The Big6 Skills provide a framework for analyzing instructional variables and can be phrased as a series of questions for analysis: (1) Task Definition, (2) Information Seeking Strategies, (3) Location and Access, (4) Use of Information, (5) Synthesis, (6) Evaluation. A fictional seventh-grade teacher/class is used as an example of using the Big6…

One of the methods moving to the fore in aligning curriculum to standards is computer-based Instructional Management Systems (IMS). Reports on the process used by the Palm Beach County School District to select and implement an IMS to improve teaching, providing some basic information which other districts or schools can use in their own search…

Reports on the development of an asynchronous learning environment for teaching introductory macroeconomics to approximately 200 distance education students. The research supports evidence in the literature that computer mediated communication an in particular, collaborative learning, can make a positive difference to the educational experience of…

Describes a pilot partnership formed by a science teacher and a science library media specialist between Detroit's Northwestern High School and the David Adamany Undergraduate Library at Wayne State University to develop student information literacy in high school. Discusses activities; teacher attitudes; introduction of the Big6 Skills; and…

In an attempt to provide students with the benefit of the latest technology, some instructors include multimedia content on their class Web sites. This article introduces the basic terms and concepts needed to understand the multimedia domain. Provides a brief tutorial designed to help instructors create good, consistent audio-visual content. (AEF)

Discusses the change from a teacher-centered approach when computers were first used in the classroom to a learner-centered approach. Highlights each of six articles presented in this special issue that explore the issues related to using the computer as a tool to learning with, rather than to learn from. (AEF)

Focuses on information literacy (IL), specifically the design of a college course and its high school version intended to equip students with essential IL skills. Discusses current problems in information seeking that correspond to each of the phases of the information life cycle: asking a question, accessing and retrieving information,…

Provides a guide to experiential and didactic methods that have been used in teaching an HIV course in graduate counselor education programs. This model is based on pedagogy, experimental techniques, and debriefing methods to enhance the skills of counselors working with clients affected by HIV/AIDS. Emerging themes are discussed. (Author/GCP)

Lists steps to follow when planning a course online: assess needs and necessary conditions to satisfy them; estimate development cost, effort, and implications; plan the virtual classroom; design the virtual classroom; prepare and distribute contents; enable communication; implement online student assessment methods; implement class management…

Focuses on the advantages and the necessity of infusing instructional technologies in higher education by: exploring the assumptions about teaching and learning with technologies; identifying changes and reforms in higher education, from tradition to transformation; and summarizing necessary components for seamless student services, convenience,…

Advocates of social foundations view education as a means for social change. They seek to study and understand the larger social role of the educational system and the complex relationships between teacher, children, school, and society. However, in reality, teachers often fail to be social change agents. The constant bombardment of standardized…

This chapter offers techniques that can help institutional researchers play a more active role in the process of creating and modifying instructional programs to meet workforce needs. (Contains 1 table.)

Discusses experimental innovative teaching methods developed to hold the attention of a large introductory sociology class. Focuses on using popular music to set the stage for discussion. Illustrates social life components are open to sociological interpretation and defines student participation. Notes use of four primary strategy goals considered…

Developing effective instructional plans from both a traditional approach (e.g., instructivist) as well as a constructivist approach is clearly important for preservice teacher education. This study was designed to validate and compare two cognitive tools, the Instructional Planning Self-Reflective Tool (IPSRT), and the Constructivist Planning…

"Nobody wants to get one. Nobody wants to give one." The problem was that the supervisors and managers of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) did not know how to use the Institute's new performance management system and had not been trained on how to prepare and deliver effective performance appraisals. The problem further…