Action Research Project: - iMET

4function to improve academic achievement? How does online learning address studentaccountability?Definition of TermsOnline learning is the achievement of learning, advancement of knowledge, or creation ofscholarship while connected to a network of computers, a local or wide area network, or intranet,or the Internet. Other communication between the student(s) and the teacher (e.g., coursedocuments, online syllabus, discussion boards, email, online testing, automatic grading,homework drop boxes, slide presentations) can take place without anyone actually seeing oneanother. This definition characterizes the available courseware on the market today (includingclass.com). Online providers have so far evolved through three generations of online coursedevelopment. Initially, students were provided with course handouts, instructional materials, andInternet links with developmental education sites that support the face-to-face instruction. In thesecond generation, online courses provided materials and also required students to interact onlineusing asynchronous e-mail, bulletin boards, and web-based forms for worksheets and tests. Thisdevelopment essentially replaced the need for face-to-face interaction. The third generationadded the benefit of synchronous interactivity through chat rooms, audio/visual conferencing, orMUDs (multi-user dimensional environments) and MOOS (multi-user object oriented systems)(Shedletsky, 2001).Face-to-face refers to the physical meeting between student(s) and teacher. In comparisonto the online learning environment, face-to-face is a characteristic of the traditional schoolenvironment.Asynchronous chat is a derivative of bulletin boards: individual postings on a serveraccessed, with permission, by others. “In asynchronous communication, faculty and students