graduate Diploma in Information and Communication Technology Education course at the University of Melbourne (Australia). In order to more accurately assess how these students coped with the use of a…

This study examined the risks associated with increased reliance upon technology, including e-mail, instant messages, and cellular phones. Subjects were undergraduate college students ranging in age from 17 to 29. A sample of 40 students was taken from a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. A second sample of 25 engineering students was…

The findings in this report come from a survey conducted in March 2001 in which 1,501 people interviewed in March 2000 were re-interviewed. This longitudinal approach shows that over the course of a year people's use of the Internet gets more serious and functional. Internet users were much more likely in 2001 to use the Web at their jobs and go…

This paper notes the advantages of using e-mail in computer literacy classes, and discusses the results of incorporating an e-mail assignment in the "Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning and Computer Programming" core course at Brooklyn College (New York). The assignment consisted of several steps. The students first read and responded…

A five-year longitudinal study of undergraduate use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) found that student attitudes were stable, despite technological change; student expectations had increased; and student utilization of CMC was still primarily for course-related information. The study concluded that CMC can be best used as a complement…

An Internet mailing list designed to conduct a council-style forum among American Indian people encountered problems such as non-Indians posing as Indians, intertribal differences impeding consensus, and the lack of socioeconomic diversity among participants. American Indian culture may be philosophically incompatible with the impersonal nature of…

This paper provides a brief description of high tech stress as exhibited by students and teachers in virtual classes called "asynchronous anxiety," as well as ways of dealing with the problem. The paper challenges readers to become involved in a dialogue during the discussion. Highlights include: students' distrust of e-mail messages and…

This paper presents ideas about what is required for the development of expertise in computer technology and considers those requirements in the K-12 setting. This analysis comes from the point of view of long-time, self-trained users of personal computers and computer communications and long-time observer of the growth of technology expertise in…

Psychology students at the University of Southampton use "skywriting," an e-mail based discussion medium involving tutors and students and focusing on issues arising from course content. This article discusses student participation in skywriting; examines effects of gender, computer attitudes, and computer experience; compares student…

Educational researchers have employed various self-efficacy instruments in a wide spectrum of disciplines and academic settings. However, self-efficacy measures specific to the online environment have not been developed yet. This paper provides a brief history of the online environment and discusses the development and validation of an instrument…