Discusses computer-mediated communication (CMC) in distance education. Topics addressed include recent research that focused on the use of CMC-delivered courses in distance education; self-directed learning and learner autonomy; independent study; learner controlled instruction; critical thinking; collaborative learning; and curriculum change. (45…

This article illustrates the theoretical and empirical basis of cognitive strategy instruction and compares this basis to major principles of constructivism. Illustrations of self-instructional and other cognitive strategy instruction models are presented in the areas of reading comprehension, written language, and memory. Maintenance,…

A study of 97 adult distance learners introduced and evaluated the effectiveness of an embedded study strategy. Determined less experienced learners embraced the strategy and more experienced learners rejected it if it conflicted with existing study strategies, time constraints, or their need for self-direction. Appendices includes the evaluation…

Evaluated distance students' ratings of the importance of strategies to facilitate self-directed learning in the National Open University, Taiwan. Topics include content validity; differences between current and inactive students, including motivation; institutional support services; orientation programs; instructional styles; course design; and…

Discusses information literacy and presents a theoretical framework for higher education. Highlights include characteristics of an information literate person, including independent self-directed learning and the use of information technology; information literacy education strategies in the academic curriculum; evaluating information literacy…

Discusses self-instructional programs on library use in large academic libraries and recommends including opportunities for face-to-face interaction with subject specialist librarians. Topics include behavioral objectives; experiences at Brigham Young University; the use of Web sites; distance learning; electronic classrooms; and theories of…

"How" do adults learn from self-paced, technology-based corporate training, which they select based on its relevance to their current employment responsibilities? Specifically, "how" do adults use the following learning strategies: prior experience, reflection, metacognition, conversations, generative learning strategies, and authentic…

The "independent learner" is a key construct within discourses of educational policy and practice in the UK. Government policy statements stress the importance of developing learner independence, and higher education pedagogical practices tend to rest on the assumption that students are independent learners. This paper draws on research…

This study was carried out in a language centre, in French higher education. Teachers and researchers had contrived a pedagogical system labeled guided autonomy which combined class attendance in groups and self-study in the self-study room. This kind of autonomous and technologically enhanced learning system will be referred to as CAALL (Computer…

Various authorities outline the benefits of collaboration in the form of classroom writing groups in learning certain writing skills. Collaboration promotes interaction, dialogue and negotiation between reader and writer. Whether the collaboration resides in interior dialogue or communal discourse or both, collaborative discourse can enable the…

Learning activities in environmental education require the use of the physical environment or moving into nature and natural settings to explore issues of the environment. These approaches are sometimes labeled as "nonformal." This informational bulletin examines a taxonomy of four learning environments and explore the application of nonformal…

This individualized inservice packet on vocabulary development in the content areas is intended to enable teachers to help students expand word meaning, using the technical vocabulary of their content areas. It is one of a nine-part series of booklets--Teaching Teen Reading--in self-instructional format intended as a practical resource for…

Publications addressing the training of learners and the improvement of learning strategies are reviewed. This literature includes materials directed at the learner himself and at teachers, who are in turn expected to pass insights on to the learners. The literature also includes both formal language training techniques and the experiential…

Discusses (1) strategies that make learning disabled adolescents independent in subject area classrooms, (2) the use of medieval rhetoric to help modern students expand their writing, and (3) students' opinions of sustained silent reading. (NKA)

Describes Johnson County Community College's Learning Strategies Program, which teaches students how to learn and to use self-instruction to become independent learners. Reports on program development and implementation; the effects of strategies instruction on grades, study skills, learner satisfaction, and course completion; and plans for…