In a problem-based learning (PBL) environment, students work in groups on real-life problems and have the opportunity to determine for themselves what they need to learn in the relevant subject area(s). A common feature of problem-based learning is to provide students with a range of resources that assist them in solving the problems. This paper attempts to classify resources according to the educational functions and activities for which they will be used. It also discusses communication patterns, assessment, and evaluation with respect to problem-based learning. Finally, it presents two case studies, one that illustrates a progression of problem development within the PBL environment and one that describes a practical application of PBL, with appropriate use of resources, for a first-year course in Java.

This is the first of a series of papers describing how the Open University, a large distance education institution, has embraced the Internet as a medium for supporting its students, tutors, academics, and administrators throughout the education process. This paper reports on a holistic approach to integrating technology into the teaching process which addresses how to provide necessary functions in effective formssome traditional, some new. It describes the development and structure of actual systems, which incorporate electronic student registration; electronic assignment submission, marking, and recording; electronic tutorials and other interaction; and electronic examinations. It describes and summarizes some of the findings of the evaluation of those systems, including student, academic, and administrator feedback. Finally, this paper reflects on the benefits of an integrated holistic approach in exploiting the Internet's potential to support distance learning on a massive scale. Subsequent papers in this series will address specific areas in detail: the student experience, the role of the tutor in an electronic environment, and the institutional perspective.

The World Wide Web is increasingly being used to provide opportunities for distance learning. This report explores the motivations for developing Web-based distance learning and examines a range of issues including ethics, pedagogy, planning, advantages, disadvantages, and appropriate and inappropriate uses. The analysis takes a learner-centric view, classing as appropriate those uses of the Web that further the traditional educational values of quality, outreach, and flexibility. Examples of inappropriate uses are also given.

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In a problem-based learning (PBL) environment, students work in groups on real-life problems and have the opportunity to determine for themselves what they need to learn in the relevant subject area(s). A common feature of problem-based learning is to provide students with a range of resources that assist them in solving the problems. This paper attempts to classify resources according to the educational functions and activities for which they will be used. It also discusses communication patterns, assessment, and evaluation with respect to problem-based learning. Finally, it presents two case studies, one that illustrates a progression of problem development within the PBL environment and one that describes a practical application of PBL, with appropriate use of resources, for a first-year course in Java.