This article illustrates the utility of using virtual environments to transform social interaction via behavior and context, with the goal of improving learning in digital environments. We first describe the technology and theories behind virtual environments and then report data from 4 empirical studies. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that…

During the fall 2005 semester, an eighth grade teacher in a Laramie, Wyoming, middle school made an urgent plea for more progressive tools for a beginning computers course. Janet Johnson, a veteran teacher returning to the classroom after a hiatus of 10 years, was frustrated with the apparent lack of motivation and engagement by the students. She…

The kids at Louisa May Alcott School were more into Flamin' Hot Cheetos and nachos than frisee and couscous. That is, until Greg Christian got to them. Exactly three years ago, the chef known as Chicago's conscious caterer decided to share his gastronomic talents with the city's low-income children. So he took his pilot program straight to the…

Teacher attrition is an enduring national issue. To help address this problem, formal mentoring programs for new teachers have been implemented by most states. Mentoring, however, is rarely used beyond the induction years. This article presents an adaptation of a business model, the Strategic Collaboration Model[TM], which approaches mentoring as…

In this paper we describe a study of the effectiveness of mobile learning (m-learning) in the form of podcasting, for teaching undergraduate students in Higher Education. Podcasting involves downloading a series of audio or video broadcasts (files) onto a digital media player, via a computer, over a period of weeks. These can then be watched or…

More than a dozen years ago, meetings held in Dayton, Ohio sponsored by the Clinton administration brought to an end three years of intense conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Of all the many organizational attempts at community building and democratization since then, one of the most successful has been the adoption of elementary and secondary…

Purpose: This paper aims to compare the ways in which a range of quality frameworks have been validated and to identify a number of factors that have an impact on validation processes. Design/methodology/approach: Seven examples of published quality frameworks applicable to the field of e-learning are described and the methods used to validate…

This session will describe the social validity, usability and intent to use of an interactive, state-of-the-art, professional development program based on the Response to Intervention (RtI) approach and its core components (e.g., problem-solving strategy; three tiers of intervention service delivery with universal, selected and intensive…

This report updates the status of bills that the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is tracking. It has positions as adopted by the Commission at its June 14, 2011 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills tracked by CPEC staff is included.

This study reports on creative ways of using technology in the classroom, specifically the development of multimedia courseware on World Heritage through which learners are able to upgrade their knowledge and cognition regarding historical and cultural legacies from the past, and to improve English skills. The content of the pilot courseware…

This paper illustrates how a methodological tool called "drawing-voice" can be used to demonstrate qualitatively what statistical and policy data are not able to reveal regarding the educational realities of Hmong minority communities in northern Vietnam, particularly with regard to the role of local language and culture in school. This…

The purpose of this paper is to present recommendations for conducting outreach in order to further the efforts in the counseling field towards social justice and advocacy. Informed by Freire's (2000) critical consciousness theory, examples of culturally centered counseling services are presented as outcomes of the experiences of participants.…

In 2005, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to evaluate the secondary Social, Emotional and Behavioural Skills (SEBS) pilot. The aim of the pilot was to encourage secondary schools to take a whole-school approach to developing social, emotional and…

Background: The ability of descriptive assessments to differentiate functions of problem behaviours might be increased by systematically sampling natural contexts characterized by different establishing operations. This study evaluated the stability of such characteristics, and variability in challenging behaviour, for three school contexts.…

Members of the teaching and learning community share a spirit of camaraderie when they meet during conferences or seminars even though they may not know each other. Also there are programs like the ACS's ChemClub pilot program, which will encourage binding between the fraternities and help them to achieve the same purpose of building connections…