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The trend towards using research knowledge to improve policies and practices is on the rise. However, despite considerable effort and notable progress in recent years, it seems that school practitioners continue to make little use of research and it is not clear what conditions would facilitate or obstruct this use. This review focuses exclusively on the available empirical research about (a) the use of research by school practitioners and (b) the determinants of use, and identifies future directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between computer technology's role and students' perceptions about course effectiveness. Students from two universities (one Canadian, n = 1465; one American, n = 831) completed a 71-item questionnaire addressing different aspects of their learning experience in a given course. Factor analysis revealed a 3-factor solution: "course-structure," "active-learning and time-on-task," and "computer-use." Regression analysis indicated that the 3 variables are predictive of perceived course effectiveness at both sites, with the presence of an interaction between location and "computer-use" and "course-structure" on students' perceptions about course effectiveness. Findings reveal that student perceptions directly reflect the 14 APA learner-centered principles on which the instrument was based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the report "A Review of e-Learning in Canada: A Rough Sketch of the Evidence, Gaps and Promising Directions." The authors account the need for development programs for new initiatives which have high-quality research and evaluation programs. They say that they contacted Michele Jacobsen, editor of the "Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology" to know if the paper merited attention to request comments from experts in Canada.

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a rejoinder to the commentaries from Canadian experts regarding several issues on the review of Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) on electronic learning (e-learning) in Canada. It explores the nature and importance of systematic procedures in reviewing research, the philosophical and methodological aspects, and the definition and impacts of e-learning. Furthermore, the authors assert that the article only provides some answers to the questions raised regarding the review.

This review provides a rough sketch of the evidence, gaps and promising directions in e–learning from 2000 onwards, with a particular focus on Canada. We searched a wide range of sources and document types to ensure that we represented, comprehensively, the arguments surrounding e–learning. Overall, there were 2,042 entries in our database, of which we reviewed 1,146, including all the Canadian primary research and all scholarly reviews of the literature. In total, there were 726 documents included in our review: 235 general public opinion; 131 trade⁄practitioners' opinion; 88 policy documents; 120 reviews; and 152 primary empirical research. The Argument Catalogue codebook included the following eleven classes of variables: 1) Document Source; 2) Areas⁄Themes of e–learning; 3) Value⁄Impact; 4) Type of evidence; 5) Research design; 6) Area of applicability; 7) Pedagogical implementation factors; 8) A–priori attitudes; 9) Types of learners; 10) Context; and 11) Technology Factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is about the quantitative research practices and methodologies that are used in distance education (DE). It begins with an analysis and assessment of a segment of the DE research literature, DE/classroom comparison studies, based on a recently completed meta-analysis of that literature from 1985 to 2002. Overall, the 232 studies reviewed were judged to be of poor methodological quality and severely lacking in critical information about research practices. Studies of synchronous and asynchronous DE are discussed separately and recommendations are made for improving designs and measures within these patterns. Suggestions for future quantitative research areas are provided. In discussing these findings, we recognize that high-quality research is being conducted in the field and that qualitative forms of research contribute greatly to the mosaic of evidence that is the base of available knowledge about DE. Finally, three organizations, the What Works Clearinghouse (USA), EPPI-Centre (UK), and the Campbell Collaboration (international), all devoted to improving the quality of research and research synthesis in education, are described briefly; suggestions are made as to how their philosophies and approaches for judging the worthiness of research evidence can be used to improve DE research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of short, headline-type recaps on the recall of specific information and the gist of the stories in a television news program. A W-item program which included either oral recaps, oral-plus-graphic recaps, or no recaps was viewed by 881 subjects in three strata of educational level. Recaps were found to increase retention of the gist of the stories, but did not affect retention of specific details. No differences were found between the two types of recap. In addition, recaps supplanted rather than supplemented unrecapped items that had been viewed previously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal communication is a much needed, but seldom considered aspect of educational experience. However, because of the separation of the teaching and learning acts in distance education, special arrangements are necessary for it to occur. A new technology called ‘voice‐mail’ has potential as a supplement to other standard forms of institutional support for communication. This article describes the essential features of this technology. The results of a needs assessment, designed and conducted as a first step towards implementing voice‐mail in a distance education program in Nova Scotia, Canada, are presented. Outcomes of the study are described and potentials and limitations of the technology are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study was designed to assess a technique for improving the retention of information presented in tape‐slide format. It was thought that placing verbal labels and descriptions derived from the audio portion of the programme side‐by‐side with pictorial content would enhance the retentional value of the material. In effect, this treatment was a two screen multi‐image tape‐slide programme. This condition (projected viewing guide) was compared with two other treatments: a standard one screen tape‐slide programme (tape‐slide only) and a treatment identical to the projected viewing guide except that the verbal redundancy was presented in printed form (printed viewing guide). A pre‐test and post‐test were used to assess verbal retention of the programme material and the data was analysed with analysis of covariance. The projected viewing guide condition was found to be the superior treatment and no differences were found between the other treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two hypotheses derived from Keegan's theoretical framework of reintegration in distance education formed the focus for this investigation. Opportunities for peer contact and support were re‐integrated into an existing distance education program for the purpose of affecting achievement, self‐perception of learning achievement, final academic standing (including non‐completion), and attitudes. The analysis was conducted in two parts; one based on an experimental sample and the other based on a larger general sample. No significant differences were found between levels of the experimental variable, but peer contact was found to significantly discriminate between levels of both course completion and final academic standing in one of the targeted courses based on the general sample. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this experimental study two independent variableswere manipulated. Each was associated with online collaborative learning ina distance education context. One of these (group formation strategy) addressesone of the early decisions that must be made in forming groups for collaborativeproject work. The second (levels of tutor intervention) relates to the on-goingprocess of group management in a computer-mediated environment. An additionalindependent variable (type of collaborative project) served as a within-groupfactor in the design. Two measures of individual achievement (final exam scoresand idea units) and a measure of group dynamics served as dependent variables.Prior academic achievement (current grade point average) served as a covariatein the analysis of the achievement data. There were no differences acrossthe two types of projects, but two slightly different interaction patternsemerged from the analysis of the achievement data. In general, however, theseresults favored the random assignment of students to collaborative groups(as contrasted with allowing students to pick their own partners) and theintroduction of low tutor intervention during the course of project work.Two main effects emerged from an analysis of the group dynamics data, oneof which supports the random assignment strategy. Because of these findings,it is difficult to suggest a totally unambiguous strategy for formulatingand managing online collaborative project work. However, some tentative suggestionsare advanced. Some guidelines for online collaborative learning are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to serial injections of recombinant interferon-beta (IFN-beta) for long-term therapy of multiple sclerosis (MS), prolonged systemic delivery of proteins derived through in vivo gene transfer may provide a more clinically relevant alternative. Here we compare the therapeutic efficacies of electroporation (EP)-mediated intramuscular IFN-beta gene transfer with repeated alternate-day injections of recombinant IFN-beta after the onset of relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model widely used in MS research. We show for the first time that a single EP-mediated intramuscular administration of 20 microg of an IFN-beta-expressing plasmid provides long-term expression of interferon-inducible genes and is therapeutic in ongoing established EAE. The achieved therapeutic effects of IFN-beta gene delivery were comparable to an 8-week regimen of 10,000 IU rIFN-beta injected every other day and involved a significant inhibition of disease progression and a significant reduction of EAE relapses compared to untreated or null-vector-treated mice. Our results indicate the viability of a convenient and effective gene-based alternative for long-term IFN-beta protein therapy in MS.