Recognizing the relationship between homework completion and academic achievement, this action research project targeted eighth graders in all subject areas who failed to complete homework assignments and provided them with creative strategies to improve homework completion. Participating in the project were eighth graders from a small, suburban,…

A college teacher describes his approach to student subject-area writing, which includes assignment of several short papers to be written according to carefully prescribed guidelines (appended to the article), clear grading criteria, high expectations, availability for individual conferences, rewards for improvement, encouragement of writing for…

Describes a course on adaptive technology for people with disabilities that is taught via the Internet from the University of Washington. Highlights include instructional tools, including a text, videotape, electronic mail, and a World Wide Web server; class discussions; assignments; field experiences; access issues; and pros and cons of this…

Describes "Wildlife and Plants of the World," a multivolume encyclopedia set for third to seventh grades that is a basic science resource, and explains how it can be used by teachers and library media specialists to structure assignments that allow students to practice standard access skills that will transfer to other information resources. (LRW)

Examines the high dropout rate among elementary and middle school students in Changed Prefecture. Lists and discusses four factors that contribute to this situation. Describes student attitudes toward school: studying is useless, excessive amounts of school work are given, misunderstandings concerning job placement exist, and tuition is high. (KO)

Reports on the impact of extra-credit assignments on the academic performance of marginal college-level students. Finds that those who attempted the assignments improved their test performance, were less likely to drop out of the class than a control group, and evaluated the experience positively. (CFR)

Analyzes primary document from German Holocaust period in which German bureaucrats described in euphemistic terms the murder of the Jews. Illustrates how the document can be used as a teaching aid by having students replace the euphemisms using words with their intended meaning, and reading it aloud in class. References include sources of…

Presents a description of an undergraduate course, "Psychology of Oppression." Maintains that the course teaches an understanding of the factors that undermine the appreciation of multiculturalism and other forms of societal diversity. (CFR)

We developed a hybrid course format (part online, part face-to-face) to deliver a high-enrollment, introductory environmental biology course to resident (living on or near campus), non-science majors at a large, public university. The hybrid course was structured to include bi-weekly online assignments and weekly meetings in the lecture hall…

Researchers have suggested that up to 50 % of the effort in development of information systems is devoted to user interface development (Douglas, Tremaine, Leventhal, Wills, & Manaris, 2002; Myers & Rosson, 1992). Yet little study has been performed on the inclusion of important interface and human-computer interaction topics into a current…

Modern organizations prize teamwork. Management schools have responded to this reality by integrating teamwork into the curriculum. Two important challenges associated with integrating teams in the management classroom include (a) designing teamwork assignments that achieve multiple, sophisticated learning outcomes and (b) instruction in, and…

Communication in society today is characterised by rapidly changing and emergent forms of meaning-making in a context of increased cultural and linguistic diversity. The need to teach these new literacy practices referred to as multiliteracies, is now embedded within systemic policies in Australia. This research paper is a response to these…

Curriculum integration and working in teams are two key characteristics of middle schooling in Australia today. As part of a new primary/middle teacher education program an interdisciplinary team of academics has developed a course that aims to teach pre service teachers how to plan for and teach an integrated curriculum unit in an authentic…

This study evaluated the impact of reflective teaching on the ability of preservice teachers to articulate a teaching philosophy. Three questions were explored: (1) how effective will a structure for reflecting be if used throughout a teacher education program? (2) how effectively will students be able to use that structure as a framework for…

This practicum was designed and implemented to increase the homework completion rate of sixth graders in English classes. Objectives were formulated to reflect a statistical increase in homework completion rate by means of calculation and analysis of a computerized gradebook. A review of the literature revealed several viable strategies to…