As one of the most widely adopted mobile and social media applications, Tencent WeChat ® ('WeChat') has been increasingly used in education at all levels in Asia, and in China in particular. However, only a small number of studies have been conducted to explore educational affordances of WeChat. In this paper, these affordances are defined as…

This report provides a brief description of a 1985 conference on distance education together with the papers presented by six of the seven keynote speakers. It is noted that, in addition to these papers, the conference included 30 application sessions which allowed the 182 participants to select issues and topics to explore in small groups. The…

The shortcomings of the dominant information processing models of cognition are outlined, and two alterative models derived from semiotics are presented. In addition, the possibility of incorporating J. J. Gibson's ecological theory of affordance within the semiotic models is explored as a means of addressing some criticism of the latter models.…

These proceedings contain 48 presentations and 15 poster abstracts. Papers include "Computer Tasks Required in Selected Undergraduate Agriculture Courses" (Johnson, Ferguson, Vokinnns, Lester); "College of Agriculture Faculty Perceptions of Electronic Technologies in Teaching" (Dooley, Murphy); "Steering Through Turbulent…

In support of online discussions research, this review classifies and describes instructional interventions and learner characteristics that affect the quality of discussions. The review will help educators better understand factors such as group structure, mentoring, argumentation, and learner characteristics that play a role in shaping online…

The persistence of the constructivist agenda within learning and developmental theory suggests that underneath the seemingly disparate views of Piagetian, socioculturalist, and ecological perspectives lie some unifying concepts that find their mutual expression in constructivism. The paper contends that semiotics provides the conceptual means to…

Theoretical models of the reading process have been proposed by F. Smith, E. J. Gibson and H. Levin, and D. LaBerge and S. J. Samuels. These models were examined using the following questions: How are features of print processed by the brain? How important are prior knowledge and expectations to the process (top-down or bottom-up processing)? Is…

In all of his published work, Jean Piaget never abandoned his original theoretical framework for the understanding of human development. This framework insists that intelligence is essentially a biological phenomenon; its development is best understood as the development of a sophisticated and highly successful adaptation device. This device…

The purpose of a symposium on research in distance education was to continue the process of building the network of scholars and climate of cooperation and communication necessary for further development of distance education, and to provide an opportunity for discussion. Four main areas of focus for the symposium are identified in a brief preface…

Three papers comprise this symposium on women and career development. "Enhancing the Career Success of Women Faculty: Mentoring as a Human Resource Development (HRD) Initiative in Higher Education" (Sharon K. Gibson) explores mentoring of women faculty, focusing on the key dimensions of roles and functions, outcomes, gender, and formal…

No one has ever been able to look into the language space, nor has anyone been able to measure the phenomenon of consciousness without the interference of an observer. This article changes the situation, showing that from now on it is possible to produce measures of consciousness without the presence of classical observation devices. The…

Papers, panels, and commentaries (responses) are provided from a conference attended by traditional educators, vocational educators, and economists to discuss the impact of technology on vocational education in the high school and suggest appropriate responses. The introduction is by Stuart Rosenfeld. The first three papers address the theme of…

This book reviews research and theories concerning environment-behavior relations in educational settings. Chapter 1, "The Ecosystemic Metaphor," presents the school as an open system, considers psychological theories of human behavior, and defines the environment. Chapter 2, "The Behaviour Setting," looks at relations between…