Even in self-organized project-based learning, the instructors' role re-mains critical, especially in the initial orientation provided to the students in order to grasp the educational goals and the various roles they may undertake to achieve them. In this paper we survey a few questions proposed to that purpose in a web-based software engineering…

A Mathematica[TM] package is described that uses simulations and animations to illustrate key concepts in harmonic oscillation and electric circuits for students not majoring in physics or mathematics. Students are not required to know the Mathematica[TM] environment: a user-friendly interface with buttons functionalities and on-line help allows…

A teacher educator introduces issues around using technology with primary children. Two teachers then describe science units they created that integrate technology through purposeful, hands-on activities, including children writing an online newsletter, exploring the Internet guided by tracking software, creating webs using webbing software, doing…

In this article, the author proves a theorem about polynomial zeros, but the focus is on how the theorem is integrated into a QuickBASIC computer program, and how that program answers the questions of the theorem--a unification of mathematics and computer programming. For a given polynomial, how can one overcome assorted problems in finding zeros…

Although the phase plane can be plotted and analyzed using an appropriate software package, the author found it worthwhile to engage the students with the theorem and the two proofs. The theorem is a powerful tool that provides insight into the rotational behavior of the phase plane diagram in a simple way: just check the signs of c and [alpha].…

Educators increasingly recognize that students need a more contemporary, multimodal literacy that requires them to examine how their written, oral, visual, and electronic modes of communication inform one another to generate meaning. Helping students hone their multimodal literacies will enable them to develop PowerPoint presentations in ways that…

Visual stimuli are inescapable in contemporary business communication. The temptation is great to pick a few genres dominated by visual elements and teach them discreetly, but the carryover may be minimal, and time is precious. In this article, the author describes a three-pronged approach to teaching visual aspects of business communication.…

It is quite common for teachers in higher education institutions to have a second job. Why do they have a second job? What sort of second jobs do they have? What effect, if any, does a second job have on teachers' professional development and on their main job? How do they feel about a second job? This article examines this topic and makes some…

The Internet is many things to many people. Some see the Internet as the Wild West, a yawning wilderness waiting to be tamed and cultivated. For companies like eBay, the Internet is a steady, transaction-based revenue stream. For the dot-com companies, the Internet was perceived as a California gold rush. In terms of online library programming for…

Effective assessment of laboratory practicals is a challenge for large-size classes. To reduce the administrative burden of staff members without compromising the student learning experience, we utilized dedicated computer software for short-answer question assessment for nearly 300 students and compared it with the more traditional, paper-based…

Studies of knowledge constructing often focus on the analysis of a single episode, without considering enough the history of the learners, or the future learners' trajectories with regard to the concepts learned. This paper presents an example of knowledge constructing within the context of peer learning. We show how the design of the task and the…

This article illustrates how a computer algebra system, such as Maple[R], can assist in the study of theoretical fluid mechanics, for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. The continuity equation, the stress equations of motion, the Navier-Stokes equations, and various constitutive equations are treated, using a full, but straightforward,…

Spatial analysis technologies are increasingly important tools for all aspects of forest resource management. Field work previously accomplished with map, compass, and engineers' scale is now being augmented, or superseded, by the use of GPS and GIS. Professional-grade GPS receivers and commercial GIS software are preferred for their accuracy and…

OpenURL resolver is the next big thing for libraries. An OpenURL resolver is simply a piece of software that sucks in attached data and serves up a Web page that tells one where he or she can get the book or article represented by it. In this article, the author describes how he designed an OpenURL resolver for his library, the Lewis & Clark…

In the past decades, English learning has received lots of attention all over the world, especially for those who are not native English speakers. Various English learning and testing systems have been developed on the Internet. Nevertheless, most existing English testing systems represent the learning status of a student by assigning that student…