Defines primary knowledge components for entities, actions, and processes, and for instructional strategy. Proposes that a different combination of strategy and knowledge components is required for different kinds of instructional goals, and if they are not present there will be a decrease in the student's acquisition of the desired knowledge and…

What is to be captured and how it is to be reused are issues that currently dominate a learning object discourse constructed around the potential for technology to enable learning resource management through the collection and reuse and learning objects. Efficiency and quality gains are promised for institutions that engage with the learning…

The blurring of distinctions between online and distance education in many parts of the developed world has led to reflections on the strategies and processes by which we create effective online learning environments for the distance education learner. In this article we argue that the foundational models of instructional design that typically…

The advantages of inquiry-guided instruction (IGI) are emphasized, along with difficulties faced in the application of this teaching method. Several instruction techniques, and tactics are presented for solving practical problems, and in overcoming common and specific challenges of IGI.

It is usually assumed that successful problem solving in knowledge-rich domains depends on the availability of abstract problem-type schemas whose acquisition can be supported by presenting students with worked examples. Conventionally designed worked examples often focus on information that is related to the main components of problem-type…

An understanding of powerful learning experiences--those that stand out in memory because of their high quality, impact on one's thoughts and actions over time, and transfer to a wide range of contexts and circumstances--may lead to guidance for instructional designers seeking to achieve high-level learning outcomes. In this study, the nature of…

Software engineering is popularly misconceived as being an upmarket term for programming. In a way, this is akin to characterizing instructional design as the process of creating PowerPoint slides. In both these areas, the construction of systems, whether they are learning or computer systems, is only one part of a systematic process. The most…

Instructional design is not a linear process: designers have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of alternative solutions, taking into account different kinds of conflicting and changing constraints. To make sure that they eventually choose the most optimal one, they have to keep on collecting information, reconsidering continuously whether…

This paper examines eLearning from three related perspectives: (1) Current and recommended front-end approaches to improving online instruction; (2) The planning, implementation and administration of online courses; (3) The reliable and valid approaches to online measurement and testing methods that are designed to eliminate such problems as…

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the relationship of structural knowledge as measured by semantic maps to three traditional learning outcomes, specifically, identification, terminology, and comprehension multiple-choice posttests. Instructional treatments were provided that encourage either proposition-specific processing or…

College honors courses provide an opportunity to tackle controversial topics in an atmosphere that encourages active learning, critical thinking, and open discussion. This venue is particularly appropriate for examining the debate about teaching intelligent design (ID) in public school science classes. A one-credit honors enrichment seminar taught…

The purpose of this study was to investigate four attractor states in schools through the perceptions of formal leaders that engaged in and reflected upon school reform regarding the Millennial generation. The term attractor was used as a metaphor for a habitual pattern, gleaned from complexity science which informs of new ways in which to…

Students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are confronted with multiple external representations (MERs) in their learning materials. The ability to learn from and communicate with these MERs requires not only that students comprehend each representation individually but also that students recognize how the…

A human anatomy teacher-scholar is a scholar whose area of expertise includes content knowledge of the anatomical sciences (gross anatomy, histology, embryology, and/or neuroanatomy) and whose research interests and focus are centered in medical educational outcomes. The projects described in this dissertation represent endeavors I engaged in to…

The self-directed learning (SDL) in all of its characteristics measured in students and in various learning contexts continues to have a very important role in educational research and requires new explorations. Contemporary research indicates that there is a direct positive relationship between the level of student self-directed learning…