342 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 17 Assessment of the Effectiveness of Distance Learning Courses and of Interactive Processes in Virtual Learning Environments Francisco Villa Ulhôa Botelho Universidade Católica de Brasília, Brasil Rosa Maria Vicari Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil INTRODUCTION Use of information and communications technolo- gies (ICT) and large-scale access to the worldwide web have required paradigmatic changes in the education sector. The possibility of researching an array of digital sources, of instant communication and of collaborative work, of electronic publication and of simulation is radically changing approaches to teaching and learning. It is not simply the adding of new technical media to the traditional and well-known pedagogical structure, as was the case during the audiovisual era of the 1960s and 1970s, when the pedagogi- cal structure was altered only temporarily and superficially. Rather, it represents such a great ABSTRACT The general objectives of this study are: to analyze signifcant indicators for assessment of the effec- tiveness of Distance Learning (DL) courses; to check the extent to which such effectiveness is related to the quality of interactive processes; to examine characteristic elements of individuals’ conversations while they interact in study groups within virtual environments, with a view to contributing toward the effectiveness of DL courses; the development of a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of dis- tance learning courses. Results confrm the importance of the context, the teacher, and learning-group variables for the effectiveness of distance courses. They also illustrate the relevance of certain speech features of students and teachers in virtual learning environments that generate conversational dynam- ics and contribute toward meeting the goals of DL courses. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61692-008-1.ch017