Suggests that there is an identifiable landscape (context, perspectives, sets of issues, methods, and values) associated with instructional design. Key features of that landscape include assumptions about the nature of being a person and living in society. Without some identifiable instructional landscape there is little possibility for progress…

It can be intellectually stimulating for students to examine images of the medical profession as depicted in popular song lyrics. Reflection on medical metaphors allows students to assemble a more reasoned perspective on professional health care reality. A variety of medical imagery is detailed that can be adapted for classroom instruction. A…

A qualitative study of four faculty members serving as group leaders during a distance-learning project involving Texas A&M, the University of Nairobi (Kenya), and the University of Zimbabwe determined that extended planning time and extensive collaboration between faculty members in participating countries are essential for multinational…

Highlights this journal issue's focus on teaching diverse learners, discusses teaching a common curriculum to students who learn in different ways, and notes that standardized instruction must give way to differentiated instruction. Dedicates issue to Donald Eichhorn, pioneer in middle school educational approaches. (DLH)

From an ecological psychology perspective, a full analysis of any learning context must acknowledge the complex nonlinear dynamics that unfold as an intentionally-driven learner interacts with a technology-based purposefully designed learning environment. A full situation model would need to incorporate constraints from the environment and also…

Examines distance education issues for corporations and offers a measurement tool to assess corporate readiness for distance education. Topics include costs; competitive advantages; customized training; effectiveness; organizational support; instructional design; managerial support; and learner attitudes. (Author/LRW)

Describes several elements of the Effective Schools Process and how they were implemented in the Oxnard School District in partnership with the California Center for Effective Schools at the University of California Santa Barbara. Reports on changes in teacher attitudes and perceptions a year and a half after implementation. (Contains 12…

Discusses the steps involved in designing and starting a corporate university, which is defined as a process promoting continuous learning and performance improvement. Topics include establishing a mission; creating a business plan; products and services; functions and processes; staffing needs; information systems; and resource allocation. (LRW)

Proposes the use of specific coaching strategies to facilitate student use of expert-like problem-solving strategies while analyzing and solving instructional design case studies. At two universities, 37 students analyzed 6-10 case studies in class and in online discussions. Findings suggested primary influences on the incidence of expert…

Discussion of technology integration into the curricula focuses on the needs of teachers who don't want training or are not prepared to learn from it due to lower levels of skill and confidence. Considers how instructional designers can build teachers' self-efficacy and proposes a model that is responsive to teacher's needs. (LRW)

Identifies 11 important questions administrators should seek answers to before implementing K-12 online education courses. The questions cover such topics as online course design, instructional methodology, instructor qualifications, content quality, student assessment, technology and infrastructure, compatibility with local school, and evidence…

Describes how situated learning theory was employed in the design of Fab 13, a four-day simulation-based learning experience for manufacturing professionals at Intel Corporation. Presents a conceptual framework for understanding situated learning and discusses context, content, anchored instruction, facilitation, scaffolding, collaborating,…

Calibration concerns (a) the deviation of a person's judgment from fact, introducing notions of bias and accuracy; and metric issues regarding (b) the validity of cues' contributions to judgments and (c) the grain size of cues. Miscalibration hinders self-regulated learning (SRL). Considering calibration in the context of Winne and Hadwin's…

This study investigated students' allocation of responding as a function of task difficulty and type of reinforcement contingency (i.e., accuracy based or time based). Four regular education fourth-grade students were presented with two identical stacks of easy and then difficult math worksheets using a reversal design. Regardless of condition,…

We describe an iteratively designed sequence of activities involving the modelling of one-dimensional collisions between moving objects based on programming in ToonTalk. Students aged 13-14 years in two settings (London and Cyprus) investigated a number of collision situations, classified into six classes based on the relative velocities and…