Distance learning is enabling individuals to earn college and graduate degrees, professional certificates, and a wide range of skills and credentials. In addition to the rapidly expanding role of distance learning in higher education, all types of organizations now offer Web-based training courses to employees, clients, and other associates. In…

Educators and politicians in Texas have played significant roles in pushing early reading instruction from one extreme position to another through shifts in textbook adoption requirements. These policy actions are shaping a national curriculum for reading. The current study looks at changes in texts for beginning reading instruction that resulted…

This study provides evidence about the feasibility of improving student learning against specified curriculum goals, when the design of that teaching is informed by evidence from science education research. Three teaching sequences were designed by a group of researchers and teachers, drawing upon insights from research on students' learning in…

This paper discusses information literacy, teaching, and online technology. The first section introduces the split between mind and body that is made possible by the Internet and related resources. The second section discusses distance learning, including the impact of digital environments in teaching, and the power of virtual education to permit…

This paper discusses the use of graphic representations to develop a learner's conceptual framework. The benefits of the graphic representation of information throughout the learning experience are summarized. Examples are then presented from the instructional technology specialization area of the University of Houston-Clear Lake (Texas) School of…

ADAPT[IT] (Advanced Design Approach for Personalized Training-Interactive Tools is a European project coordinated by the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory. The aim of ADAPT[IT] is to create and validate an effective training design methodology, based on cognitive science and leading to the integration of advanced technologies, so that the…

This document reviews the work of the Maryland Mathematics Commission (MMC). The mission of the MMC was to review and provide recommendations on the following critical issues, all of which have the potential to influence mathematics learning in Maryland: (1) improve achievement in mathematics at every level, in every school and school district;…

Last year, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) worked to develop and improve teacher skills in the area of educational technology by creating technology performance profiles for teacher preparation. These standards were given to a group of Pennsylvania State University instructional systems graduate students who developed…

This paper explores some of the challenges of RMIT University (Australia), a large cross-sectoral university, and considers how online learning has enabled one TAFE (Technical and Further Education) department to become more fully engaged in the wider university context. The first section provides an overview of RMIT, TAFE, and higher education.…

Based on the review of several pedagogical paradigms, this paper: (1) clarifies the concepts of learning resources and learning objects; (2) proposes a way forward in the use of learning resources in different pedagogical paradigms in a large scale collaborative environment; and (3) exposes characteristics required in different learning objects to…

This digest, based on "Survey of Instructional Development Models," 3rd edition, defines instructional development (ID) in terms of four major activities: analysis of the setting and learner needs; design of a set of specifications for an effective, efficient, and relevant learner environment; development of all learner and management…

The reasons people most often give for the failures of U.S. schools involve poverty, racial inequality, and a host of social problems. This paper argues that even if all these conditions were remedied, the schools would not produce many more people with the ability to think than they do today. Teachers, who are usually able to think, do not know…

A discussion of drama as a method for second language instruction looks at rationale, requirements, techniques, and classroom procedures. The first chapter examines the connections between drama and language learning, and proposes that drama can be useful with any teaching style. Issues discussed here include encouragement of pupil talk, support…

The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) how different types of dynamic visual facilitate the achievement of specific types of educational objectives; (2) whether the use of dynamic visualization influenced the amount of time needed by learners to process the information; and (3) whether there is an interaction between the amount of time…

This paper discusses streaming media for World Wide Web-based training (WBT). The first section addresses WBT in the 21st century, including the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) standard that allows multimedia content such as text, pictures, sound, and video to be synchronized for a coherent learning experience. The second…