This book about using the Big6 information problem solving process model in elementary schools is organized into two parts. Providing an overview of the Big6 approach, Part 1 includes the following chapters: "Introduction: The Need," including the information problem, the Big6 and other process models, and teaching/learning the Big6;…

This paper reports on the results and future research work within the paradigm of Configurable Collaborative Distance Learning, called Espacios Virtuales de Apredizaje (EVA). The paper focuses on: (1) description of the main concepts, including virtual learning spaces for knowledge, collaboration, consulting, and experimentation, a…

This paper describes Arthur, a World Wide Web-based instruction system that provides adaptive instruction to accommodate learning style in order to achieve a significant difference when technology is applied to instruction. The design of Arthur is discussed, including considerations related to the learning experience, adapting instruction, and…

This paper focuses on the purposes, theoretical model, and functionality of the SMILE (Solution Mapping Intelligent Learning Environment) Maker--a World Wide Web-based problem-solving tool. From an instructional design point of view, an attempt to establish a balance between constructivism/instructivism, content-treatment…

This paper describes a series of experiments conducted within the context of a course on organizational theory that is taught at the Department of Management Sciences at the University of Twente (Netherlands). In 1997, a group-based learning approach was adopted, but after the first year it was apparent that acquisition and application of theory…

This paper describes the design and implementation of a networked professional development initiative for information literacy, run by DEDICATE (Distance EDucation Information Courses with Access Through nEtworks), a European Union-funded project under the Telematics for Libraries 4th Framework Program. Library and academic staff from five Central…

The past decade has seen great strides in the design of new learning technologies that support learning aligned with standards-based constructivist and inquiry teaching practices. Though there is considerable evidence that these technologies can help students learn when used appropriately, they are rarely employed beyond the small-scale settings…

This article discusses the effects of the Regional Technology Assistance Program (RETA) on the teaching practices and collegial behaviors of its participants and instructors. It presents findings that suggest that, as a result of their involvement in RETA's ongoing, peer-directed, constructivist-based professional development workshops, teacher…

The integration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) real-world data and educational environments makes the curricular planning and implementation less focused upon purely theoretical matter and further focused upon the actual day-to-day understanding of difficult conceptual underpinnings of subject matter. This is of…

This research is an instrumental case study, describing the experience of university faculty as they redesign face-to-face classroom instruction for a Web-based environment. Participants were faculty from one department at a major level-one research institution in the Southeast United States. Five faculty were selected to represent a range of…

This guide to universal design in the classroom is divided into two sections. The first addresses the concept of universal design for learning (UDL); the second addresses the practical application of UDL in the classroom. Each chapter opens with a summary of key ideas and a graphic organizer that illustrates how the concepts fit together. The…

This paper introduces and reports upon lessons learned during the development phase of the Lord Kelvin Middle School Science Program. For the past two years, a set of tools to help middle school students learn science in a way that uses the full power of today's technology has been under development. Lord Kelvin is a robust collection of science…

Liverpool John Moores University (JMU) is one of the largest universities in the United Kingdom. It is a multi-faculty institution with in excess of 20,000 students. Its first learning strategy, in 1995, sought to identify and make explicit the University's commitment to learning development and to integrate this in the context of other University…

Distance learning is rapidly gaining acceptance as a valid means of course delivery in educational institutions across the country, and these institutions are struggling to enhance the quality of teaching,learning and scholarship over the Internet, while trying to effectively integrate this type of instruction into the curriculum. Increasingly,…

Two popular learning environments, TeleTOP and Blackboard, are implemented for specific educational contexts in many universities and other institutions. The goal is to increase the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in education, particularly network technology or Web-based systems. These electronic learning environments do not…