This article offers a rationale for preparing this special issue on academic instruction in learning disabilities, elaborates on the purpose of the series of five papers included, recounts how the series was developed, and introduces the individual articles. The series reveals features of research on interventions and provides guidance in…

Provides a step-by-step reference for building a new development team in computer-assisted instruction and computer-based training. Included are descriptions of staff development considerations, computer-based training technology information such as computer software and hardware, training methods, and teamwork. (DB)

Describes how to build a tool for helping environmental educators manage the complexity of dynamic systems studied in environmental education program and lesson planning. The tool, called the holistoscope, is a visual aid to correlate learning processes in the environmental education ecosystem to human environment dimensions. Diagram included.…

Describes an in-house instructional development process designed to enhance curriculum documentation. Highlights include front end analysis; establishing a Curriculum Review Advisory Board that includes an instructional systems designer, management personnel, and subject matter experts; use of the objective worksheet; use of the lesson plan form;…

Reviews the basic assumptions of two paradigms of inquiry, the rationalist and the naturalist, to determine which one provides the best fit for one-to-one formative evaluation of instructional materials focusing on learnability issues. Conclusions suggest the naturalistic assumptions are more suitable. (13 references) (LRW)

Although educational theories currently assert a hearty multiculturalism, the gap between theory and instructional practice may never have been greater. This article examines what school practices are being undertaken in the name of multicultural education, teachers' efforts to integrate multiculturalism into the regular curriculum, and teacher…

Students' self-reports of involvement in mathematics were related to instructional strategies observed in their upper-elementary classrooms. Results imply that involvement can be socially constructed through whole-class instruction and that researchers should give more attention to measuring and understanding situated motivation. (Author/GCP)

Considers why instructor evaluations typically do not significantly impact instruction and describes how Commonwealth Edison, a large nuclear utility, adopted core competencies that were incorporated into all phases of instructional development: initial training for trainers, continuing training, and as the basis for an instructional evaluation…

Investigated the impact of a self-regulatory tool, the Instructional Planning Self-Reflective Tool (IPSRT), on preservice teachers' performance, disposition, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding systematic instructional planning. Results showed the ISPRT leading to greater skill acquisition, more positive disposition, and higher perceived…

This article recommends the teaching journal as a method of instructional improvement. Drawing on teacher education literature, the article reviews the concept of reflective teaching and then describes uses of the teaching journal for college instructors in descriptive, comparative, and critical dimensions. Teaching journals can improve the…

This research represents the perceptions of two hundred (N = 200) students enrolled in a doctoral-research university's basic instruction program (BIP) regarding their instructional experiences. The purpose of this interpretive case-study conducted in a doctoral-research university's BIP was two-fold: (a) to examine the characteristics of…

Over the last three decades many universities have offered various programmes related to Information Systems. However, the rapid changes in recent years demand constant evaluation and modification of education programmes. Recent challenges include, for instance, the move towards programmes that are more applied and professionally-orientated. The…

Since the late 1980s and early 1990s, Comparative and International Education (CIE) has almost disappeared from the curricula of teacher education colleges in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Yet, CIE is experiencing a revival at postgraduate level. This article will explore the reasons for this dichotomy and the decline of CIE…

Quality assurance in instructional development demands an exhaustive formative evaluation effort and applied testing. Unfortunately, this process is expensive and requires large numbers of user testers with characteristics similar to the intended audience. This article presents a procedure for increasing the efficiency of quality assurance efforts…

Improving professional learning for educators is a crucial step in transforming schools and improving academic achievement. To meet federal requirements and public expectations for school and student performance, the nation needs to bolster teacher skills and knowledge to ensure that every teacher is able to teach increasingly diverse learners,…