Argumentation is an important component of scientific education (Osborne, 2010). However, how students create and evaluate competing arguments in scientific investigations is a complex construct, which presents significant challenges for assessment. We engaged 349 middle and high school students in a virtual scientific investigation based on an…

Appreciation of problem structure is critical to successful learning. Two experiments investigated effective ways of communicating problem structure in a computer-based learning environment and tested whether verbal instruction is necessary to specify solution steps, when deep structure is already embellished by instructional examples.…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group study was to test theories of constructivism and motivation, along with research-based teaching practices of differentiating instruction and instructing within a child's Zone of Proximal Development, in measuring the effect of computer-aided instruction on fifth grade students'…

Collaboratively observing tutoring is a promising method for observational learning (also referred to as vicarious learning). This method was tested in the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center's Physics LearnLab, where students were introduced to physics topics by observing videos while problem solving in Andes, a physics tutoring system.…

The experience of Central Pennsylvania's Keystone Central School District (KCSD) illustrated how microcomputers can help solve some of the characteristic problems of rural schools. KCSD's Renovo Elementary School has 3 stand-alone microcomputers and the district's Buckeye High School has 12 networked microcomputers. One major benefit of the…

The use of professional software is an integral part of a student's education in the mining engineering curriculum at The Pennsylvania State University. Even though mining engineering represents a limited market across U.S. educational institutions, the goal still exists for using this type of software to enrich the learning environment with…

This yearbook discusses instructional approaches that are consistent with the reformulation of the school mathematics curriculum by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Articles included cover: (1) Pennsylvania standards for mathematics programs (including goals, curriculum, instruction, evaluation, teachers, and…

Three characteristics of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) make it suitable for individualizing instruction: adaptive response by the student, continual evaluation of the student's responses, and adaptability of instruction to the individual's responses and his achievement levels. CAI systems are being used for laboratory computing, record…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…

The "ISSS Annual Conference Proceedings" is a peer-reviewed professional publication published once a year following the annual conference. (Individual papers contain references.) [For the 2009 proceedings, see ED504973.]