Papers in PDF format

Data Sources
Using a case study research methodology (Yin, 1994) data were gathered from the following sources: 1)
teachers’ reflections on their learning of the Internet tools; 2) students' mid- and final course evaluation
summary; 3) students’ reports of users’ evaluations of the course projects; 4) students’ feedback on the course;
5) instructor’s evaluation of the course projects; 6) instructor’s in- and out-of-class observations; and 7) e-mail
messages from course participants and non-participants.
Results
In analysis of the data, information about outcomes and processes of the course emerged. Data revealed the
effectiveness of the course to empower teachers to use Internet tools and to author Web projects. In the same
way, data shed light about the causal relationship between the implementation of specific learning environment
strategies mirrored by specific webware design features, and the course intended outcomes. The five pairs of
environment strategies and webware features included: 1) provision of effective guidance/simplicity of
structure and ease of navigation; 2) tailoring of information to learners' needs/ originality of content; 3)
promotion of intensive, meaningful practice/variety of task-based activities; 4) fostering of in-class working
collaborations/diversification of on-line collaborative opportunities; and 5) favoring of learners' participation in
design of course materials/ plurality of authoring sources.
Educational Impact
The educational impact of this study is, basically, threefold. First, the study provides a working model for
future Internet-related courses for pre- and in-service teachers: if teachers are to integrate telecommunications
technologies in their teaching practices, teacher education courses should feature the teaching strategies and
the delivery tools that would allow practitioners to “learn by doing.” Second, the study promotes the soundness
of an important trend in education, participatory design (Silva and Breuleux, 1994) for which attention to the
learner and teacher, as opposed to the “expert,” is primary. And third, at a moment when limitations in
instructional design models are being debated (Hannafin, 1992), the study may help to conceptualize more
inclusive and flexible learning environments: it may empower teachers to develop and assess the effectiveness
of on-line resources whose design features are patterned on selective teaching and learning strategies.
References
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Hannafin, M. (1992). Emerging technologies, ISD, and learning environments: critical perspectives.
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Silva, M., & Breuleux, A. (1994). The use of participatory design in the implementation of internet-based
collaborative learning activities in K-12 classrooms. Interpersonal Computing and Technology Journal,
3(5), 99-128.
Yin, R. K. (1994). Case Study Research, Design and Methods (2nd ed.). Beverly Hills, California: Sage