This research examined the impact of the length and format (video, audio or text) of instructional Web modules (segments of lectures) on information recall, persistence, perceived content difficulty, aesthetic appeal, and perceived module length. Twelve Web-based instructional modules with different formats and lengths were evaluated through an…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of a constructivist approach to context-based video instruction for enhancing learning. To achieve this purpose, the authors examined whether video-based instruction that was developed using constructivist theory can affect student learning (i.e., comprehension and retention) and…

Business school deans at institutions accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business were surveyed on distance education programs offered at their respective schools. This study examined sixteen characteristics of the distance education programs: the number of offerings, the question of not offering distance education,…

Tools for measuring cognitive engagement within online groups have been concerned only with measuring an individual participant's cognitive engagement, without any concern for measuring cognitive engagement within groups. There remains a serious need for a scheme that measures cognitive engagement of groups and the validation of such a scheme…

This study investigated the effects of using Socratic questioning to enhance students' critical thinking (CT) skills in asynchronous discussion forums (ADF) in university-level distance learning courses. The research effort empirically examined two coherent subjects: (a) the efficacy of teaching and modeling Socratic questioning for developing…

The author conducted two experiments to assess effectiveness of interactive e-learning. Students in a fully interactive multimedia-based e-learning environment achieved better performance and higher levels of satisfaction than those in a traditional classroom and those in a less interactive e-learning environment.

A classification rule was developed to predict undergraduate students' withdrawal from or completion of fully online general education courses. A multivariate technique, predictive discriminant analysis (PDA), was used. High school grade point average and SAT mathematics score were shown to be related to retention in the online university courses.…

This article describes a study of the relation between learning style, as measured by the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, and online communication behavior, as measured by analysis of transcripts of computer-mediated conferencing (CMC) interaction using a previously developed tool. Analysis of over fifty-nine hundred sentences, generated by forty…

This study sought to adapt and test a methodological framework designed to produce a course evaluation that addresses the unique aspects of distance education while maintaining consistency with current evaluation instruments commonly used to evaluate an institution's on-campus courses. Using the four-step process adapted from Biner (1993), twenty…

A study of university nursing students tested the effect of computer conference designs and advance organizers on critical thinking skills. Critical thinking, although not significantly different between three conference groups, was evident for groups in all three conference designs. Those conferences designed to facilitate critical inquiry showed…

The authors utilized a Delphi technique to explore roles and competencies as identified and ranked by 106 upper level graduate student-practitioners from eleven academic programs specializing in distance education. Responses were compared to two previous studies utilizing distance education expert/scholar respondents. Although the roles identified…

A national survey was used to assess the acceptability of a job applicant's qualifications that included online coursework. The questionnaire, sent to hiring committee chairpersons, described three hypothetical applicants who earned degrees through a "traditional" institution, a "virtual" institution, and "mixed" coursework. The respondents were…

The purpose of this study was to explore changes in satisfaction with perceived knowledge gained as a function of learner satisfaction with course structure, learner satisfaction with interaction, and technical expertise in a variety of distance learning environments. Using Moore's (1993) theory of transactional distance as a conceptual framework,…

This study assessed the depth of online learning, with a focus on the nature of online interaction in four distance education course designs. The Study Process Questionnaire was used to measure the shift in students' approach to learning from the beginning to the end of the courses. Design had a significant impact on the nature of the interaction…

Literature published between 2000 and 2003 at the intersection between online learning and disability can be classified into didactic, descriptive, research, and opinion pieces. In this article, two research pieces surveying the literature are reviewed. The resounding theme throughout the literature is that improving accessibility of online…