"Instant Messaging" (IM) and "Presence," which is essentially the ability of being able to detect if other users are logged in on the network and send them messages in real time, has become one of the most popular applications of the Internet, causing people to want to stay connected to the Internet for inordinate amounts of…

Education delivery systems have evolved from content delivery mechanisms to collaborative environments. The next step in this evolution is to provide greater support for asynchronous learners, those that progress through course material with little or no support from the instructional team. The integration of Web technologies with artificial…

This paper presents an outline and a discussion of the philosophy and rationale for a course taught on Web design and production for teachers at the University of Nevada, Reno. Concepts illustrated on the demonstration page are listed, as are sites to which the main course page has links. Aids and cautions for instructors are provided. The problem…

Describes a project in England that enhanced distance learning by providing tutorial support using digitized voice and data transmission. The technical aspects of the microcomputer-based system that was developed are highlighted, including design strategy; hardware and software components; system interactions; and voice mail usage. (LRW)

Learning Network Design (LND) is a socially oriented methodology for construction of cooperative distance learning environments. The paper advances a social constructivist approach to learning in which learning and teaching are seen as a process of active communication, interpretation, and negotiation; offers a view of information technology as a…

This paper describes the design of a synchronous World Wide Web-based distance education environment developed at the Telematics Laboratory of Computer Engineer and Informatics Department (CEID) and Computer Technology Institute (Greece); the environment uses telematics services to conduct lessons over computer networks, simulating a traditional…

This paper describes the conceptualization and development of an evaluation system that can be used to monitor and evaluate online instructional efforts. The evaluation system addresses concerns of both program administrators and course instructors. Computer technology is used to provide partial automation to reduce respondent burden and to…

A Web-based learning community involves much more than putting learning materials into a Web site. It can be seen as a complex virtual organization involved with people, facilities, and cyber-environment. Tremendous work and manpower for maintaining, upgrading, and managing facilities and the cyber-environment are required. There is presented an…

This paper introduces an architecture for an e-learning system with an embedded authoring system. Based on the metaphor of a construction kit, this approach offers a general solution for specific content creation and publication. The learning resources are IMS "Content Packages" with a special structure to separate content and presentation. These…

While electronic learning environments provide exciting possibilities for supporting learners, the design of the user interface is as yet little understood. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of specific usability attributes for online learning courses. A review of related papers on usability methods and learning theories…

This paper describes the design and implementation of a real time on-line collaboration tool, EDUCO. The main focus is to demonstrate how the tool is applied to a real life on-line distance education course, discuss the preliminary research findings of the qualitative empirical study, propose directions for future work and discuss implications.…

Describes a plan for the development of multimedia instruction at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Cooperation between various campus departments is described, including the university libraries. Multimedia systems for permanent installations and portable units are explained, and implications for distance education,…

Discusses some emerging issues for information resources and use in higher education, including challenges in advanced networking; distributed-information technology (IT); authentication, authorization, and access management; distance learning; intellectual property in a networked environment; and campus-business continuity planning. Funding,…

Provides the criteria for the virtual reality (VR) system to deliver a new model of instruction, i.e,. synthetic experiences that learners remember as their own. Guidelines and recommendations to aid developers and instructional technology are presented. (AEF)

Abstracts and descriptions of Special Interest Group (SIG) sessions include such topics as: knowledge management tools, knowledge organization, information retrieval, information seeking behavior, metadata, indexing, library service for distance education, electronic books, future information workforce needs, technological developments, and…