The deployment of immersive, non-restrictive environments for instruction and learning presents a new set of challenges for instructional designers and educators. Adopting the conceptual frameworks of Sherin's (2002) learning while teaching and Vygotsky's (1978) cultural development via the mediation of tools, this paper explores one professor's…

This article reports the results of a study conducted to examine the use of small group learning strategies in an online college course. The study examined the effect of four types of positive interdependence and the affiliation motive on learning and attitude in an asynchronous, collaborative learning environment. Results indicated no significant…

Classic research methods are ineffective in capturing the dynamic relationships among users, technology, and outcomes for technology integration research. Cognitive research attempts to eliminate environmental variability and test for recall and transferability of knowledge representations. Such approaches lead to arguably ineffective measures…

How to ensure the quality of online learning in institutions of higher education has been a growing concern during the past several years. While several studies have focused on the perceptions of faculty and administrators, there has been a paucity of research conducted on students? perceptions toward the quality of online education. This study…

Students taking hybrid or online classes are often unprepared for the kinds of skills that are needed to be successful in this environment. This report provides an overview of one approach, an interactive CD-ROM (SPARK), that faculty can use to assist students in narrowing the gap between needed online learning skills and their current technical…

This study explored teacher educators' pedagogical beliefs and technology uses in relation to preservice teachers' pedagogical beliefs and attitudes toward technology. Correlation and regression analysis were conducted to answer the research questions. The results revealed some relationships between the teacher educators' beliefs and their uses of…

This study identifies and posits guidelines for assessing the skills and knowledge of online distance ducators. Findings derived from Cooper?s (1998) synthesis research method reveal sixteen skills that may be grouped into six areas that are thought to be essential for educators to teach successfully online. The study also shows that factors, like…

This paper describes the experiences of three middle school teachers following a two-week summer workshop in which they were introduced to a technology-enhanced problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy. Based on their collaborative experiences during the school year developing and implementing a PBL unit, the three teachers increased their confidence…

This report describes an evaluation of Computer Literacy, which is an undergraduate general studies course, offered by College of Education at a large southwestern university. The purpose of this course is to provide knowledge about computer and computing, and application skills in using Microsoft Office software. The course is coordinated by a…

Researchers investigated differences in learner preferences for different types of instructional strategies and learning styles in online environments. Results suggested that matches between students' learning styles and instructional strategies did not affect their perception of their own learning outcomes, level of effort and involvement, and…

The purpose of this study was to test the principle of modality by using audio to deliver verbal information when that information is designed to support non-verbal information such as animations in a computer-based lesson. This was done by comparing the effect of two types of audio support mechanisms- a simple support mechanism consisting of…

A team consisting of three faculty members from Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness management, and Food Science with two research assistants at Penn State University has been working for three years on creating a food product case library for a problem-based learning and case-based instruction course. With the assistance of experts from the food…

Many learning environments involve rituals for rehearsal and reflection. Musicians, for instance, spend countless hours practicing scales and adjusting their bodies to increase their skills. But they do more than simply practice: They also play for instructors and others who can provide valuable critiques of their performances. Architectural…

The rapid growth of instructional technologies has provided college faculty with a vast array of educational resources and learning opportunities (Grasha, 2000; Kagima & Hausafus, 2001). As described in the relevant literature addressing this issue, there are several potential advantages in utilizing instructional technologies to enrich the…

Few universities are currently offering an online course with collaborative learning component in Instructional Design. This study shared information on an on-going evaluation of online Instructional Design courses from 94 graduate students who have taken this course, hoping to find out the most effective way to deliver similar courses. This…