The complexities of digital age pose challenge to existing instruction technology theory as it applies to a distance learning environment. Through the lens of Activity Theory, this study takes a broad picture of an online course and examines the socio-cultural factors affecting the success of a distance course as well as their complex…

In 1998, a state university received grant funding to convert their Special Education Blindness and Visual Impairment graduate degree program to an online format. At that time, commercial web course management systems were not accessible to blind and visually impaired users. As a result, grant designers developed a custom, accessible platform,…

The teaching and learning "dance" is one that traditionally has been led by the instructor with the student following passively. Faculty members in higher education are entering the realm of online learning, many with the previous experience and hopes of facilitating student-centered, active learning experiences. However, due to factors that are…

This brief paper describes a comparison of two different courses, both of which have been approved by the state of Georgia's Professional Standards Commission (PSC). These courses fulfill the PSC requirement that all teachers be competent with technology and know how to integrate technology into teaching and learning by the year 2006. The method…

This paper considers four aspects of online communities. Design, mechanisms, architecture, and the constructed knowledge. We hypothesize that different designs of communities drive different mechanisms, which give rise to different architectures, which in turn result in different levels of collaborative knowledge construction. To test this chain…

As the internet-based learning (IBL) market becomes increasingly global, understanding differing educational values and cultural expectations could provide an important competitive edge for providers (universities, publishing houses, and corporate training entities). How each of person determines "good" or "quality" instruction is to a large…