Purpose: This paper aims to describe the incorporation of technologies into two upper division Communication Studies courses at Texas Tech University. Design/methodology/approach: The article discusses the methodological and pedagogical rationale used to select the appropriate technologies and to effectively incorporate them into the classroom. An…

Advances in e-learning technologies parallels a general increase in sophistication by computer users. The use of just one theory or model, such as the technology acceptance model, is no longer sufficient to study the intended use of e-learning systems. Rather, a combination of theories must be integrated in order to fully capture the complexity of…

Much has been written about why university faculty choose to refrain or participate in online instruction (Beaudoin, 1990; Bower, 2001; Clark, 1993; Dillon & Walsh, 1992; McKenzie, 2000; McKinnon, 1998; Paulson, 2002; Rockwell, Scheuer, Fritz, & Marx, 1999; Schifter, 2002; Wilson, 1998). Missing from the empirical knowledge base, however, are…

In today's fast-changing business environment, teams have emerged as a requirement for business success. However, in schools and universities, students are usually not taught teamwork skills. In this paper, we introduce learning to collaborate by collaborating, a process that enables collaboration and teamwork skills to be taught and measured…

The purpose of this study is to explore how groups decide to use asynchronous online discussion forums in a non-mandatory setting, and, after the group decision is made, how group members use online discussion forums to complete a collaborative learning project requiring complex data gathering and research processes. While a large body of research…

In order to begin to understand the current levels of awareness and understanding of teachers regarding visual literacy resources and tools, a descriptive study was recently undertaken by the authors. Data were gathered through a researchers-generated and pilot-tested web-based survey from 43 in-service teachers from the northern Illinois region.…

University instructors discuss a required educational technology course in a teacher education program and the impact of two forces: (a) Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge, commonly known as TPACK (Misha & Koelher, 2006), and (b) action research data. Over the past two semesters, two new assignments have been instituted based on these…

The interwoven relationship between workforce readiness, business and industrial development, and schools has existed since the institution of public education in the United States. During the last third of the 20th century, however, this relationship became a focus of the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education, business and industrial councils,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate learning in communities of inquiry (CoI) as the terms are defined in Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's (2000) framework. We identified 252 reports from 2000-2008 that referenced the framework, and we reviewed them using Ogawan and Malen's (1991) strategy for synthesizing multi-vocal bodies of literature.…

This paper describes and reflects on the development of the Schome Park Programme (SPP), which was established with the specific aim of extending our thinking about schome, which aims to be the optimal educational system for the 21st century. In an earlier stage of the Schome Initiative, it became clear that people find it almost impossible to…

Finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education demonstrate that identifying strategies that fit the local context is essential in creating success for students. Long Beach Unified School District in California and Broward County Public Schools in Florida demonstrate how districts can use different strategies to achieve the same goals.

Higher education institutions deliver web-based learning with varied success. The success rate of distributed online courses remains low. Factors such as ineffective course facilitation and insufficient communication contribute to the unfulfilled promises of web-based learning. Students consequently feel unmotivated. Instructor control and in the…

Radical change, a theory described in Eliza Dresang's 1999 book, "Radical Change: Books for Youth in a Digital Age," was developed in the mid-1990s. It serves as a lens through which to examine, explain, and ultimately, use contemporary literature for youth growing up in the Digital Age. It identifies changes in forms and formats,…

This report provides a plan that teachers and school supervisors can use to implement seven tips for improving instructional skills. Designed to be referred to regularly, it includes three levels of implementation, as well as recommendations for utilizing technology to support each tip. The seven recommendations include: (1) Use technology to help…

This applied dissertation study was designed to learn if the increased use of instructional technology integration strategies in nursing orientation programs resulted in an increased retention of new nurses. The study attempted to uncover the current retention rate and use of technology at the participating hospitals. The data obtained from Magnet…