This article focuses on the construction and development of cross-cultural analysis tools for students in Colombian universities. Primarily, it is a reflective piece of research which shows how ethnographically based constructs when combined with appropriate curricular platforms can constitute valuable tools in the acquisition of complex concepts…

The author writes that, while teaching online can be problematic, a history instructor can still create an exciting and interactive learning experience for both teacher and students. To accomplish this, a history instructor needs a large degree of technical knowledge, or at least technical help, good organizational skills, and empathy with the…

Whether hierarchical logistic regression can reduce the sample size requirement for estimating optimal cutoff scores in a course placement service where predictive validity is measured by a threshold utility function is explored. Data from courses with varying class size were randomly partitioned into two halves per course. Nonhierarchical and…

This paper presents a case study that describes and discusses the problems encountered during the design and implementation of a blended learning course, largely taught online through a web-based learning environment. Based on Moore's theory of transactional distance, the course was explicitly designed to have dialogue at its heart. However, the…

This article provides a field-based account of how to develop and implement an adult workplace literacy program for English as a Second Language (ESL) students based upon the principles of a social practices definition of literacy. The purpose of the program is to provide basic literacy instruction for the growing population of Spanish-speaking…

This is the second in a series of three papers about online pedagogy and educational practice as part of the JISE "Online Education Forum." This paper deals with the question: "How is teaching online different from conventional teaching?" By comparing these differences along several dimensions, a set of recommended practices for online teaching…

This guide presents a curriculum on the literature of the Holocaust which focuses on the ways in which a particular period in history affected the literature that was created to tell about it. The guide consists of a detailed set of lesson plans for six literary works: a diverse collection of short stories; Elie Wiesel's autobiographical novel,…

This study investigated the effects of course structure variables on the computer anxiety, confidence, and attitudes of college students. Course structure variables include the number of weeks the course met (course length) and the number of meetings per week (course frequency). The effects of differences in instructors' use of anxiety reducing…

A common problem in an "experiential class" is the lack of attention devoted to group closure at the end of the course. Toward the end of the semester, students working in small groups in organizational behavior classes often experience anxiety over losing the support and identity that they enjoyed as members of a small learning group. A final…

Distance education course designers should be careful to ensure that the instructional materials they create are not only oriented towards the learners, but also that they do not make exorbitant demands on the teachers who are expected to use them. The materials should help the teacher to take advantage of the media available without undermining…

This lecture describes the organization and kinds of pedagogical research undertaken in the United Kingdom Open University and, through a case study of educational research in the recently introduced Arts Foundation Course (A102), to show how one type of research can contribute to course organization and development. The Institute of Educational…

This paper explores some possible methodologies and approaches to the teaching of empathic listening, an essential component of human communication and listening competency. It defines empathic listening as "feeling with" another: a cognitive understanding of what the other is communicating plus a sensitivity to their state of emotion.…

The article describes the development of the first of a series of courses to update nurses' knowledge and skills. Discussed are: personnel survey, course development, objectives, speakers, instructional methods (multimedia approach), class scheduling and publicity, student evaluation, approval for continuing education units, and positive response…

As a substitute for what he sees as confusion of separate introductory courses in the different areas, the author proposes an interdisciplinary social science-humanities course organized around basic questions about man's individual and group needs and behaviors, group relationships and processes, value systems, and techniques for creating and…

In answer to the quandry of environmental law teachers as to how to deal with the magnitude of environmental problems, the author proposes focus on the nature of the legal decision system as a tool for handling the environment before examining specific areas such as energy, transportation, etc. (JT)