ABSTRACT
This paper reports the results of a five-year case study of the use of online tools: Internet, e-mail, and the WWW in a Graduate School of Education at an urban university located on a commuter campus. The conceptual framework was independently developed, but because of the striking parallel with activity theory, activity theory became the overall framework for interpreting findings. Ten research questions were investigated using a survey repeated in 1995 and 1997; interviews of faculty, staff, and students; a focus group; and an analysis of electronic artifacts. There were four principal findings. Self-efficacy X perceived value persisted across time and across programs as success facilitators. Personal/cultural compatibility, rather than time, separated earlier from later adopters. "Finding a voice and having something to say," a factor identified under various names by other researchers, posed a challenge for students and faculty alike. Users valued personal scaffolding but had individual preferences concerning specific types of scaffolding. The study resulted in a set of recommendations, some of which have now been implemented. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: <getinfo<e>https://haworthpressinc.com">haworthpressinc.com> Website: <https://www.HaworthPress.com> ©2001 bx The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights resented.]
