ICT Impact on Knowledge Industries

This chapter analyzes e-learning from an industry perspective. The chapter studies how the use of ICTtechnologies will affect the market for university teaching. This is done using a scenario framework developed for study of ICT impact on knowledge industries. This framework is applied on the case of e-learning by drawing on practical experiences.

Achieving a Working Balance Between Technology and Personal Contact Within a Classroom Environment

This chapter addresses the author’s model to assist faculty members in gaining a closer relationship with distance learning students. The model that will be discussed consists of a greeting, message, reminder, and conclusion (GMRC). The GMRC will provide concrete recommendations designed to lead the faculty through the four steps. Using these steps in writing and responding to electronic messages demonstrates to the distance learning student that in fact the faculty member is concerned with each learner and the learner’s specific questions and needs. It is a practical application of human relations theory and is based on ideas generated by counseling theory. In addition, the chapter will take the reader through issues and examples that will arise during the duration of discussions and exchange of information using electronic messages. It is the intent of the author to provide not simply a theoretical model, but a model that can be learned and applied immediately upon completion of reviewing the article.

Collaborative Technology

This chapter presents a set of requirements for next generation groupware systems to improve team cooperation and awareness in distance learning settings. The premise of the chapter is based on the observation that in distance learning online asynchronous (e.g., e-mail, conference tools) or synchronous (e.g., chat) mechanisms are used to facilitate collaboration and coordination to complete necessary tasks. However, students are neither trained in basic principles regarding how effective cooperation takes place, nor means for their realization. Basic methods of cooperation are delineated along with a set of requirements based on a critical analysis of the elements of cooperation and team awareness. The means for realizing these elements are also discussed to present strategies to develop the proposed elements. Two scenarios are examined to demonstrate the utility of collaboration to provide deep integration of communication and task accomplishment within a unified coherent framework.

On the Design and Application of an Online Web Course for Distance Learning

Web course design and implementation are very important in effective distance learning. Such a work is related to a number of issues and needs considerable attentions. In this paper, a feasible framework for developing Web courses and some of our experimental results along the design and application of a particular online course are discussed. It first addresses several major designing considerations to match the expected features with different factors in developing online Web courses for distance learning, takeing into consideration various distinctions between online courses and traditional courses; it then introduces the structure and components more suitable for self-learning. In addition, the tools for developing online Web courses play a significant role and have important influences over the developed courses. Based on some analytical discussions and real experimental results, different developing tools are compared in speed of loading, the file size generated, as well as security and flexibility. The comparison results are not only employed in the present development for improving the flexibility of the new Web course, but also usable for developing other courses. Finally, the principles proposed and the tools selected have been concretely integrated in the implementation of a particular Web course, which has been conducted with satisfactory results.

What Factors Promote Sustained Online Discussions and Collaborative Learning in a Web-Based Course?

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactive learning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learning tasks that motivate sustained student participation and interaction. This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learning activities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the important factors that influence participation and contribute to sustained online interaction and collaboration.

Differentiating Instruction to Meet the Needs of Online Learners

This chapter introduces how to differentiate instruction in an online environment. Fostering successful online learning communities to meet the diverse needs of students is a challenging task. Since the “one size fits all” approach is not realistic in a face-to-face or online setting, it is essential as an instructor to take time to understand differentiation and to work in creating an online learning environment that responds to the diverse needs of learners. It is our responsibility to ensure that the teaching and learning that takes place online is not only accessible, but of quality. The author hopes that developing an understanding of differentiation and specific instructional strategies to differentiate online will inform the learner of ways to maximize learning by addressing the diverse needs of students.

Online Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Software Training Through the Behavioral Modeling Approach

The continued and increasing use of online training raises the question of whether the most effective training methods applied in live instruction will carry over to different online environments in the long run. Behavior Modeling (BM) approach—teaching through demonstration—has been proven as the most effective approach in a face-to-face (F2F) environment. A quasi-experiment was conducted with 96 undergraduate students who were taking a Microsoft SQL Server 2000 course in a university in Taiwan. The BM approach was employed in three learning environments—F2F, online synchronous and online asynchronous classes. The results were compared to see which produced the best performance, as measured by knowledge near-transfer and knowledge far-transfer effectiveness. Overall satisfaction with training was also measured. The results of the experiment indicate that during a long duration of training no significant difference in learning outcomes could be detected across the three learning environments.

Teaching IT Through Learning Communities in a 3D Immersive World

The development of learning communities has become an acknowledged goal of educators at all levels. As education continues to move into online environments, virtual learning communities develop for several reasons, including social networking, small group task completions, and authentic discussions for topics of mutual professional interest. The sense of presence and copresence with others is also found to be significant in developing Internet-based learning communities. This chapter illustrates the experiences with current learning communities that form in a 3D immersive world designed for education. Faculty at Appalachian State University (ASU) have developed and taught the graduate instructional technology program in an award-winning 3D world setting for several years. Additional ASU faculty and program areas are currently transitioning into this environment. Further, colleagues from major universities in other countries are using this environment for their students to work and to collaborate across time and distance. Telecommunications technologies in education (exposing the graduate students to the breadth of IT experiences and knowledge required), hypermedia, and advanced Web design are examples of ITrelated courses offered in the graduate program. The results of these experiences highlight the efficacy of this tool toward the formation of authentic communities within 3D Internet-based worlds as online distance education environments continue to evolve.

Delivering Online Asynchronous IT Courses to High School Students

As high schools begin to offer more distance learning courses, universities have an opportunity to establish partnerships to deliver online IT courses. Delivering online courses at the high school level, however, means overcoming obstacles that may not be faced at the university level. In particular, establishing partnerships with high schools requires politically savvy navigations of bureaucratic roadblocks while ensuring the integrity of course content and delivery. This chapter provides a primer on establishing relationships with high schools to deliver college-level IT curriculum to high school students in an asynchronous learning environment. We describe the curriculum introduced and discuss some of the challenges faced and the lessons learned.

Exploring Student Motivationsfor IP Teleconferencing in Distance Education

This chapter explores the various motivations students have for engaging in both origination site and distant site teleconferenced sections of an information systems course, enabled by Internet protocol (IP)- based teleconferencing. While in the past many distance learning courses have been asynchronous Webbased offerings, technology and cost advantages now available through IP teleconferencing provide for synchronous course offerings that can serve several physical locations at the same time while retaining the converged media advantages of Internet delivery. To better understand how this new capability can be incorporated into future curricula, it is important to understand student motivations for participating in IP teleconferencing as part of a lecture section for a class delivered across geographically dispersed collegiate campuses. Theoretical perspectives of student motivations for engaging in distance education are examined, and the results of three specific studies of student motivations for IP teleconferencing and multimedia-enhanced instruction are examined and discussed.