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Reviewer: James L. Rogers

The preface to this book states that it is aimed at three audiences: teachers and students who might be interested in using this technology in their courses; scholars and the general public “interested in the issues of future possible impacts of computers on society”; and “scholars interested in new communication technologies…and evaluation research related to computer, communication, and pedagogical innovations.” The book is divided into four parts: “Foundations,” “Teaching in a Virtual Classroom: the Perpetual Professor,” “Learning in a Virtual Classroom: Research Methods and Findings,” and “Virtual Classrooms and Virtual Universities: Present and Future.” Readers of Computing Reviews will primarily be interested in the structure and extent of the information transactions provided by the Virtual Classroom software described in Part 1. The innovative features of the Virtual Classroom allow the student, using a networked PC, to participate in “class conferences,” enter writing assignments into “notebooks,” and send messages to instructors or other students. Student interaction with the course materials, the instructor, and other students takes place in the class conference, a shared presentation and discussion space. “Activity branches” can be attached to a class conference. In “Question/Response,” the instructor can pose a question and require a response from each student. Only after entering his or her response can the student see the responses made by other students. “Document Read” allows essay or lecture materials to be divided into titled sections, so students can read any or all of the sections. “Selection” allows the student to select items from a list (for example, available topics for assignments) and shows who has chosen which items so far. “Sequencing” allows the instructor to require that particular activities be conducted in a specified sequence. “Review” allows each student to see his or her own list of completed activities and allows the instructor to review the lists for the whole class. A set of instructional management tools allows the creation, taking, and grading of quizzes; the organization and tracking of student responses to assignments; and the compiling, running, and debugging of FORTRAN and Pascal programs. The remaining parts and appendices focus on implementation issues and on the field trial research findings.