Faculty may learn of new pedagogies through mass communication channels such as Web sites, journals, and workshops. Faculty are likely to be persuaded to try these new pedagogies, however, by interpersonal communication with an opinion leader. Using literature and exploratory data we contrast awareness and persuasion and suggest that opinion…

E-learning is part of the wider debate on the changing role of higher education (HE). It is associated with the agenda on graduate employability and competencies for the knowledge economy (KE). Policy documents make explicit that participation in the KE is congruent with the acquisition of meta-skills. The role of HE is to provide for these…

This descriptive study investigated the benefits and costs of using electronic portfolios (EPs) in preservice teacher education by examining the voices of students in six programs thought to be mature in their implementation. Benefits included opportunities to reflect, better access to and organization of professional documents, increased…

The increasing diversity of learners and their preferences coupled with increasing usage of the computer and Internet prompted the need for testing and verifying the ways that knowledge can be delivered and learned effectively. This research addresses these concerns by comparing the results of a college course, hospitality human resource…

Correspondence institutions in United Kingdom and South Africa have enrolled Mauritian students in various courses and programs at different levels for more than 50 years. The institutionalization of second-generation distance education (DE) using print and audiovisual media had modest beginnings with the inception of the Mauritius College of the…

The purpose of this study is to explore learner engagement and motivation related to "Flow" particularly in WBI settings. In the "Flow" state people are absorbed in their activities while irrelevant thoughts and perceptions are screened out. In this article, we attempted to identify some of the critical elements of learner…

Based on the exploratory study of a 3D multiuser virtual environment (3D MUVE), known as Quest Atlantis (QA), in a series of Primary Four (10- to 11-year-olds) Science lessons at Orchard Primary School in Singapore, this paper examines the issues of learning engagement and describes the socio-cultural context of QA's implementation. The students…

In this article, the author addresses a problem encountered in her own professional life as a teacher of writing in the context of computing, a teaching field often referred to as "computers and writing," "electronic writing," or "computer-assisted writing instruction." The problem she has observed has to do with teaching technology in a…

Professors in higher education are experimenting with a wide array of techniques in order to preserve integrity of the academic evaluation process in the online environment. Current instructors perceive some increased risk of "cheating" in cyberspace classrooms, and some changes in the forms these incidents take. We anticipate the continuing…

This paper reports on issues in carrying out research into online discussion. The context is a study of a distance learning module within an MBA program. The module required students to tackle problems based on real life scenarios within small online groups. Students were studying part time and shared similar professional backgrounds. The research…

Most Virtual Learning Environments are designed to be simple to use by staff and students alike. We report a case study where this feature has led academic staff to reject formal centralised training and teach themselves how to use the system. What has resulted is widespread use of the system but with poor pedagogic development, leading primarily…

This paper presents a new model for simulating procedural knowledge in the problem solving process with our ontological system, InfoMap. The method divides procedural knowledge into two parts: process control and action performer. By adopting InfoMap, we hope to help teachers construct curricula (declarative knowledge) and teaching strategies by…

This inquiry-based lab is designed around genetic diseases with a focus on protein structure and function. To allow students to work on their own investigatory projects, 10 projects on 10 different proteins were developed. Students are grouped in sections of 20 and work in pairs on each of the projects. To begin their investigation, students are…

There continues to be a severe under-representation of African Americans in the fields of information technology (IT) and computer science. The author contends that this is attributable, at least in part, to inappropriate assumptions about the nature of thinking, knowing, teaching and learning. He contends that attention given to these assumptions…

There is a growing trend within secondary and post-secondary institutions to offer information technology (IT) certification programs as instructional vehicles to provide students with viable skills needed by the workforce, to satisfy state skill standards, and to prepare students for post-secondary IT studies. The use of IT certification programs…