The aim of this study is to test the effects of dynamically scaffolding social regulation of middle school students working in a computer-based learning environment. Dyads in the scaffolding condition (N=56) are supported with computer-generated scaffolds and students in the control condition (N=54) do not receive scaffolds. The scaffolds are…

Project-based learning is one of the main successful student-centered pedagogies broadly used in computing science courses. However, this approach can be insufficient when dealing with practical subjects that implicitly require many deliverables and a great deal of feedback and organizational resources. In this paper, a worked e-portfolio is…

The design of the drive system for an automatic machine and its correct sizing is a very important competence for an electrical or mechatronic engineer. This requires knowledge that crosses the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and mechanics, as well as the skill to choose commercial components based upon their technical documentation.…

"Learning can be defined as change in a student's capacity for performance as a result of experience" (Kenneth D. Moore). The intended changes should be specified in instructional objectives. Viewed in this context, an objective can be defined as a clear and unambiguous description of your instructional intent. An objective is not a…

While the arts in the United States are themselves often controversial, arts in public schools rarely are. That is to say that teachers, administrators, parents, students, and community members tend to agree that the opportunity to participate in the arts is beneficial to students and to the wider society. Whether discipline-based arts education…

A key aim of educational course design is to encourage students to adopt deeper approaches to learning. This article reports the findings of three studies that explored how medical students responded to three carefully designed educational course units. The findings suggest that, while a subgroup of the students responded by adopting deeper…

Providing appropriate language support is important for all students and essential to the success of English Language Learners (ELLs), struggling readers, and students with learning disabilities. In a mathematics classroom, the support includes the ongoing development of everyday vocabulary--such as names of fruit and actions such as skipping--and…

The basic idea of service-oriented learning is that a learning environment should be conceived as a set of independent units of learning packaged as learning services. The design, development and deployment of a learning system based on integrating different learning services needs both a technological platform to support the system as well as a…

In the 21st century, media literacy is an imperative for participatory democracy because new information/communication technologies and a market-based media culture have significantly reshaped the world. The better prepared students are to critically question the information and media they are seeing, hearing, and using, the more likely they are…

This article offers principles that contribute to developing the aesthetics of instructional design. Rather than describing merely the surface qualities of things and events, the concept of aesthetics as applied here pertains to heightened, integral experience. Aesthetic experiences are those that are immersive, infused with meaning, and felt as…

The argument now raging in academic circles pits those who espouse teaching 21st century skills against those who believe that schools should be teaching explicit and well-sequenced content. This debate has largely been framed as an either-or proposition. In this author's view, portraying this debate as one between two mutually exclusive sides…

Educators have a responsibility to teach students not only to be knowledgeable and intelligent, but also to use their knowledge and intelligence in ethical ways; that is, to be wise. In this essay, I first describe why we need to teach for ethical behavior. Then, I discuss how we can teach for ethical behavior. Finally, I draw some conclusions.

Educating global citizens to have knowledge of world political and economic systems and conditions is imperative as the notion of the "citizen" is constantly evolving. This type of civic education needs to involve critical thinking skills that are pan-educational and allow for cross-cultural discussion that span all public spheres and…

Designing specifications for technically advanced instructional products, such as e-learning, simulations or simulators requires different kinds of expertise. The SLIM method proposes to involve all stakeholders from the beginning in a series of workshops under the guidance of experienced instructional designers. These instructional designers…

Children's literature is a significant segment of the book market, and includes authors with household names like Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. Even celebrities are in on the fun, with their own titles on the best seller lists. Along with the increased visibility of children's literature, parents have become better informed and more interested in the…