In this paper we present an approach for externalising student information to facilitate instructors involved in distance learning. Information visualization techniques have been used in CourseVis - a tool which obtains tracking data from course management systems, transforms the data into a form convenient for processing, and generates graphical representations that can be explored by course instructors to examine social, cognitive, and behavioural aspects of distance students.

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No topic raises more contentious debate among educators than the role of interaction as a crucial component of the education process. This debate is fueled by surface problems of definition and vested interests of professional educators, but is more deeply marked by epistemological assumptions relative to the role of humans and human interaction in education and learning. The seminal article by Daniel and Marquis (1979) challenged distance educators to get the mixture right between independent study and interactive learning strategies and activities. They quite rightly pointed out that these two primary forms of education have differing economic, pedagogical, and social characteristics, and that we are unlikely to find a “perfect ” mix that meets all learner and institutional needs across all curricula and content. Nonetheless, hard decisions have to be made. Even more than in 1979, the development of newer, cost effective technologies and the nearly ubiquitous (in developed countries) Net-based telecommunications system is transforming, at least, the cost and access implications of getting the mix right. Further, developments in social cognitive based learning theories are providing increased evidence of the importance of collaborative activity as a component of all forms of education – including those delivered at a distance. Finally, the context in which distance education is developed and delivered is changing in response to the capacity of the semantic Web (Berners-Lee, 1999) to support interaction, not only amongst humans, but also between and among autonomous agents and human beings. Thus, the landscape and challenges of “getting the mix right ” have not lessened in the past 25 years, and, in fact, have become even more complicated. This paper attempts to provide a theoretical rationale and guide for instructional designers and teachers interested in developing distance education systems that are both effective and efficient in meeting diverse student learning needs.

This thesis is dedicated to my wife Gail and my children, Mark and Lauren. They have watched me spend endless hours at the computer instead of with them. They have shared in my journey and always helped me when the road was hard. They have sacrificed as much, if not more, than I have. I hope this work justifies their support. ii This study examines the ability of online distance education courses using CMC and constructivist assessment tools to support cognitive presence and deep learning. Four online focus groups were conducted, three among graduate students and one among instructors who have respectively taken and delivered online courses in the Master of Distance Education program at Athabasca University. Transcripts of the focus groups were analyzed with the objective of developing a grounded conceptual model. The learning experiences, as described by the participants themselves, have shown that deep learning and

Though interaction is often billed as a significant component of successful online learning, empirical evidence of its importance as well as practical guidance or specific interaction techniques continue to be lacking. In response, this study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate how instructors and students perceive the importance of online interaction and which instructional techniques enhance those interactions. Results show that instructors perceive the learner-instructor and learnerlearner interactions as key factors in high quality online programs. While online students generally perceive interaction as an effective means of learning, they vary with regard to having more interaction in online courses. Such variations seem to be associated with differences in personality or learning style. The present study also shows that instructors tend to use technologies and instructional activities that they are familiar with or have relied on in traditional classroom settings. When it comes to learning more sophisticated technologies or techniques, instructors vary significantly in their usage of new approaches.

Threaded discussion has the potential to be a very effective tool for learning online. However, it does not naturally fit well into engineering and science courses because of the factual nature of these domains. Our experience with this technique led us to be cautious in its use. Careful attention must be paid to topic selection and question design, instructor expectations of students, student personalities, and moderation of the actual discussion. This paper traces our experiences and concludes with recommendations for effective use of the technique.

Bernadette Charlier (Département des Sciences de l’Education, Université de Fribourg)

Students are most successful in online courses that provide ample opportunities for them to interact with the instructor, other students, and the course content. An interactive online course must engage students as active learners rather than as passive participants. How can instructors design virtual classrooms that offer students with a variety of learning styles and preferences the greatest chance of success? This article suggests ways of increasing interactivity in online educational environments. Why Interaction is Important Students ' perceptions of course interactions can influence their assessment of online course quality (Klesius, Homan, and Thompson 1997; Zirkin and Sumler 1995). Studies suggest that students who succeed in an online course do so because the course allows them to be active participants (Verneil and Berge 2000) and promotes collaborative learning (Miller and Miller 1999; Berge 1995). Fulford and Zhang (1993) found that students who perceive a course to be highly interactive will derive more satisfaction from the instruction than students who perceive the course to be less interactive. To ensure that their courses promote effective interaction, instructors need to confirm that students understand the instructor's expectations, that course content is easy to follow, and that opportunities for feedback among students and instructor exist (LaMonica 2001). Moore and Kearsley (1996) describe three