This book builds on the social nature of learning to provide useful suggestions for reaching reluctant learners. It is based on the assumption that instruction that focuses on students' interests and builds on collaborative and differentiated learning will allow students to move from believing they "can't do mathematics or science" to a feeling of…

Background: Existing research suggests that one of the challenges for teachers in persisting with innovative inquiry curricula is their difficulty scaffolding students' transitions into technology-supported and open-ended activities. The question of whether students can effectively scaffold one another's transitions has not been previously…

Describes some recent initiatives and developments in the computer-aided design program in the engineering faculty of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). Provides a survey of the engineering curriculum, the computer facilities, and the main software packages available. (TW)

Discusses the purposes, advantages, and disadvantages of computer illustrated texts (CIT). Describes three separate CITs which demonstrate the variability that CITs have in terms of screen layout, programing style, and depth and range of coverage of topics in mathematical physics. (ML)

This paper describes the ASK-IT/Assessing-to-Learn (A2L) project which is an attempt to bring a strategic approach to learning, instruction, and communication. ASK-IT/A2L seeks to integrate formative assessment and instruction in the physics classroom at both the high school and college levels. The project and the approach are the result of years…

Discusses the use of a computer simulation program in teaching the concepts of spectrophotometry. Introduces several parts of the program and program usage. Presents an assessment activity to evaluate students' mastery of material. Concludes with the advantages of this approach to the student and to the assessor. (ASK)

Presents three problems based on the price of aluminum designed to encourage students to be cooperative and to use an investigative approach to learning. Students collect and synthesize information, analyze results, and draw conclusions. (AIM)

Describes a project where students use the Internet as a research tool. Discusses using e-mail to access molecular biology databases and identify proteins using amino acid sequences, obtaining complete amino acid sequences using the world wide web, using telnet to access library resources on the Internet, and various stages of protein analysis…

Presents two environmental modeling activities, biosphere bubbles and a crystal ball of population growth, along with a related online exercise and explains proven teaching methods that make demonstrations less teacher-centered and more engaging for groups of collaborating students. (KHR)

Computer technology has afforded opportunities to design science curriculum experiences that capitalize on hypertext environments. Though these settings may provide students with flexibility as they explore science, the question remains, Does science inherently favor sequential approaches to curriculum? Addresses the tension this creates using an…

Explains the design and development of an educational virtual environment to support the teaching of planetary phenomena, particularly the movements of Earth and the sun, day and night cycle, and change of seasons. Uses an interactive, three-dimensional (3D) virtual environment. Initial results show that the majority of students enthused about…

Introduces an alternative method to determine the mechanics of a moving object that uses computer vision algorithms with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera as a recording device. Presents two experiments, pendulum motion and terminal velocity, to compare results of the alternative and conventional methods. (YDS)

Describes the implementation of a new laboratory-based, interdisciplinary undergraduate course on linear dynamical systems. Focuses on geometrical methods and data visualization techniques. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/YDS)

College students learned about botany through an agent-based multimedia game. Students received either spoken or identical on-screen text explanations. Results reveal that students scored higher on retention, transfer, and program ratings in narration conditions than in text conditions. The media--desktop displays or headmounted displays--did not…

Describes a variety of science resources on the World Wide Web that can be used to enhance the science classroom. Provides a synopsis of each of the 17 websites. (Author/MVL)