Although instructional technology has made large gains in the last 15 years in terms of the quantity and quality of computers available in schools, major questions remain about the effects of all this technology on student achievement. The author has conducted a series of studies to address these questions. By analyzing test score and…

Over a period of 10 years, we have developed a sustainable process of online portfolio assessment that demonstrates both reliability and validity, using both qualitative and quantitative measures. The sustainable cycle is that, each semester, we assess a random sampling of the students' work that they have posted, as per our instructions, in an…

This study sought to identify the attitudes and perceptions of students in an introductory educational technology course situated within a teacher education program. Data were collected in the form of anonymous feedback throughout the semester. Findings included: students tended to enter the course with either a good deal of technology knowledge…

This article describes an exploratory study of two Web-based learning environments designed to teach helping skills to human service students. Participants used either an interactive pedagogical agent environment or read a helper-client script. Environments were compared and learning gains were assessed in each of the environments, along with user…

This paper presents an interactive educational environment for use over both "in situ" and distance-based modalities of teaching. Several technological issues relating to the design and development of the distributed virtual learning environment have also been raised. The PROVIDE framework proposed in this paper is a seamless distributed…

It is imperative to identify the impact of technological advancements on the quality of student learning. This article reports first-year undergraduate students' perceptions of and experiences with a Web-based writing support program. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What is the nature of first-year students' interactions with…

The necessity of faculty members to hold specific skills and abilities with regard to technology has reached our institutions of higher education. Locally, a digital portfolio initiative recently implemented by our institution in teacher education has produced an unprecedented expectation for faculty technology skill, as well as conceptual…

South African Universities are tasked with increasing student throughput by offering additional academic support. A second task is to teach students to challenge and question. One way of attempting to achieve these tasks is by using Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The focus of this paper is to examine the effect of using an ICT…

Although much is written about reasons why students drop out of online courses, little is said about what makes them stay. This article reports on an experiment whereby online students were exposed to a learning experience modelled on the US television series "Survivor." Twenty-four students were put into "tribes" and allowed…

Generally, children attribute agency, having the power or authority to act, to traditionally celebrated historical figures. Often this leads to increased apathy about their own future due to the sense that social change is the prerogative of only the most "powerful" of individuals. Agency is an essential part to being a productive citizen in a…

This paper explores the opportunities and drawbacks of eLearning from the viewpoints of educators and learners. A postgraduate dementia studies programme provides the basis for reflection on the use of a blended learning approach utilising web-based learning. Those who register for the programme are employed in different health and social care…

There is increasing interest in the use of animated agents in e-learning environments. However, empirical investigations of their use in online education are limited. Our aim is to provide an empirically based framework for the development and evaluation of animated agents in e-learning environments. Findings suggest a number of challenges,…

This paper analyses the role of computers within the nursery sector and what are viewed as the potential benefits and concerns of introducing young children to computers. It also examines how the computer is introduced and presented to young children and the form it takes. Data collection comprises a number of methods: questionnaires,…

Four experiments examined the utility of real-time text in supporting deaf students' learning from lectures in postsecondary (Experiments 1 and 2) and secondary classrooms (Experiments 3 and 4). Experiment 1 compared the effects on learning of sign language interpreting, real-time text (C-Print), and both. Real-time text alone led to significantly…

In undergraduate mathematics courses, pre-service elementary school teachers are often faced with the task of re-learning some of the concepts they themselves struggled with in their own schooling. This often involves different cognitive processes and psychological issues than initial learning: pre-service teachers have had many more opportunities…