Provides an overview of the PROLIB and EDULIB projects, which involved the development and delivery of distance learning courses in the Slovak language to library and information professionals in the Slovak Republic. Explains the combination of face-to-face lecture sessions, group discussions, self-study workbooks, and computer-mediated Internet…

Explores the different forms and potential applications of computer mediated communication (CMC) for Web-based and Web-enhanced courses. Based on their experiences with three different Web courses (Research Methods in Psychology, Statistical Methods in Psychology, and Basic Learning Processes) taught repeatedly over the last five years, the…

A Netherlands study concluded that user-oriented information systems should provide freedom to browse as well as ease and speed in finding information; inexpensive service; up-to-date topical information for online services and large quantities of slowly changing information for offline services; and choices between several information services,…

A survey of graduate students enrolled in computer-mediated conferencing courses and a follow-up analysis of help seekers who used a dedicated hotline found that many students had encountered computer communication difficulties. Students varied in their ability to solve these problems and in their attitudes toward them. (Author/LRW)

Describes a world-wide science project aiming to help students measure the absence of light. The project is accomplished through the Internet. On the first day of Spring, students from all over the world will measure their shadows (absence of light) and use the information to compare and contrast data with that of other students participating in…

Interviews Mark Warshauer, Vice Chair of the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in second and foreign language teaching, the impact of ICT on literacy, and the relationship of ICT to institutional reform, democracy, and social…

Describes the use of computer-mediated communication to develop a cooperative learning community among students in a Web-based distance education unit for practicing science and mathematics educators in Australia and Pacific Rim countries. Discusses use of the social constructivist and constructionist conceptions of teaching and learning.…

Reports findings from a study on the use of computer-mediated communication to support postgraduate second language teacher education. Findings are reported according to organizing categories of social interaction and different tasks that can effect online communicative exchanges.(Author/VWL)

Discusses teaching practices that promote interaction and foster a positive learning environment in online classes. Topics include meeting student learning needs; the teacher's role in computer-mediated interactions; biographical posts for instructors and students; positive affirmation of student work; integrating stories into class discussions;…

The author reflects on her personal experience of networked learning using the approach of personal inquiry, addressing the issue of identity and presenting herself online; experience of participating in the formation of the learning group; and experience using this medium of communication. This is followed with a theoretical exploration which…

Discussions of distance education courses develop according to needs/interests of conference participants, course requirements, and nature of the instructor's online facilitation. Findings of this research suggest other factors. Analysis of threads and their growth patterns reveals a bias in favor of elongated note structures, explained by a…

Describes an off-campus distributed language course in Indonesian and discusses the use of computer mediated communication in on-campus and off-campus courses. Argues that off-campus delivery language programs need to seek the linking of learners to a community of learners with whom they share common goals and to the broader native speaker…

Multicasting is a necessity for a broadband metro-area-network; however security problems exist with current multicast protocols. A stateful multicast access control mechanism, based on MAPE, is proposed. The architecture of MAPE is discussed, as well as the states maintained and messages exchanged. The scheme is flexible and scalable. (Author/AEF)

Examines current limitations of Web-based learning systems (WBLS) in higher education and describes a prototype Web-based Asynchronous Synchronous Environment (WASE) that is designed to circumvent those limitations. Includes 10 figures and 2 tables. (AEF)

The LearningByDoing eClassroom[C] is a highly structured synchronous application for teaching and doing research on medium to large sized groups over the Internet and is an open system for content delivery. Forty students, four facilitators, and a principle instructor can successfully co-create an environment which processes interactions similar…