Authentic scientific data, when richly contextualized, can provide the basis for compelling learning experiences. Many undergraduate students either do not have access to primary data, or if they do, the data are so abstract that student engagement is limited. Here, we describe contextual information and data-rich, student-centered activities we…

An effective learning environment interface (LEI) is a means to enable students to focus on learning and to understand content, while establishing connections and relationships among course activities. Using this fundamental premise, we propose a flexible, user-centered, and seamless LEI which is intended to remediate the fragmented interface…

Technology facilitated teaching and learning can now influence the way both lecturers and students collaborate. The problem is that many of these interventions are conducted in a non-systematic ad-hoc way. There are concerns that merely adopting a traditional lecturing approach to a technology based environment provides little if any advantage to…

How can science instructors prepare students for the statistics needed in authentic inquiry labs? We designed and assessed four instructional modules with the goals of increasing student confidence, appreciation, and performance in both experimental design and data analysis. Using extensions from a just-in-time teaching approach, we introduced…

In this paper, we describe the introduction of blogs to a class of Masters in Technical and Vocational Education students taking the MBE 1223 Statistics in Education module in Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). The purpose of the analysis is to elaborate on the perception of the participants towards blogs before, during and after training…

Middle school and high school students need to develop many skills in order to investigate environmental issues and know the basics of citizenship action strategies. This student guide is designed to teach students how to investigate and evaluate environmental issues and actions. The guide is presented in six modules. Module 1 introduces the…

An evaluation of a CD-ROM multimedia component of a first grade science curriculum, the IBM/CTW "Through the Woods," is presented. The presentation offers hands-on activities related to forest ecology, such as virtual nature walks. Children participating in the study (n=95) displayed ability to use the technology, a high degree of affect…

Six papers examine innovations and trends in distance learning, frequently drawing upon empirical research or informal observations on distance learning students at Charles Sturt University (Australia). "On-Line Study Packages for Distance Education: Some Considerations of Conceptual Parameters" (Dirk M. R. Spennemann) discusses issues…

An approach for selecting, modifying, and using protocol-related materials in elementary social studies is described. Protocol materials are defined as original records of an event or a behavior which can be observed and analyzed by inservice and preservice teacher education students. The approach, beginning with the presentation of an editorial…

Describes a social work course incorporating ethnographic research methods, including seven course modules that cover sampling, data collection, data analysis, theory development, presentation of findings, and practical application within a clinical setting. Also presents student evaluations of course relevance and usefulness, and educational and…

The program evaluated was developed to assist teachers in providing students with opportunities to become successful users of content materials through the installation and reinforcement of independent study skills. Lessons using high interest items in social studies content with emphasis on improving cognitive processes were designed for…

The Occupational Survival Skills (OSS) Modules were designed to offer high school students an opportunity to develop skills applicable to a wide range of jobs in the work world and to develop positive attitudes, perceptions, and motivations toward work. The primary purpose of this study was to describe and interpret the influence of the OSS…

Intended for use by educators and the public, this report interprets the findings of two research studies on competency-based vocational education (CBVE) in Kentucky secondary schools: "The Development of an Instrument to Measure Student Attitudes toward Competency-Based Individualized Instructional Modules," by John C. Thomas, and…

This student manual, the first in a set of 14 modules, is designed to train emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in Ohio. This introductory module contains five sections. The first section introduces the series of modules, listing the contents of each one, and discusses the student-instructor relationship, how to study, and principles of learning.…

This article explores a qualitative evaluation of student and tutor perceptions of the educational aims, methods and impact of undertaking a new medical humanities student selected module (SSM) within one medical school in the United Kingdom. The findings of the study build on previous work within this subject area and provide insight of learning…