Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-102). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2005. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Elisabeth Swanson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 290-307).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Nov. 22, 2006). PDF text: ix, 168 p. : col. ill. ; 2.09Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3215165. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Graduate School of Education, Oral Roberts University, 2007. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-118).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 166 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-117).

Thesis (M.A.R.)--Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-189).

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (EdD)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2008. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Marilyn Lockhart. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-167).

This thesis explores the nature of the course team approach at the UK Open University (UKOU) by investigating three issues: the formations of course teams, the process of working together in teams and the development of courses by teams. Adopting the naturalist paradigm, data were collected from three course teams of the UKOU using observations, interviews and documents. Altogether, 42 hours of observations were carried out over six months by observing 14 course team meetings. There were 28 hours of interview data from 21 interviews of 17 interviewees. A range of documents was collected. The study found that the formation of course teams is regulated by course approval protocol, and is derived from the effort of individual members. The responsibility of core academic course team members is vaguely demarcated. Academic's personal attributes are a key to team organisation. Previous experience of working together influences the members' current work in teams. In the process of working together as a team in meetings, the study shows that the .agendas of course team meetings often include practical issues. The course team meetings are flooded with practical concerns with pedagogical concerns remaining in the background. The development of courses by course teams, as this study shows, is framed by the system for course construction established by the University. An awareness of changing external environment contributes to the development of courses. There are differing views on the academic autonomy of academic course team members. Theorising of major findings leads to conclude that. both course teams and their work are contextualised because they interact with systemic, interpersonal, personal and historical contexts. Therefore, the suggestions to the successful adoption of the course team approach emphasize academic's attributes, teamwork and the system for course construction set up by the institution.

This case study is set within the theoretical framework of distance education, and is centred on the first large-scale use of computer conferencing for distance education at the Open University. The concepts of independence and autonomy, of the quasi-industrialisation of large distance teaching universities, and of interaction with learners, are taken as the frameworks for analysing the success of this application of the medium. The hypothesis concerning the convergence of traditional and distance education systems is given further support by the introduction of this new technology. The perspectives of the students who used conferencing as part of their course on Information Technology, the tutors who used conferencing for tutoring the course, and the course team who designed and wrote the course, and then maintained it with conferencing, are the central areas of investigation and analysis in this study. Qualitative data - from interviews, observation and conference content, is used along with quantitative data from user-generated statistics, from surveys and from the course database. The success of the application is analysed in three ways: its effectiveness as a mass distance teaching medium, its value as a medium for tutoring, and its use as a minor component of a multi-media course. The results show that computer conferencing can be used with large numbers of students mastering the system at a distance, though not necessarily using it interactively. The medium is very successful for certain tutoring duties - support, advice and information exchange, and potentially for interactive discussion. However, as a minor component of a course, it is too powerful and too time consuming to be successful.