Compared the test results of students allowed and not allowed to use their laptops while listening to a lecture. Students using their laptops performed more poorly on measures of memory for lecture content. (EV)

Examined instructors' satisfaction with and use of intelligent agent toolkits in the classroom. Found that no single uniform toolkit satisfied the needs of instructors. Moreover, satisfaction levels were influenced primarily by user interactions with the toolkit, followed to a lesser extent by toolkit performance and functionality. (EV)

Investigated how different strategies for grading online discussions influenced both the discussions and sense of classroom community in 18 graduate-level courses delivered at a distance. Found that there were significantly more discussions per student per week and higher levels of sense of community in courses where discussions were a graded…

Found that in an introductory biology course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, adoption of the Data Aggregation Project (free software that allows students in a course to aggregate a large body of data for some particular problem) resulted in an increase in the number of data points students analyzed per semester by a factor of almost…

Presents an overview of the features of course management systems as they pertain to teaching online courses. Specifically, it identifies tools and techniques related to the effective use of management features, assessment options, instructional activities, and communication in online courses. (EV)

Describes a Web portal constructed by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology dedicated to improving middle school science, mathematics, and technology instruction. The portal emulates emerging corporate practices of knowledge management and process reinvention through information technology, and offers middle school teachers across Indiana a…

Discusses the three-step implementation of an instructional technology tool and associated pedagogy to support teaching and learning computer programming concepts. The Flowchart Interpreter (FLINT) was proven through experiments to support novice programmers better than the traditional textbook approach. (EV)

Asserts that students have high technological expectations which necessitate a reevaluation of teaching methodologies and a reinvention of the classroom. Explores some of the realities and hype surrounding the reason for and existence of technology in the college foreign language classroom. Focuses on the wiring of classrooms for technology,…

Surveyed faculty to determine the extent to which benchmarks of high-quality distance education developed by the Institute of Higher Education are being incorporated in such courses. Found that most benchmarks in the categories of course development, teaching/learning process, and course structure are being implemented. Faculty support was an…

Conceptualizes the pedagogical shift, driven by Web-based technology, from students being contributors to, in addition to consumers of, learning materials in terms of a move from an acquisition orientation to a contribution orientation. Describes a Web-supported course as an example of this contribution-oriented pedagogy as well as of other…

Describes the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD), an effort involving over 120 universities around the world. It aims to enhance the skills of all graduate students preparing theses or dissertations so that they are empowered to create an electronic thesis or dissertation and to effectively use digital libraries. (EV)

Describes a conceptual framework that can be used to guide the design of distributed learning environments, particularly those that use the capabilities of computer and Internet technology. Discusses implications for improving online collaboration among learners and for informing future designs of computer-supported collaborative learning…

Describes evaluation criteria for Web-based textbook supplements. The metric includes measures of site access and usability, resource identification and documentation, information structure and design, navigation within the document, quality of links, aesthetic and affective aspects, and pedagogical/disciplinary needs. Provides examples of…

Describes development of the Courseware Engineering Methodology (CEM), created to guide novices in designing effective courseware. Discusses CEM's four models: pedagogical (concerned with the courseware's pedagogical aspects), conceptual (dealing with software engineering), interface (relating to human-computer interaction), and hypermedia…

Presents several strategies that have proven successful for community building in Web-based learning environments. Discusses challenges to community building in terms of space, time, and tools, and how to overcome these challenges. (EV)