The use of pair and small group activities in the second language (L2) classroom has been supported by both theoretical and pedagogical arguments. However, L2 researchers and practitioners have expressed concerns about their use in some instructional contexts. This small-scale study explored instructors' and learners' perceptions about the use of…

In this study, instructional activities in science classrooms are examined in order to collect evidence to account for the strengths and weaknesses of Hong Kong students in scientific literacy as reported in the PISA 2000 project. The study consists of a questionnaire survey on the perceptions of classroom climate of science lessons of 17,616…

The purpose of this study of two undergraduate liberal arts core curricula was to answer the following questions: What was the impact on student humanitarian values of a traditional distribution general education core curriculum with a supplementary integrated intervention strategy that requires students to examine personal values and the values…

Although past research indicates that giving brief quizzes, administered either regularly or randomly, may lead to improvement in students' performance on major exams, negligible research has targeted daily writing activities that require the processing of course information at a deeper level than might result from simply reading course materials…

This study describes the use and assesses the benefits of a virtual learning environment (VLE)-enhanced independent language learning program (ILLP), based on the "WebCT" platform, for three groups of first- and second-year Italian students. It considers the positive outcomes of the program for the students' learning abilities. These outcomes…

For beginning programmers, inadequate problem solving and planning skills are among the most salient of their weaknesses. In this paper, we test the efficacy of natural language tutoring to teach and scaffold acquisition of these skills. We describe ProPL (Pro-PELL), a dialogue-based intelligent tutoring system that elicits goal decompositions and…

Research suggests that undergraduate students learn more from lab experiences that involve longer-term projects. We have developed a one-semester laboratory sequence aimed at sophomore-level undergraduates. In designing this curriculum, we focused on several educational objectives: 1) giving students a feel for the scientific research process, 2)…

Utilizing the full potential of distance education requires an understanding of how the absence of face-to-face communication affects the relationship between teaching behaviors and learning outcomes. Teachers' awareness of how their teaching behaviors change across distance and conventional contexts can assist them in overcoming the limitations…

This article begins with an overview of how WebCT is used within a Masters in Education (M.Ed.) program in social studies and global education. WebCT is a class management system that allows instructors to choose from a variety of electronic technologies for a single course or integrate coursework across an entire academic program. In the M.Ed.…

This paper reports on the design and implementation of a project-based course--World Water Problems--that was introduced within the framework of introductory undergraduate geography education. The aims of the course were twofold: (1) to cultivate in students a world geographic perspective on water problems; and (2) to conduct an original research…

This review provides a comprehensive examination of the literature surrounding the current state of K-12 distance education. The growth in K-12 distance education follows in the footsteps of expanded learning opportunities at all levels of public education and training in corporate environments. Implementation has been accomplished with a limited…

This article analyses ongoing work at the University of Geneva to reform programs to fit the principles of the Bologna Declaration. Analysis of the national context addresses how Swiss universities are currently building a Swiss area of higher education along similar lines to the European Area of Higher Education. Focus is put on the role of the…

The English government has focused upon a pattern of professional development that involves demonstration and modelling as a key element in the improvement of the teaching of 11-14 year olds (Key Stage 3 strategy). From 1997 the Nuffield Primary History Project (NPHP) has implemented a programme for the professional development of teachers built…

UCLA's program in strategic management for European corporate communication professionals provides participants with a concentrated, yet selective, immersion in those management disciplines taught at U.S. business schools, topics that are essential to their work as senior advisors to CEOs and as leaders in the field. The choice of topics…

As the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners with disabilities increases in the United States, many educators and policymakers purport that teacher education programs (TEPs) must incorporate multicultural education more substantively. However, we know very little about the impact of multicultural education on the thinking…