Desktop multimedia conferencing has important applications in supporting collaborative distance learning. This article presents analyses of learner needs in collaborative distance learning; the effectiveness of different conferencing environments, including desktop multimedia, in meeting learner needs for distributed collaboration; and a formative…

Discusses the application of communication and information technologies (C&IT) in education and vocational training for 12 member states in the Commission of the European Communities (CEC). Highlights include funding sources; major activities; the DELTA project, which supports training through new technologies in an open learning environment;…

A major change has occurred in the way Web technology is being used in society. The change is grounded in user empowerment using Web 2.0 tools and processes. Students are already sophisticated users of these tools and processes, but outside of the mainstream instructional practices in higher education. In this reflection, the educational potential…

Although the importance of systematic evaluation of educational policy and practice is well established, various problems confound the intention of evaluating regional or national activity with regard to computer-related activities in education. At least two of these problems relate to a general conception of the appropriate entry points for…

Reviews developments in telecommunications applications for education in Western Europe by describing national or regional initiatives for support of telecommunications use by teachers and in schools. Highlights include examples of networks and support services and the role of the Commission of the European Communities. (22 references) (LRW)

Examines the reasons and methods for changing didactics in higher education. Illustrates new didactical categories and their use of World Wide Web-based course environments in current practice with the Faculty of Educational Science and Technology at the University of Twente (Netherlands). Considers challenges in implementing the new didactics.…

Describes plans in The Netherlands to simultaneously restructure schools and curriculum, integrate information technology with the new curriculum, and redefine teacher support and inservice training. The PIT School Project is discussed, including evaluation; teacher networking is examined as a means of ongoing professional development; and PIT…

The first of four major sections in this report presents an overview of the background and evolution of computer applications to learning and teaching. It begins with the early attempts toward "automated teaching" of the 1920s, and the "teaching machines" of B. F. Skinner of the 1940s through the 1960s. It then traces the…

Teacher education (TE) refers too infrequently to computer related technology. Much computer-related TE is simulated and delivered by non-teacher educators. The paper discusses the lack of integration between information technology (IT) and TE, noting that synergy rather than fragmentation is needed among people involved with IT and TE. (SM)

A first-year course in the computer-based educational media design curriculum at the University of Twente (Netherlands) uses the World Wide Web as an integrated course environment; collaborative group-based learning is the basis of the instruction. The Web is used to make evaluation-oriented activities part of the ongoing student experience.…

Learning in the corporate setting not only relates to individual competence development but also to a demonstration of business impact and a contribution to the strategic ambitions of the company. An approach to learning design that blends generic principles of learning and instruction with strategic goals important to the particular context,…

This paper discusses problems confronting the use of group-based project work as an instructional strategy in higher education, and describes two technical courses (i.e., courses in online learning and applications of business information technology) at the University of Twente (Netherlands) in which course-specific World Wide Web environments are…