Across OECD countries, governments are seeking policies to make education more effective while searching for additional resources to meet the increasing demand for education. The 2008 edition of "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries' performance. It provides a rich,…

Decades of research have shown that student collaboration in groups doesn't just happen; rather it needs to be a deliberate process facilitated by the instructor. Promoting collaboration in virtual learning environments presents a variety of challenges. This book answers the demand for a thorough resource on techniques to facilitate effective …

Introduction: There is a strong need for high-quality continuing medical education (CME) in Germany. To maintain a medical license, physicians are required to participate in regular training. Although evidence suggests that compared to lectures interactive methods can impart sustainable knowledge and a high degree of satisfaction, few interactive…

Concept maps have been used successfully in science and mathematics education in a variety of settings. This paper describes the application of the metacognitive tool, concept mapping, to the development of an integrated veterinary curriculum, to the development of case-based exercises for problem-based learning, and as a learning tool for…

This article, written by a teacher educator who won an AUTC National Teaching Award in 2003, focuses on the strategies that might be used in teacher education programs as distinct from addressing subject matter concerns. Endorsing the need for optimal engagement, the article posits a model combining student centred learning (arguing that some…

Assistant high school principal Elise Abbott is disturbed by the autocratic decision-making of the interim principal Marla Richardson. She meets with Marla to discuss Marla's approval of the English department chair's removal of master teacher Alice Tremont from gifted/talented courses. The chair reassigned the courses to herself. Although the…

Replies to an article that raised questions about whether the case study approach helps students address complexities faced by practicing writers by agreeing with its broad goals for writing instruction but disagreeing with its conclusion. (DF)

Noting that case stories are useful for early childhood teacher preparation and staff development because they present situations likely to be encountered by practitioners, this report provides a sample of the case stories developed through the Case Method of Instruction Outreach Project and available on a Web site for use by practitioners. Each…

The knowledge encapsulation theory (H. Schmidt and H. Boshuizen, 1992) predicts that experts under certain conditions shift from the use of clinical knowledge to elaborated biomedical knowledge. In normal routine cases, experts process cases with their encapsulated clinical knowledge. These differences in processing are reflected in clinical case…

This publication presents a case-based approach to improving teaching practice, offering informal conversations between isolated educators who were brought together to share their problems and air concerns via the use of cases. An introduction offers an overview of professional development cases, explaining what cases are and how to get started.…

Case-based instruction (CBI) is used in a variety of professional schools. Studies indicate that CBI can have promising results, but they do not provide insights into the theoretical justification for using CBI. An earlier paper (Risko and Kinzer, 1994) identified five theoretical constructs for CBI: anchored instruction; reflective thinking;…

The case method (creation and resolution of hypothetical problems) provides students with an opportunity to use proper problem solving techniques. As the teacher's role is indirect, responsibility for learning is placed on the student. The merits, limitations, and various applications of this technique are discussed. (JN)

Studied 69 undergraduates who used conceptually-indexed hypertext learning environments with differently structured thematic criss-crossing (TCC) treatments: guided and learner selected. Found that students need explicit modeling and scaffolding support to learn complex knowledge from these learning environments, and considers implications for…

Describes a study of undergraduates that investigated the extent to which an electronic conferencing system, COW (Conferencing on the Web) facilitated preservice teachers' communication outside their classroom when discussing teaching cases from their field experiences, and the potential of COW and case-based instruction to foster quality…

Presents a study in which fourth-year Australian medical students were assigned to either a problem-based learning or case-based learning tutorial group that focused on eating disorders. Reports that there was not a significant difference between the two groups of students related to performance or acquired knowledge. Includes references. (CMK)