A discovery-based experiment is developed depending on a "false assumption" that the students mistakenly assume they know the structure of a reaction product and are forced to reconcile observations that are inconsistent with this assumption. This experiment involves the chemistry of azulenes, an interesting class of intensely colored aromatic…

A video mock-up is a "design story", described by Patrick Parrish in a recent "TechTrends" article as "imagining the journey of a learner's experience in engaging with a finished design". A design story allows designers to show their design vision to others and to observe features and benefits of the program as a learner would experience it. The…

Present Educational Modelling Languages are used to formally specify abstract learning scenarios in a machine-interpretable format. Current tooling does not provide teachers/designers with some graphical facilities to help them in reusing existent scenarios. They need human-readable representations. This paper discusses the UML4LD experimental…

An experimental approach to French grammar instruction at the American School of Madrid, based on a restructuring of the grammar around the verb, provides a promising new perspective for language pedagogy. (MSE)

This paper presents a proposal of a framework whose main objective is to manage the delivery and rendering of learning objects in a digital rights controlled environment. The framework is based on a digital licensing scheme that requires each learning object to have the proper license in order to be rendered by a trusted player. A conceptual model…

College has done some important things for our country--many of them unsuspected and underrecognized. Colleges have provided, unwittingly, a social laboratory for experiment with new and diverse styles of living--experiments that improve the society at large. (Author)

Presents a follow-up report on Alpha, an experimental unit of the College of DuPage in Illinois. Traces the postgraduation activities of Alpha graduates and describes new Alpha programs and projects. (CAM)

An experimental program designed to increase multicultural awareness in education undergraduates is described. (LH)

Responds to "Autistic Recovery? An Analysis and Critique of the Empirical Evidence on the Early Intervention Project" (Gresham and MacMillan), which criticizes research showing the effectiveness of the UCLA Youth Autism Project program for children with autism. The article's misunderstandings are discussed and the program is explained. (CR)

Responds to "The UCLA Young Autism Project: A Reply to Gresham and MacMillan" (Smith and Lovaas), which criticized a review questioning the effectiveness of an intervention for children with autism. The Smith and Lovass article is described as defensive, factually inaccurate, and as not adequately addressing the question of external validity.…

Traditional psychotherapy, individual or group, never thoroughly resolves issues of perceived culpability, positive identification with other survivors, grief, or low self-esteem. To address this issue, a weekend retreat was designed that joins adult and adolescent women who were sexually abused as children. The tremendous success of this modality…

A mini-pilot test was conducted by the Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration to develop training on enforcing the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act. The situation that necessitated the test is presented; mini-pilot test examples are explained; and pros and cons of the mini-pilots are examined. A sidebar contains suggestions…

Medical Research conducted in the patient care setting is facing a new financial barrier, the prospective payment system. Both university and hospitals must rethink clinical research resource use. This may result in better accountability for research costs and affect the hospitals' willingness to conduct experimental or innovative treatments. (MSE)

Describes a trial program involving 20 boys in a juvenile detention facility. Academic skills in math, English, and architecture, and vocational skills in carpentry and electrical contracting, were taught. Students also received art therapy. Test scores improved for these students, as did communication, social skills, self-confidence, and pride.…

A Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) undergraduate honors course in the physics of technology, taught in a special advanced electronic classroom, uses a computer data-management program to create a "stack" of index cards, from which students can answer their own or others' questions about technology. Students learn both physics and clear…