When we reflect on the emergence of online education and e-learning as the leading contender to confront the traditions of face-to-face teaching and learning, it is not only a case of better understanding the characteristics of online environments, but also timely to assess the relevance of theories and frameworks informing the design and…

Instructors who consider creation of an experiential course in race relations at the university or college level may benefit from information provided in this article. One of the coauthors, a licensed psychologist and pioneer in this type of educational experience, provides insights regarding challenges of the course from an instructor's…

The work we report in this special issue attempted to exploit the power of technology and cognitive theory to help make conceptual systems taught in large college courses truly useful in students' future lives. Facing evidence that traditional instructional models have not succeeded in this regard, we sought feasible course designs and…

Despite their motivational appeal to learners, innovative and technologically advanced computer simulation games targeting native English speakers frequently remain beyond the competence of ESL learners as independent didactic tools. Guided by Chapelle's (2001) criteria for determining CALL task appropriateness, this paper illustrates how the…

Transfer theories, which are closely related to evaluation theory, have been developed from a holistic perspective, but most of empirical transfer research has not effectively utilized holistic models to investigate transfer of learning until the late 1990s. Additionally, little has been done in examining the relationship between situational…

Misuse of English conjunction related to incoherent writing, according to the literature, comes from learners' first language interference, improper mechanical exercises, and misleading lists of connectors in textbooks demonstrated as if mutually interchangeable without contextual constraints. Form-focused instruction with explicit semantic,…

This paper highlights extensive previous research on cognitive learning style and describes an investigation of correlated cognitive learning style testing of 107 United States Air Force cadets and officers. The investigation set out to determine whether a multidimensional construct for individuals could be identified, allowing instruction to be…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of presentation interference on students' ability to learn from, and their beliefs regarding, computer-generated presentations. Informed by single-element screen design studies and professional practice, this combined-element study compared a contextually based, intentionally interference free…

This paper describes a cybercourse model that was designed and created by infusing the following four beneficial telecomputing activities into a World Wide Web-based learning system: collaborative learning; demonstration; interactive discussion; and problem solving. Differences between the regular Web-based distance learning system and the…

The Pennsylvania State University, through its World Campus, is exploring several design models which provide multifaceted communication environments for distance education. Currently, students enrolled in World Campus programs interact with courses delivered through WebCT, a course management tool, or through FirstClass. This paper focuses on…

This study evaluated the computer skills and learning expectations of students in an introductory course at a regional university in the southeastern United States. A survey was administered to 595 students enrolled in sections of the Introduction to Computer Information Systems (CIS) course. The survey instrument charted such things as major and…

This paper describes a system called ANDES, designed for the management and delivery of distance education courses. ANDES enables students to study at home at their own pace, as well as interact with instructors and other students in virtual classrooms. It uses World Wide Web technology for transmission and delivery, with extensions relevant to…

LearnShare is a consortium of non-competing companies that share training expertise and innovative practices. Evolving the concept of a collaborative approach to training, LearnShare combines the best training practices and programs of the partners with leading-edge distance learning technology. The result provides LearnShare members electronic…

This paper describes the architecture and discusses implementation issues of a scalable Internet-based teaching and learning system (SKILL) being developed at the University of Essen (Germany). The primary objective of SKILL is to cope with the different knowledge levels and learning preferences of the students, providing them with a collaborative…

The prevalence of the Internet and the World Wide Web in higher education has been transforming higher educational institutions in various degrees. There are a wide variety of terms indicating such phenomenon, ranging from "web-based instruction" and "online courses" to "cyber degrees" and "virtual…