Utilizing Internet technologies to support learning: an empirical analysis

The Internet has evolved into a universal platform to communicate and share information. It has profoundly impacted the way in which we organize, work, and learn. This paper proposes and evaluates a unifying framework that utilizes two Internet technologies, Web-based pull technology and push technology, in supporting classroom-based learning. We developed two fully operational education support systems based on the framework for two different types of courses. One system supports courses requiring extensive interactions, both communication and transfer of data files, among the course instructor, individual students, and student teams working on group projects. The other system supports courses requiring moderate interactions. One hundred and eighty-one students in eight classes across three semesters used and evaluated these systems. The study found that the systems supported learning by providing critical course information, study material, and assignments conveniently, timely, and in usable formats. The systems were user friendly and increased student productivity. The students were satisfied with the systems and found the systems useful. In addition, the study found that the system support for highly interactive courses was better than that for less interactive courses on all dimensions of system support.