We survey here the state-of-the-art in open courseware initiatives worldwide. First, the MIT OpenCourseWare project is overviewed, as it has been the real starting point of the OCW movement. Usually, open courseware refers to a free and open digital publication of high quality university level educational materials that are organized as courses,…

Many industries in the United States already have seen positive results and increased productivity from the effective use of technology. With the challenges currently facing the nation's education system--including a persistent dropout rate of nearly 30 percent, slashed state and district budgets, and the economically and socially important goals…

The vast majority of American college students attend two thousand or so private and public institutions that might be described as the Middle--reputable educational institutions, but not considered equal to the elite and entrenched upper echelon of the Ivy League and other prestigious schools. Richard DeMillo has a warning for these colleges and…

Virtual teams are a burgeoning presence in the corporate environment today. Research shows that virtual teams have begun to surpass conventional teams in meeting the demands of organizations that are increasingly called on to apply and respond to new technologies that support, and in some cases, require a virtual teamwork approach. In order to…

This study examined a pre-service, professional development training program for online instructors to determine whether the successful completion had an impact on teacher efficacy. The level of teacher efficacy was measured with a survey given both prior and subsequent to the participation of the participants in the pre-service, professional…

This book follows in the footsteps of the first three volumes in the "Handbook for Teaching Introductory Psychology" series. In the prefaces to these volumes, the various editors all stressed two major points relevant to the development of this series. These comments also apply to this book. First, introductory psychology is one of the most…

Adult, underserved learners in higher education face many challenges in postsecondary degree attainment. To overcome the obstacles of busy lifestyles, many choose to study in online programs but higher attrition rates are found in distance learning courses, further contributing to national attrition rates. In addition, the adult demographic is so…

The purpose of this roundtable discussion was to explore factors that influence the design of the initial discussion prompts in course-based, online learning. The initial prompt is one of the first pieces of scaffolding necessary for the knowledge construction requisite in a constructivist learning environment. As a means of stimulating…

The Internet has had a profound effect on everyone's lives, work, politics, and commerce--and increasingly, on the schools. Virtual schools have arrived, creating new opportunities for students, and also a set of challenges to the notions about schooling and the policies that govern public education. The potential application of technology in…

It is almost a foregone conclusion that the mobile device will become an indispensable tool for learning in the future. That's why "T.H.E. Journal" asked a number of educators to let their imaginations go wild and conjure up visions of the future of the device in the classroom. This paper presents the views of educators who conjure up the mobile…

The research reported in this paper is part of an ongoing investigation into the design of a technology-enhanced learning environment that draws from approaches embodied in the situated learning theory. In this learning context, Second Life machinima (animated artefact filmed in a 3D virtual environment) is used as an anchor to mediate authentic…

Although distance educators are adopting electronic portfolios (eportfolios) for purposes of assessment and collaboration, some researchers question their utility in these venues. In a setting where feelings of isolation and attrition are high, this study examined how eportfolios affect cognitive load and student perceptions of support. The study…

Contextual learning starts from the premise that learning cannot take place in a vacuum, but should somehow be connected with real world attributes to make sense to learners. Today, digital media tend to bring about new dimensions of context: internet connections and mobile devices enable learners to overcome restrictions of time and location, and…

As barriers to online learning, such as lack of access to high-speed Internet connections, disappear, online learning opportunities are likely to become more and more available to early childhood educators. The eCDA program provides an individualized approach to training and support for earning the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential,…

Internet-based science learning has been advocated by many science educators for more than a decade. This review examines relevant research on this topic. Sixty-five papers are included in the review. The review consists of the following two major categories: (1) the role of demographics and learners' characteristics in Internet-based science…