For many years, educators have been discussing benefits of educational practices such as the use of real-world examples, visualisation, interactivity, constructivism, self-paced learning and self-paced testing. Macromedia Flash MX has been used to develop online modules for the course Differential Equations offered at the University of South…

This article discusses the application of Universal Instructional Design principles to the field of assistive technology in higher education. The author makes suggestions for the use of assistive technology with attention to particular student learning styles. Ideas for ways to upgrade computer laboratory facilities are provided for administrators…

This activity is designed as a brief, two-part assignment that students should complete outside of the class period before engaging in class discussion. Because this activity is an overview of the field, it works best if assigned early in the semester. The class periods immediately prior to the assignment should give students a basic orientation…

Mathematical problem solving is a transfer challenge requiring children to develop schemas for recognizing novel problems as belonging to familiar problem types for which they know solutions. Schema-based transfer instruction (SBTI) explicitly teaches transfer features that change problems in superficial ways to make them appear novel even though…

Universities currently are exploring an array of instructional media to facilitate the delivery of instruction. Consensus from the studies indicates that there is no significant difference in the achievement of students who participate in traditional or online coursework. However, little research has compared traditional learning with the new…

Numerous benefits of student-centered web-based learning environments have been documented in the literature; however the effects on student learning are questionable, particularly for low self-regulated learners primarily because these environments require students to exercise a high degree of self-regulation to succeed. Currently few guidelines…

Shifts in networked technologies have removed the need to store information geographically close to students, staff, and faculty on college campuses. This shift has put libraries on the offense to remain vital to the campuses they serve. As the library of the future emerges, new models for decision making that place an emphasis on the teaching and…

The advantages of computer-assisted grammar teaching and more recently, web-based grammar teaching, include the possibility, for the instructor, of devoting class time to teaching communication skills, and the capacity of individualizing the course work. Several websites have been created for these very reasons. However, most of these sites…

At Dartmouth College, the author teaches a course called "Security and Privacy." Its early position in the overall computer science curriculum means the course needs to be introductory, and the author can't assume the students possess an extensive computer science background. These constraints leave the author with a challenge: to construct…

This paper critically examines the concepts of field dependent and field independent cognitive styles within the context of computer-based instruction. The literature suggests that hypermedia instructional environments are more likely to engage cognitively field independent learners. This active engagement may be the result of the non-structured…

Students often do not have a clear idea of what is expected of them when they study. They have an "ambiguity of purpose" problem, that is to say, they are not sure of the learning goals and the means to achieve them. A large amount of responsibility for analyzing content and selecting learning strategies falls upon the student and their skills in…

This article makes the case that authentic music learning need not be sacrificed nor compromised in any way when the music teacher designs and teaches curricula and units of study that integrate music learning with learning in other academic subjects, including other fine and performing arts subjects. The author argues that music teachers may…

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, "The History Teacher" published several articles on the importance and process of integrating women's history into "regular history." Now, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the author suggests to add a new perspective as to how teachers think about and teach gender in the classroom.…

Influenced by constructivist educational theory and advances in technology, there is increasing interest in authentic activities as a basis for learning in both face-to-face and Web-based courses. Whereas traditionally, real-world activities have primarily served as vehicles for practice of skills or processes that are taught using traditional…

This article presents a classroom project that employs various techniques of active learning including role-playing, collaborative group work and writing. The project explores the recent creation of the European Monetary Union (EMU) with special emphasis on the introduction of the euro. The project assumes that the Americas have begun preliminary…