For more than 20 years, distance education has provided an option for prospective special education teachers to achieve licensure and a graduate degree. The program began as a two-way interactive television endeavor located at area community college sites. Over time, the program evolved to include online coursework with synchronous class meetings.…

The improvement of the Brazilian system of interactive Digital Television (iDTV) has amplified usage perspectives for television in the educational realm, due to new possibilities of interaction. Thus, there is a growing discussion over the development of educational content that will address the needs of this new reality. The present article…

This manuscript shares the results of an experimental blended course design that combines online and synchronous technology instruction across four geographically dispersed computer classrooms using ITV technology. Lessons learned include equipment requirements, both in the main classroom and remote classrooms, taking insufficient bandwidth into…

Video tutorials are a common form of library instruction used with distance learners. This paper combines professional experience and literature reviews from multiple disciplines to provide a contextual overview of recommendations and findings for effective and engaging videos. The tools for tutorials appear in five main categories: screencasts,…

Distance learning programs across the country continue to grow and evolve. In order to support these programs, librarians are often expected to convert face-to-face classes and reference sessions to the online environment. Due to the necessity of explaining information literacy concepts and demonstrating the access and use of library resources,…

As universities seek to bolster enrollment through distance education, faculty are tasked with maintaining comparable teaching/learning standards in traditional, blended, and online courses. Research has shown that there is an achievement gap between students taking courses exclusively offered online versus those enrolled in face-to-face classes.…

Sixteen MSW distance programs provided insight into how the implicit curriculum currently exists within their programs. Overall, distance programs carried out the activities necessary for student development; the student population made for a more diverse learning community; and faculty were receiving training. There was still a heavy reliance on…

Since the mid-20th century, instructional technologies and educational media in social work education have undergone significant development with the goals of improving learning and performance and enhancing access. This growth has been marked by technical advances in hardware and by innovations in media, or so-called soft formats. Current…

This qualitative study explored the quality of technology associated with interactive video (ITV) classes in distance education programs and the resulting satisfaction of the instructors teaching this format. The participants were full time instructors of a rural community college that used the ITV format. Community college ITV instructors are…

Our pilot project created blended/online courses to accommodate the growing needs of precollegiate and collegiate students interested in learning Korean and Japanese. In the initial phase, we conducted a survey of students' experiences with and perceptions about blended/online Asian language learning. We found a general lack of familiarity with,…

Language and culture teaching has always been a complex and challenging task. For many educators, their teaching experiences are rooted in their earlier preparation, their classroom situations and their curriculum. In this study, indigenous educators recount their lived experiences with teaching their language and culture at a distance. These…

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. Autism does not discriminate; it occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. It can impair a person's ability to communicate and relate to others, and symptoms can range from very mild to…

This study investigated Turkish and Canadian primary school students' ways of expressing their perception of cultural understanding through video conferencing and that of cultural interaction through video conferencing. The qualitative research data were collected in the form of interviews. The results obtained were analyzed and interpreted based…

Greater academic pressures have been placed on rural schools to provide effective learning that will allow students to fulfill high school graduation requirements and prepare for entry into post-secondary institutions. Rural schools are confronted with many problematic issues including remote locations, limited resources, and shortage of qualified…

One of the "tidal dilemmas" addressed by the 2009 Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference concerned physical vs. virtual learning environments. Videoconference teaching is an alternative to traditional classroom instruction and a subset of the broader field of distance education. Based on my recent experiences…