Objective: Paper-based evaluations of medical students on clerkships are inefficient and time consuming to compile and analyze. To improve the evaluation process, the authors developed a web-based program. Methods: A secure web-based system was designed to collect evaluations of students and their feedback about the clerkship. Acceptance,…

Spatial technologies, particularly Geographic Information Systems (GIS), have become invaluable and persuasive tools in society today. These technologies have also made their way into classrooms around the world and Australian teachers are leaders in implementing GIS technology into their classrooms. There is still a way to go in order to make…

We give an example of a student project that experimentally explores a topic in random graph theory. We use the "Combinatorica" package in "Mathematica" to estimate the minimum number of edges needed in a random graph to have a 50 percent chance that the graph is connected. We provide the "Mathematica" code and compare it to the known theoretical…

This paper addresses the issues involved with the implementation of electronic portfolios on a college-wide basis. Important elements of traditional portfolio assessment, including philosophy, reliability, and validity are discussed, particularly in terms of the roles they play in an online system. Some of the complexities involved in developing…

Experimental methods have been used extensively for many years to conduct research in education and psychology. However, applications of experiments to investigate technology and other instructional innovations in higher education settings have been relatively limited. The present paper examines ways in which experiments can be used productively…

The usual formula for variance depending on rounding off the sample mean lacks precision, especially when computer programs are used for the calculation. The well-known simplification of the total sums of squares does not always give benefit. Since the variance of two observations is easily calculated without the use of a sample mean, and the…

There is still nothing to beat the excitement and fulfilment that you can get from observing celestial bodies on a clear dark night, in a remote location away from the seemingly ever increasing light pollution from cities. However, it is also the specific requirements for good observing that can sometimes prevent teachers from offering this…

Instructors can use a computerized experiment to introduce students to imperfect competition in courses on introductory economics, industrial organization, game theory, and strategy and management. In addition to introducing students to strategic thinking in general, the experiment serves to demonstrate that profits of a firm fall as the number of…

Databases can be used as cognitive tools to help students integrate and interrelate content areas and thus make learning more meaningful. Sound applications of databases in teaching may actively engage students in analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information and constructing knowledge. Through building and exploring databases, students ask…

Everybody wants to turn teens into regular library users, and a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project is chock-full of information that can help. If librarians better understand kids' online needs, and create libraries and services that respond to these needs, then teens will be much more likely to visit their libraries--either in…

This paper proposes a new way to integrate history of science in science education to promote conceptual change by introducing the notion of historical microworld, which is a computer-based interactive learning environment respecting historic conceptions. In this definition, "interactive" means that the user can act upon the virtual environment by…

The University entrance examination (PAU) is the most important high-stakes exam in the General educational system in Spain. It has 6 sections of which the Foreign Language one is very relevant to the final score. The English section has had almost not significant changes in the last 20 years despite all the research in language learning and…

The "Setting the scene" deliverable of the QMPP project (www.qmpp.net) has been authored by Mr. Ari-Matti Auvinen (HCI Productions Oy) and many QMPP project partners. In addition to the definition of the scope of the project, it includes also a good list of references to the literature of user-generated content as well as good web links…

This presentation describes the methodology used by Dr. Michael Marek of Wayne State College, Nebraska USA, and Dr. Vivian Wu of Chienkuo Technology University, Taiwan, for English language instruction in Taiwan using Internet videoconferencing, and their research findings after three semesters. Initial student reaction was positive. Quantitative…

This is the second in a series of three papers about online pedagogy and educational practice as part of the JISE "Online Education Forum." This paper deals with the question: "How is teaching online different from conventional teaching?" By comparing these differences along several dimensions, a set of recommended practices for online teaching…