A research framework for the study of a campus-wide Web-based academic instruction project

• Published in: The Internet and higher education 2002, Vol.5 (3), p.213-229
• Main Author: Nachmias, Rafi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Computing; Conceptual Frameworks; Conventional Instruction; Course websites; Distance teaching; Educational sciences; Evaluation; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Internet; Internet and higher education; Research agenda; Teaching aids; Technology Integration; Tel Aviv University (Israel); Web Based Instruction
• ISSN: 1096-7516; 1873-5525
• DOI: 10.1016/S1096-7516(02)00103-3

The use of the Internet as an instructional tool in higher education is rapidly increasing. The author provides a research framework for the study of campus-wide academic instruction using the Web. This framework consists of three levels: (a) the macro level, which focuses on the diffusion process of the Internet on the campus instruction from the institutional perspective; (b) the mezzo level, which focuses on the emergence of new pedagogies and learning paradigms in courses that integrate the Web into traditional instruction; and (c) the micro level, which concerns the actual usage of the Web in the teaching and learning process of specific courses. First, a background and description of the research framework is provided. Second, the author describes how this framework serves as the research agenda for the study of Virtual TAU—a campus-wide implementation project aimed at integrating the Internet into the traditional instruction of Tel-Aviv University (TAU). Finally, a preliminary discussion of the issues and concerns raised by this research effort is provided.