This literature review summarizes research on online teaching and learning. It is organized into four topics: course environment, learners' outcomes, learners' characteristics, and institutional and administrative factors. The authors found little consistency of terminology, discovered some conclusive guidelines, and identified developing lines of inquiry. The conclusions overall suggest that most of the studies reviewed were descriptive and exploratory, that most online students are nontraditional and Anglo American, and that few universities have written policies, guidelines, or technical support for faculty members or students. Asynchronous communication seemed to facilitate in-depth communication (but not more than in traditional classes), students liked to move at their own pace, learning outcomes appeared to be the same as in traditional courses, and students with prior training in computers were more satisfied with online courses. Continued research is needed to inform learner outcomes, learner characteristics, course environment, and institutional factors related to delivery system variables in order to test learning theories and teaching models inherent in course design.Keywords: distance education, Internet courses, online teaching, web-based instruction With the rapid development of technology, online instruction has emerged as an alternative mode of teaching and learning and a substantial supplement to traditional teaching. In the academic year 2000-2001, 90% of public 2-year and 89% of public 4-year institutions offered distance education courses. In the same year, an estimated 2,876,000 individuals were enrolled in college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, with 82% ofthese at the undergraduate level. Of those institutions offering distance education, 43% offered Internet courses using synchronous computer-based instruction, which can also be called online courses (Waits & Lewis, 2003). Synchronous online classes are offered in such a way that all students are online and communicating at the same time, while asynchronous online classes are those that students can log on to and work on even if no one else is logged on at the same time.Web-based education uses the Internet and communication technologies, ranging from the Internet as a research tool to taking online classes. In some instances the Internet is also used to supplement instruction, as in the use of a website to communicate information to students who are in a face-to-face class. Online classes are courses that are delivered completely on the Internet. Hybrid or blended courses are those that combine online components with traditional, face-to-face components. The term distance education is also used to describe any courses that are delivered to students who are not present in the same room. These might be delivered via interactive television, online courses, and courses using videotapes, television, or correspondence. E-learning may be used to describe any learning that is electronically mediated or facilitated by ...

RESUMOComo uma profissão do tempo dos escribas, o secretariado se desenvolveu significativamente ao longo do tempo, contudo a pesquisa nesse campo parece não ter acompanhado o papel dos praticantes. Atualmente a especialização requerida do profissional de secretariado envolve não somente as habilidades que anteriormente caracterizavam seu trabalho mas também um conjunto de novas habilidades mais relacionadas com a administração da organização. Essas podem incluir mas não se limitam à viabilização de resultados que de forma geral inclui o envolvimento em gestão da mudança, criatividade e empreendedorismo, planos de aumento da produtividade, ações de corte de custos e gerenciamento de projetos. Devido à complexidade que caracteriza o ambiente de negócios e os projetos das empresas, este artigo busca investigar o papel do profissional de secretariado na gestão de projetos complexos. Como uma pesquisa exploratória, três casos foram estudados em empresas globais nas quais projetos complexos fazem parte de sua realidade e o profissional de secretariado existe oficialmente. Os resultados demonstram que o envolvimento desse profissional foi muito positivo para o desempenho do projeto devido à forma como ele forneceu suporte ao gerente do projeto e à equipe do projeto. Tanto as habilidades hard quanto as soft foram muito importantes para o desempenho do projeto, especialmente a comunicação, a negocição e a atitude. O secretariado executivo evoluiu de uma perspectiva operacional para uma estratégica. Para continuar crescendo na profissão o secretário precisa aprimorar seu conhecimento sobre gerenciamento de projetos.Palavras-chave: Profissional de Secretariado; Projetos Complexos; Gestão de Projetos. THE ROLE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONAL IN THE MANAGEMENT OF COMPLEX PROJECTS ABSTRACTAs a profession that dates back the scribes' time, the secretariat has significantly evolved over time but research on this field seems not to follow the practitioners' role. Nowadays, the specialization required from the administrative professional involves not only the previously skills that for long time characterized the secretary's job but also a set of new ones that are more related to the organization's management. They may include but are not limited to enabling results in a wide sense as getting involved in change management, creativity and entrepreneurship, productivity increasing plans, cost cutting actions, and project management. Due to the complexity that characterizes the business environment and companies' projects, this article aims at investigating the role of the administrative professional in the management of complex projects. As an exploratory research, three case studies have been conducted with global companies in which complex projects are part of their reality and the administrative professional is officially existent. Findings show that the involvement of this professional has been very positive to project performance due to the way he supported the project manager and the project team. Both secretary's hard an...

Flow theory identifies several structural variables that can be manipulated by an instructional designer. Modifying these variables may cause an increase in the likelihood that a learner will be motivated to continue with the lesson. While some researchers suggest activity contents, such as challenge and goal and induce flow experience [1], others hypothesize flow is enhanced by vividness and interactivity of the presentation [2]. This study investigates the effect of activity content, its presentation, and the interactions between the two on flow experience (intrinsic motivation) in instructional activity. The results suggested that the activity content has major influences on motivation, but presentation is a double-edge sword. Hypermedia presentation adds appeals to instructions that motivate students if they are used appropriately. When the content relevance is complicated, complex presentations can be distracting. Consequently, hypermedia elements should be used sparingly at the beginning of a lesson when challenges are high and students are unfamiliar with the material. As the lesson progresses it could be used gradually as the content challenges are reduced.Interest in all forms of education and instruction is at an all time high and is being driven in large part by unanticipated popularity and curiosity in the World Wide Web. The Web's (WWW) ability to deliver entertainment, provide information, and conduct commerce holds a particular fascination for the public. Everyone from individuals, corporations, major newspapers to universities have the ability to create a "homepage" that provides information, entertainment, or a product for sale to anyone who is "surfing" the World Wide Web. Education is not immune from this rapid technological shift. 151

In contrast to traditional projects, which are assumed to be fully specified and then executed with little learning anticipated, complex projects cannot be fully specified at the outset and require continuous learning over their life cycles. Nevertheless, the key role of knowledge formation and learning in managing complex projects is under-developed for expanding project capability boundaries to include knowledge uncertainty and indeterminacy.Drawing inspiration from Karl Weick's enactivist ideas and an empirical study of two organizations that developed project capability for complex projects, the paper develops an integrated view of projects and project management that is grounded in problem solving learning and organizing.More specifically, a project is reconceptualised as 'a mode of organizing to accomplish a temporary undertaking' with intrinsic learning. This perspective views complex projects under knowledge uncertainty as learning organizations, with implications for project management theory and practice.

This study investigated the effects of teacher discourse in a computer-mediated discussion. Three different styles of discourse were established: questions only; statements only; and conversational. Results supported the hypothesis that a conversational style of discourse produced higher levels of student participation with a more complex interaction pattern. In addition, there was a higher frequency of peer-peer interaction with more complex responses. This study suggests that a conversational style of discourse is both possible and desirable within a computer-mediated discussion. Further research is needed on the effects of a conversational style and newer interface designs on student participation and achievement.