The aim of this project is to build software development environments for teachers, enabling them to produce their own educational applications for their classrooms as easily as they might produce educational materials using a word processor. As one means of realizing this goal, the authors proposed a componentware methodology, and developed 15…

In educational environments, it is desirable to support the mechanism by which people can participate in interesting communities without any trouble and also to promote successful learning activities. Now that Web-based environments have been successively organized under a virtualized communication network or a logical interaction space, the…

This paper reports initial results from a study which investigated whether different media combinations could be shown to improve students' understanding of computer-based learning materials and to determine whether student learning style affected student understanding for different media combinations. Three groups of participants were given a…

As Web-based courses using videos have become popular in recent years, the issue of managing audiovisual aids has become noteworthy. The contents of audiovisual aids may include a lecture, an interview, a featurette, an experiment, etc. The audiovisual aids of Web-based courses are transformed into the streaming format that can make the quality of…

This paper introduces the concept of a reusable assessment framework (RAF). An RAF contains a library of linked assessment design objects that express: (1) specific set of proficiencies (i.e. the knowledge, skills, and abilities of students for a given content or skill area); (2) the types of evidence that can be used to estimate those…

An important learning goal of a molecular biology curriculum is a certain proficiency level in experimental design. Currently students are confronted with experimental approaches in textbooks, in lectures and in the laboratory. However, most students do not reach a satisfactory level of competence in the design of experimental approaches. This…

The interactive mechanism of the Internet allows learners to interact with teachers, other learners, and content while it facilitates teachers to interact not only with learners but also with other teachers who teach similar or related courses and conduct online teaching.This study analyzes teaching strategies for planning collaborative learning…

This paper focuses on developing, implementing and evaluating an online, graduate-level distance education course--the first distance-based course to be offered over the Internet for students in Turkey. The authors present experiences of setting up such a course when students and faculty are 10,000 miles apart. The limitations and difficulties…

Rural teachers are often undertrained in the identification and education of gifted students. This paper describes the principles and development of an online introductory course in gifted education that could meet the need for rural teacher training. Using the philosophy that learners construct their own knowing, the system for developing an…

This paper reviews recommended guidelines for World Wide Web-based instruction and provides a framework for libraries worldwide in designing Web-based instructional programs. The first section describes Web-based training, including interactivity and the content and objectives of Web-based library tutorials. The second section discusses Web design…

This guide to developing and teaching an on-line course is intended to lead the instructor through the steps of course development, on-line teaching, and on-line assessment. It emphasizes principles of course design which are outcome-based, performance-assessed, and collaborative. The guide's nine chapters cover the following aspects of course…

The marriage of computer-assisted and portfolio-based approaches to freshman composition, while already in place at other institutions of higher education, is a new approach at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Intended as a part of the English Department's ongoing effort to improve the quality of instruction, computer-assisted,…

Greater learning can be promoted by delivering information through a variety of media and through the use of interactive applications. In this paper, the effect of information technology on learning is seen as a function of how well interactive technologies support a specific model of learning and how appropriate that model is to the learning…

The purpose of this needs assessment, conducted as a class project, was to identify the gaps which may exist in the current Instructional Technology (IT) program at Utah State University (USU). Five task groups were formed to handle specific areas of concern: (1) literature review, examining definitions of the field, competencies for graduates and…

This implementation paper introduces principles for the information architecture of an educational digital library, principles that address the distinction between designing digital libraries for education and designing digital libraries for information retrieval in general. Design is a key element of any successful product. Good designers and…