Despite increasing college enrollment and growing diversity of the college student population, college completion rates are low. Many colleges are exploring ways to leverage technology to improve student retention and increase the educational options for and success of their diverse student bodies. Web-based course or learning management systems…

With the advent of open source virtual environments, the associated cost reductions, and the more flexible options, avatar-based virtual reality environments are within reach of educators. By using and repurposing readily available virtual environments, instructors can bring engaging, community-building, and immersive learning opportunities to…

Discussion of the difference between an educational simulation and other interactive learning events highlights the effects terminology can have on both facilitators and participants. Five common mistakes made in running simulations are identified, and gaming terminology used in Britain and in the United States is discussed. (three references)…

The question of how to best help students understand, accept, and respect difference presents an important challenge for educators. As schools embrace an increasingly diverse population, middle school students are likely to encounter on a daily basis people from diverse backgrounds, and with different abilities and disabilities, in their schools…

Describes two interactive computer programs that simulate abstract relationships and require students to use inductive reasoning, form and test hypotheses, and analyze functions of systems and the reasoning processes required to understand them. Their development and use in college philosophy of science courses is outlined, and possible future…

This final report of a project to develop an Interchange Model Office Program providing training and work laboratory experiences also contains two products of the project--an employee's handbook and a manager's guide. The narrative describes the program involving two separate classes, each representing a business that conducts transactions with…

Suggestions to help faculty discover ways of achieving interactive, investigatory, and intimate learning environments in large settings are provided. The instructional objective is to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning. (MLW)

This paper provides guidelines for writing and classifying scenarios for classroom practice of language skills through the strategic interaction method. The scripts, used for spontaneous or rehearsed role-playing or transactional games, are rated according to their information load (grammatical complexity), interactional value, and transactional…

This module offering an overview of teaching strategies is 1 in a series of 10 modules written for vocational education teacher education programs. It is to supplement the American Association for Vocational Instructional Materials's Category C: Instructional Execution (Modules C-1 through C-30) of the Professional Teacher Education Module Series.…