Measuring performance and evaluating progress in a Web-based synchronous interactive learning environment

Due to the increasing proliferation of courses and "courseware", it is clear that there is a need to assess the effectiveness of online learning processes in order to provide "best-practice" benchmarks. Similar to the focus on task-technology fit in the design of human-computer systems, attention must be paid to "course-technology" fit and the goals of the stakeholders for each course that takes a technology-mediated form. Educational "added value" depends on a mix of factors: pedagogical goals, personnel and technology budgets, and the availability of connectivity between educators who are capable facilitators and students who are skilled in accommodating new ways of learning. This work contributes positively to the discussion by presenting personal experiences with the deployment of technology-mediated course variations.