The development of computer-mediated asynchronous platforms for the delivery of online coursework brings college professors new questions about the features these platforms offer and the degree to which each feature is significant to the achievement of students. Are all features designed in the same way across platforms? Are there some features…

It is clear that more courses are being offered online each year. With the increase in the number of courses offered, the number of faculty teaching at a distance will also be increasing. Many researchers are discussing concerns that faculty have about online courses, such as incentives, training, technical support, workload, and intellectual…

The electronic dissemination of information via computer networks is having a considerable impact on educational institutions in terms of the mechanisms that they are able to employ for course delivery. As a result of this, the number of courses that are taught electronically through the Internet and/or the World Wide Web has increased…

This study is on the design and implementation of an educational dialogue system to support e-learning. The learning domain to apply the dialogue system used the subject of geometry. The knowledge in the dialogue-based system for learning geometry was created and represented by XML-based AIML. The implemented system in this study can understand…

This paper presents the research and development of knowledge management system for Internet based intellectual assets to leverage the learning process for individual learners. The literature review reveals that corporate solutions of knowledge management are not directly applicable due to the lack of adaptivity needed to provide individualized…

This paper describes the experience of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Trento, Italy, in delivering online courses through the Web. The faculty chose to design and build its own system from scratch rather than buy one off the shelf. The paper discusses the considerations informing this decision, and presents the main functionalities…

Retention has been indicated as one of the greatest weaknesses in online instruction. While a preponderance of literature about online instruction is available, concrete ideas about how to retain students are lacking. A DHHS grant for over one million dollars made it possible for the Wright State University College of Nursing and Health (Dayton,…

This paper addresses the problems of collaboration in distributed Web-based learning. It reviews, treats and discusses these problems from the learning theoretical perspective of "communities of practice" as presented by Etienne Wenger (1998), with reference to past and future Web-based designs. The paper suggests the concept and design…

This paper explores the ways in which the perception of a real-time classroom exchange serves as the conduit to a grander socially constructed conflict through the mediation of an asynchronous online listserve. The sample of 25 listserve messages was selected from a class of 191 undergraduate students in the lecture section of an introductory…

This research examined what factors affect learners' discourse participation in a Web-conferencing environment operated in a graduate course. Subjects were nine master's degree students, majoring in Educational Technology at a women's university in Seoul, Korea. Results suggest seven factors that affect students' discourse in the following ways:…

Nine volunteers from a 17-member physics method class in a preservice teacher education program at Queen's University of Kingston (Canada) participated in a private WebCT forum in which they could explore various aspects of their learning during the second half of their program. This paper responds to two central questions from this use of WebCT…

This report describes and discusses several applications of new computer-based technologies which enable postsecondary students with deafness or hearing impairments to read the text of the language being spoken by the instructor and fellow students virtually in real time. Two current speech-to-text options are described: (1) steno-based systems in…

Competence refers to a state of being well qualified to perform an activity, task, or job function. According to the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI), a competency involves a related set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enables a person to effectively perform the activities of a given…

This study examined the risks associated with increased reliance upon technology, including e-mail, instant messages, and cellular phones. Subjects were undergraduate college students ranging in age from 17 to 29. A sample of 40 students was taken from a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. A second sample of 25 engineering students was…

This paper describes the development of an educational partnership between two disparate and geographically separated institutions--the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) and Saint Joseph's University (SJU) (Pennsylvania)--that is specifically focused on the food industry and, more specifically, the development and launch of new food products.…