Enhancing Classroom Interaction in Distance Education Utilizing the World Wide Web

study utilized the World Wide Web and a Class Page to evaluate interaction strategies in a distance education setting. Participants were primarily elementary school teachers (n= 47 graduate students) who completed survey instruments concerning their participation on the Class Page , interactions with both the instructor and other students, and utilization of linked Web resources. An initial survey regarding students’ computer literacy skills and usage proficiencies was followed by seven additional surveys which focused upon Page ” use and interaction patterns. Among the findings were: student views regarding the value of getting to know fellow classmates shifted from zero percent (Week 2) to 88 percent (Week 15); students judging they were able freely to express their views went from 11 percent (Week 2) to 91 percent (Week 15). Increases were also noted concerning student out-of-class participation, enjoyment using the Internet, use of e-mail, and appreciation of the distance environment tools for encouraging involvement and interaction. Although many students questioned the usefulness of the Page at the beginning of the semester, the final survey found all students viewed the Page as beneficial. Analysis of the data found both interaction and class involvement were greatly enhanced through the Class Page and the Web based tools which supported the “Page” in this distance education environment

Student Perspectives: Responses to Internet Opportunities in a Distance Learning Environment

This qualitative study examined student responses toward an interactive Internet site supplementing a multimedia graduate level distance learning course at Ball State University. The course, Elementary School Curriculum, was taught in a studio classroom and transmitted to five distant sites in Indiana. Technology included two-way audio signals and one-way video signals for in-class interaction and an Internet World Wide Web site for out-of-class interaction. Qualitative evidence collection techniques included focus group interviews, telephone interviews, and eight survey instruments. Analysis of students’ responses to the Internet site focused on coping strategies developed by students to manage the stresses and benefits of their computer involvement. Students reported strategies for managing personal resources, the computer environment, self, and others. Predominant themes in student reactions included concerns associated with communication issues, with computer involvement, and with computer and Internet access. Benefits most frequently identified were the sense of empowerment and the satisfaction of sharing a space with fellow classmates. Implications drawn include the value of moderator leadership, the importance of a face-to-face encounter, the challenge of the on-line text-based medium, the influence of learning and temperament styles, and the development of computer-supported collaborative learning opportunities

Enhancing Elementary Curricula through Internet Technology

Radical advancements in Internet technology over the last decade have created endless opportunities to expand the realm of the elementary classroom. The World Wide Web (WWW), e-mail, Newsgroups, and Internet Relay Chat (IRC) are four of the most prominent utilizations of Internet technology. This paper demonstrates how one mid-western, suburban elementary classroom has enhanced its curriculum and improved classroom interaction by maximizing Internet technology. In addition to reviewing the merits of this case study, the reader will also: (a) be presented with a rationale for utilizing Internet technology with existing curricula, (b) examine the current debate on the issue of networking schools, (c) compare and contrast the pros and cons of utilizing Internet technology in elementary classrooms, and (d) consider the coalescence of curriculum and technology. An overview regarding the current application of Internet technology in an elementary setting highlights its true benefits: students conducting research on a topic of interest, communication and collaborative projects between students around the world, and the opportunity for students to publish original work

Appropriate Educational Applications of the World Wide Web Today

Although the majority of web based educational tools of today are unremarkable, are sometimes difficult to access and are not completely reliable, there is a mounting push for students and faculty to use these tools. The formidable technical challenges that confront students and faculty attempting to implement these technologies often quickly overshadows the more fundamental question—how should existing and future technologies be used in the teaching and learning process? Assuming, for example, that a given piece of technology could be implemented universally without difficulty and perform exactly as expected, what is the impact? Having made fair and unbiased evaluations concerning a given technology, important questions regarding implementation remain. For those that have resigned themselves to providing course material via the web, a common question for both educational institutions as well as individual faculty is if now is the best time to begin. One workable, logical progression path involves using a four-step process. The foundation of this process begins with experimentation, moves to deployment from templates, then to redeveloping pages based on need and student feedback, and finally to using this experience in innovation specifically tailored to the class needs

Observation of Instruction via Distance Learning: The Need for a New Evaluation Paradigm

Technology as a tool used to enhance instruction must be viewed in its proper perspective. Instruction via distance learning is an excellent example. Instruction must be appropriate for the intended audience, and must be observed and evaluated within the expectations of criteria used for evaluating effective teaching. Traditional criteria may be appropriate for evaluating regular classroom instruction, but not appropriate for distance learning instruction. Criteria such as “wait time and questioning techniques,” are well documented, but were derived through tedious observation and recordings of repetitive behaviors within a regular classroom. As an administrator or evaluator observes in a classroom where instruction is being delivered via television, consideration must be given for adaptations that must be made for observing the distance learning classroom. Observation training in the distance learning classroom will be tedious, but new examples and innovative ways of documenting teaching behaviors are needed. The authors present a case for the development of new criteria for evaluating distance learning instruction

Future Proofing Faculty: The Struggle to Create Technical Lifelong Learners

College faculty can minimize valuable time and resources invested in inappropriate technologies by staying in step with technological progress. A future proof approach to technology recognizes and welcomes small failures, considering them part of the ongoing process of absorbing technology into the learning process. Future proofing attempts to understand the factors that influence and impact technology upon learners. The factors that comprise the concept of future proofing include:market dominance solutions: based on a strong market presence this often proves to be the single greatest factor in decision making; ease of use: users of technology prefer simplicity over functionality; the best-practice approach: since technology is a delivery medium, proven successful teaching and learning practices are likely to work when technology is added; technology non-reliance: users should avoid relying too heavily on the expertise of technical gurus; least cost: free software should be rigorously reviewed and users should plan on receiving limited or no technical support, since software freely available may disappear or fall victim to programmer neglect; and best guess-roulette: creative and effective solutions evolve from combinations of technology only possible from experimentation

Spaceflight Payload Design, Flight Experience G-408

Worcester Polytechnic Institute\u27s first payload of spaceflight experiments flew aboard Columbia, STS-40, during June of 1991 and culminated eight years of work by students and faculty. The Get Away Special (GAS) payload was installed on the GAS bridge assembly at the aft end of the cargo bay behind the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-l) laboratory. The experiments were turned on by astronaut signal after reaching orbit and then functioned for 72 hours. Environmental and experimental measurements were recorded on three cassette tapes which, together with zeolite crystals grown on orbit, formed the basis of subsequent analyses. The experiments were developed over a number of years by undergraduate students meeting their project requirements for graduation. The experiments included zeolite crystal growth, fluid behavior, and microgravity acceleration measurement in addition to environmental data acquisition. Preparation also included structural design, thermal design, payload integration, and experiment control. All of the experiments functioned on orbit and the payload system performed within design estimates

‘Priming’ exercise and O2 uptake kinetics during treadmill running

We tested the hypothesis that priming exercise would speed kinetics during treadmill running. Eight subjects completed a square-wave protocol, involving two bouts of treadmill running at 70% of the difference between the running speeds at lactate threshold (LT) and max, separated by 6-min of walking at 4 km h−1, on two occasions. Oxygen uptake was measured breath-by-breath and subsequently modelled using non-linear regression techniques. Heart rate and blood lactate concentration were significantly elevated prior to the second exercise bout compared to the first. However, kinetics was not significantly different between the first and second exercise bouts (mean ± S.D., phase II time constant, Bout 1: 16 ± 3 s vs. Bout 2: 16 ± 4 s; slow component amplitude, Bout 1: 0.24 ± 0.10 L min−1vs. Bout 2: 0.20 ± 0.12 L min−1; mean response time, Bout 1: 34 ± 4 s vs. Bout 2: 34 ± 6 s; P > 0.05 for all comparisons). These results indicate that, contrary to previous findings with other exercise modalities, priming exercise does not alter kinetics during high-intensity treadmill running, at least in physically active young subjects. We speculate that the relatively fast kinetics and the relatively small slow component in the control (‘un-primed’) condition negated any enhancement of kinetics by priming exercise in this exercise modality

Do the current MS clinical course descriptors need to change and if so how? A survey of the MS community

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The current clinical course descriptors of multiple sclerosis (MS) include a combination of clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. Recently there has been a growing call to base these descriptors more firmly on biological mechanisms. We investigated the implications of proposing a new mechanism-driven framework for describing MS. METHODS: In a web-based survey, multiple stakeholders rated the need to change current MS clinical course descriptors, the definitions of disease course and their value in clinical practice and related topics. RESULTS: We received 502 responses across 49 countries. In all, 77% of the survey respondents supported changing the current MS clinical course descriptors. They preferred a framework that informs treatment decisions, aids the design and conduct of clinical trials, allows patients to understand their disease, and links disease mechanisms and clinical expression of disease. Clinical validation before dissemination and ease of communication to patients were rated as the most important aspects to consider when developing any new framework for describing MS. CONCLUSION: A majority of MS stakeholders agreed that the current MS clinical course descriptors need to change. Any change process will need to engage a wide range of affected stakeholders and be guided by foundational principles

The Political Economy of Natural Resource Use: Lessons for Fisheries Reform

This report discusses key lessons drawn from reform experience in the wider natural resource sector that might inform successful reform in fisheries. This report is a compilation of 12 papers prepared by acknowledged international experts in the fields of fisheries and wider natural resource reform which were reviewed at a workshop convened by the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in May 2009.The report forms an important initial input into an ongoing enquiry into the political economy of fisheries reform initiated by the World Bank in partnership with the Partnership for African Fisheries (a United Kingdom Department for International Development funded program of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD))