This article proposes a theoretical framework for the identification and classification of the various processes that constitute Web-based education. The framework is based on the following premises: (1) Education may be regarded as a "corrective process," since it is aimed at bringing about a desired change in students' knowledge and skills. (2)…

The proliferation of information resources for learning, and the increased range of media that make up learning resources, introduce new challenges for those supporting the effective use of online resources within education. This paper describes the importance of good on-line resources, and why despite the best efforts of their developers and…

Concerns about the potentially dubious nature of online information and users' ability to evaluate it appropriately prompted this research on college students' use of Web-based information, their perceptions of information credibility, and their online verification behaviors. Two studies were conducted to address these issues. Results of the first…

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of trace diagrams for analysing collaborative problem solving. The paper describes a study where trace diagrams were used to analyse joint navigation in a virtual environment. Ten pairs of undergraduates worked together on a distributed virtual task to collect five flowers using two bees with each…

This paper reports two studies into the efficacy of sentence openers to foster online peer-to-peer interaction. Sentence openers are pre-defined ways to start an utterance that are implemented in communication facilities as menu's or buttons. In the first study, typical opening phrases were derived from naturally occurring online dialogues. The…

Teachers and students have established social roles, norms and conventions when they encounter Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) systems in the classroom. Authority, a major force in the classroom, gives certain people, objects, representations or ideas the power to affect thought and behavior and influences communication and…

Studying and evaluating real experiences that promote active and collaborative learning is a crucial field in CSCL. Major issues that remain unsolved deal with the merging of qualitative and quantitative methods and data, especially in educational settings that involve both physical and computer-supported collaboration. In this paper we present a…

This paper reports an empirical study comparing the role of discourse and knowledge representations (graphical evidence mapping) in face-to-face versus synchronous online collaborative learning. Prior work in face-to-face collaborative learning situations has shown that the features of representational notations can influence the focus of…

Documenting collaborative knowledge construction is critical for research in computer-supported collaborative learning. Because this is a multifaceted phenomenon, mixed methods are necessary to construct a good understanding of collaborative interactions, otherwise there is a risk of being overly reductionistic. In this paper I use quantitative…

This paper discusses the development of a documentation technique for collaborative interactions. We describe the original version of the technique as used for a single learner collaborating with a software based learning partner; the second generation of the technique, which required adaptation for application to the analysis of group use of…

Discusses the design and maintenance of computer-based teaching and learning environments and illustrates consequences of evolution and change in Web-based courses. Focuses on changes in content; format of the course; infrastructure, including hardware, systems, and software; and pedagogy, or instructional design, including knowledge modeling,…

Studied the use of a computer-based instructional package called SuccessMaker with disruptive students to determine its effects on locus of control and grade point average. Results of pretests and posttests showed an improvement in academic outcomes when the intervention was teacher facilitated. (LRW)

Examines the process that students in grade 6, aged 11 and 12, go through in distance learning using electronic mail. Highlights include a constructivist approach; acquiring basic computer skills through experiential learning; teacher's role; data collection; content analysis; and results that showed the importance of personal contact between…

Describes a study of economically disadvantaged first and second graders in Chile that evaluated the effects of the introduction of educational videogames into the classroom on mathematics and reading comprehension. Investigated effects on learning, motivation, and classroom dynamics; teachers' expectations of change; and technological transfer.…

Discusses the role that online instructors should take when facilitating asynchronous discussion forums. Presents a study of an online astronomy program in an Australian university that investigated ways that the rate at which instructors posted and how often the instructors initiated discussions correlated to student posting rates and student…