There are many ways to use manuscripts images to allow undergraduates the change to employ problem solving techniques to interact actively with these materials. In this article, the author uses her undergraduate survey course entitled "Medieval Europe" to suggest ways in which digitized manuscript research can be brought into the…

This article focuses on the design of competency-based performance assessment in e-learning. Though effort has been invested in designing powerful e-learning environments, relatively little attention has been paid to the design of valid and reliable assessments in such environments, leaving many questions to educational developers and teachers. As…

In recent years, many distance educators and institutions have successfully adopted asynchronous text-based environments as the backbone of their online classrooms. Group email, electronic references, and course websites, coupled with online discussions, typically constitute the model of online course delivery. Although the structure and pacing of…

In this article integrativism is proposed as a framework for e-learning and practitioner research. The philosophical bases of integrativism are outlined. Foundational principles of integrating education, derived from the notions of continual quality improvement and high-quality learning, are explained. The extension of integrating education to…

Interactional ethnography with a social constructionist perspective was used as an orienting theoretical framework to investigate how a community of learners was constructed in a postsecondary distance education class. The question guiding this research was: How do the interactions of the participants in an on-line classroom construct the social…

We investigated variables that affect learning and satisfaction in Web-based and lecture versions of introductory psychology courses. Student characteristics, including year in college, college major, and personality characteristics, predicted performance equally well in Web-based and lecture courses. Differences among instructors predicted…

This paper discusses some of the conditions that have facilitated the use of a customised virtual learning environment as part of a blended learning approach on a part-time postgraduate initial teacher training programme for prospective primary school teachers. It is based on data gathered as part of a study of the impact of e-learning on students…

Across the globe, progressive universities are embracing any number of MUVEs (multi-user virtual environments), 3D environments, and "immersive" virtual reality tools. And within the next few months, several universities are expected to test so-called "telepresence" videoconferencing systems from Cisco Systems and other leading…

Institutions offering distance education courses realize the value that well-trained and well-prepared faculty contribute to the success of their distance education programs. However, taking approximately a half-hour in the first session of any course to prepare the students for their distance education experience will add to the success of the…

This paper evaluates an approach to dissertation supervision, designed to assist international students with their academic writing. It argues that a blended approach to supervision within a Virtual Learning Environment can provide high quality individualised care not otherwise available. This leads to deeper, critical learning and more meaningful…

This paper offers observations and suggestions regarding what to do and what not to do when offering an online developmental mathematics course. At Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC), Pennsylvania, online courses were initially offered in 1999. In spring 2002, the authors piloted two online developmental math courses, Intermediate Algebra…

This paper discusses the challenges facing institutions in the development of online programs and classes and their delivery, as well as the provision of support for students as they proceed through these programs. The authors suggest that the principal challenge to project development is a lack of resources--human, financial, and technical--for…

This book is designed to provide practical information about planning and operating virtual, or online, schools. It discusses and illustrates promising practices and successful models and approaches; provides planning resources for implementation; presents costs and benefits of launching virtual schools; offers preventive strategies that help…

This document reports on outcomes of online courses offered at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), California, during the three semesters from fall 2000 to fall 2001. The study combines a comparative and exploratory design to investigate the demographic makeup and academic success of online students compared to peer on campus classes and the campus…

This research explored the challenge of how students might successfully perform real laboratory experiments over the Internet without being in a laboratory. Numerous distance learning environments were surveyed, and the effectiveness and disadvantages of laboratory facilities currently available over the Internet were assessed. Full and part-time…