A key step in distance learning project management is the creation of a course development plan. The plan should account for decisions related to materials, curriculum, delivery methods, staffing, technology applications, resources, reporting lines, and project management--issues that may require administrator involvement and support, particularly…

This protocol guided the review of research that informed the recommendations contained in the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making, published in September 2009. The research review involved the following steps: (1) The research staff searched the professional…

Serious games have a great potential for training and educating people in novel and engaging ways. However, little empirical research has been done on the effectiveness of serious games, and although early findings do point to a moderately positive direction, even less is known about why some games succeed in effectively educating while others do…

School-based response to intervention (RTI) teams must gather, organize, chart, and interpret essential instructional information to make effective adjustments to meet the academic needs of struggling learners. Quantified data such as student proficiency scores, rate of progress trends, and achievement gap results provide the foundation for making…

Discusses structure, credibility, and use of the Computer Based Training (CBT) Advisor, an expert system designed to help managers make judgements about course selection, system selection, cost/benefits, development effort, and probable success of CBT projects. (MBR)

One of the fundamental goals of environmental education (EE) is to equip students with the skills to make more thoughtful decisions about environmental issues. Many examples of environmental and science education curricula work to address this goal by providing students with up-to-date information about a myriad of environmental issues from a…

The first of two articles designed to provide guidelines for the instructional development phase of instructional systems development focuses on general instructional methods supporting all instructional tasks. Teaching methods that support selective attention, processing in working memory, and connecting in long-term memory are described and…

Compares the knowledge content of GTE (Generic Tutoring Environment), a generic instructional knowledge base that facilitates dynamic pedagogical decision making, and PEPE, a computational framework for representing pedagogical knowledge to tailor instruction to an individual student. The courseware's interaction with the student and instructional…

A carefully coordinated literacy assessment and instruction framework implemented school-wide can support school teams in making sense of various types of data for instructional planning. Instruction that is data based and goal driven sets the stage for continuous reading and writing improvement. (Contains 2 figures.)

Analysis of two high school economics courses illustrates generalizations that could help guide design of other high school courses involving: (1) high-ability students; (2) introductory economic principles in high school courses; (3) personal and societal economic problems; (4) juniors' and seniors' interest in economics; and (5) emphasis on…

Discusses the potential role of case study experimentation in relation to efforts to improve knowledge of dynamic environmental systems. Also outlines a case study method developed by the authors and discusses specific uses and applications of case studies for instructional purposes. (JN)

This paper discusses issues and factors involved in making decisions on whether to use World Wide Web-based instruction. Five levels of Web-based instruction (no Web use, informational, supplemental, essential, communal, or immersive Web use) are discussed, and the following factors are identified to consider before making the decision to put…

Discusses how instructional development (ID) practitioners influence the success of corporate instructional development projects. Highlights include characteristics of expert ID practitioners; critical competencies, including communication, organization and management, instructional design, and research; and practices of expert ID practitioners,…

Teachers' conceptions of teaching, and broad approaches to teaching reported by teachers are both commonly found to range from teaching as information transmission, through to teaching as supporting students' own knowledge constructions. Further, conceptions and approaches have been found to correlate, suggesting that there might be some…

This paper discusses the systematic approach to the integration of microcomputers into all phases of instruction that was implemented in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1984 under the Computer Education Foundation Program (CEFP). It begins with a brief description of the school district to provide a context for the reader. The current…