The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits and challenges using laptop computers (hereafter referred to as laptops) inside and outside higher education classrooms. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 156 university students (54 males, 102 females) enrolled in either education or communication studies. Benefits of…

The purpose of this study is to test the validity and reliability of three collaboration indices ("quantity", "equality", "and shareness") proposed by Jahng et al. (2010). The present study repeated the quantitative assessment of Jahng et al., and performed a further qualitative analysis to identify possible factors that might be associated with…

Does learner participation vary depending on the learning context? Are there characteristic features of participation evident in formal, non-formal, and informal online learning environments? Six online learning environments were chosen as epitomes of formal, non-formal, and informal learning contexts and compared. Transcripts of online…

Media representations of massive open online courses (MOOCs) such as those offered by Coursera, edX and Udacity reflect tension and ambiguity in their bold promise of democratized education and global knowledge sharing. An approach to MOOCs that emphasizes the tacit epistemology of such representations suggests a richer account of the ambiguities…

It has been suggested that when we know our philosophy of teaching and technology we then have the ability to articulate not only what we are doing as educational technologists, but what we want to achieve with the technologies, and why. And while most educational technologists would agree that knowing our philosophical orientations is important,…

More than a decade after Prensky's influential articulation of digital natives and immigrants, disagreement exists around these characterizations of students and the impact of such notions within higher education. Perceptions of today's undergraduate learners as tech-savvy "digital natives" (Prensky, 2001a), who both want and need the latest…

Because of decreased prices, increased convenience, and wireless access, an increasing number of college and university students are using laptop computers in their classrooms. This recent trend has forced instructors to address the educational consequences of using these mobile devices. The purpose of the current study was to analyze and assess…

Explains the Training, Infrastructure and Empowerment System (TIES), a theory-based system of educational reform through instructional technology, and discusses results of a study at a Canadian university that investigated the vision for instructional technology, learning technologies and alternative delivery systems, and adoption of innovation.…

Describes a study that explored learning in a Web-based online MBA (Masters of Business Administration) program and the structures necessary to support and enhance learning from the perspective of the learners. Findings indicated that the collaborative nature of the teamwork required provided major benefits as well as challenges for the students.…

Describes research conducted with Hong Kong university students that investigated challenges to collaboration during computer-assisted instruction as evidenced by discourse. Evaluates videotapes of the students according to a set of discourse markers and suggests implications for software designers, teachers, and students to enhance collaboration…

Discussion of Web page design that maximizes users' acquisition of information focuses on line length and the amount of surrounding information, or whitespace. Describes a study of undergraduates at the University of Alberta (Canada) that showed comprehension was affected by whitespace but not by line length. (Author/LRW)