Sharing learning experiences through correspondence on the WWW

Asynchronous learning networks are facilities and procedures to allow members of learning communities to be more effective and efficient in their learning. One approach is to see how the `sharing' of knowledge can be augmented through meta-data descriptions attached to portfolios and project work. Another approach is to facilitate the reflection upon individual or collaborative learning experiences (Okamoto, Cristea, Matsui, & Miwata, 2000). The position that I defend in this paper is that both the meta-data approach and the attempts to capture the students' meta-knowledge are rather complicated because of social and emotional reason

Imagination through virtuality for in-depth learning

Based on the fast growing technologies to allow students to explore and experience three-dimensional worlds, the question becomes relevant if and how technology offers essentially new dimensions to the learning process. In a number of prototypes this paper demonstrates how learners may undergo immersive experiences that complement the predominantly verbal expositions how complex realities like the many-facetted processes in living creatures work. Based upon the model of a mammal's heart, pre- and postsynaptic processing and finally the apprehension of cultural signs on migration, identity, culture and communication, this paper aims at provoking the discussion in how far we may already rely on visual semiotics that may complement traditional learning material and further stimulate the further evolution into perceptual learning. Based on experiments into the relation between cognitive style (holistic versus serialistic) and various memory capacities, the thesis is brought forward that we need to explore further the various concept-mapping techniques, both for the designer and the user of educational learning environment

Genres, user attitudes and prospects for learning through video on the WWW

Building upon the notion that TV and video programmes will soon be accessible via the World Wide Web, there is the question of if and how it can bring added value for education. How will these two genres (working on the Internet vs. relaxing on the sofa) go together? From a post-modern point of view, the mass media (such as TV) contribute to the supposed mechanism of 'social constructionism'. However, the programme makers have a major control over the underlying message that is articulated, whereas constructionism for learning is a more conscious process by which students 'build' new knowledge through experimentation and conceptualizatio

Use of the Internet at Major Life Moments

Presents findings from a survey conducted in January 2002. Looks at the role the Internet played at fifteen different types of milestones or major events in the lives of Internet users during a two-year period

A Surgical Virtual Learning Environment

A computer based Virtual Learning Environment is proposed for training and evaluating novice surgeons. Although this Virtual Learning Environments is thought to be useful in other learning situations as well, especially where knowledge of different complex procedures and the ability to correctly assess a complex situation is critical, in this project we specifically focus on vascular surgery. This environment will be developed as part of the DIME project (Distributed Interactive Medical Exploratory). We are building this Virtual Learning Environment using a new navigational metaphor, which affords modeling the learning process, rather than focusing solely on modeling the operating room. This 'navigational metaphor' can be thought of as an semi-threedimensional interface to a database containing multimedia fragments and expert annotations of the knowledge domain under study

Who are Rural Students? How Definitions of Rurality Affect Research on College Completion

Given a revived national discourse about rural populations, more educational research on rural students is necessary, including ways that rural students transition to college and the success (or lack thereof) that they experience once there. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has changed the definition of rurality used in each iterative dataset over the last few decades, casting doubt on the consistency of what is meant by the term rural. The purpose of this study is to: (a) communicate to the educational research audience various ways of defining rural students, and specifically how NCES has changed their definition of rurality over their last three major data collections; (b) demonstrate how conclusions about rural students’ and their college degree completion may differ based on these alternate NCES definitions; and (c) discuss how this specific example using NCES data relates to the wider landscape of research on rural students. Results show that conclusions about college degree completion change depending on the definition of rurality used for analysis. Therefore, the education research community should consider the options for defining rural students, report transparently about the choices made, consider the sensitivity of results to the definition of rurality, and ultimately build a more robust body of literature concerning rural students’ college success. Gaining definitional clarity will be beneficial, particularly for those who wish to translate their research into practical action for the benefit of rural students