Cross-disciplinary teams formed by 29 engineering and 45 business/statistics/human ecology students conducted quality improvement projects. Different levels of commitment and interest were apparent; most had difficulty scheduling meetings with team members, clients, and instructors. Nearly all spoke highly of the learning experience. (SK)

Describes three instructional stages of television research for the classroom: (1) establish students as experts; (2) provide a solid research procedure; and (3) require written reports and oral presentations of research findings to the class. (SR)

Offers 50 diverse suggestions intended to offer students new ways to think about a piece of literature, new directions to explore, and ways to respond with greater depth to the books they read. (SR)

Illustrates the use of learning contracts with students involved in science projects. For the learner, the contract is a worksheet to help plan the project as well as an agreement that outlines the tasks to be performed. (DDR)

Presents an open-ended project tailored for a senior kinetics and reactor design course in which basic reactor design equations are used to model the digestive systems of several animals. Describes the assignment as well as the results. (DDR)

Describes how interaction with several polymer manufacturing companies through industrial short courses and research projects has led to the development of dynamic and up-to-date undergraduate and graduate curriculums in polymer science and engineering technology. (DDR)

Presents a miniresearch project from a college geometry class for preservice mathematics teachers involving Venn diagrams for five sets. (Author/MKR)

Teachers implementing a local history project in Belmont, California, had help from a federally funded technology innovation challenge grant: the Challenge 2000 Multimedia Project. Sponsored by a Silicon Valley school-business partnership, the initiative illustrates how technology can transform classroom learning while supporting instructional…

Describes how to develop a storytelling unit that will culminate in a festival in which all students can successfully participate and perform. Outlines the entire process, including research, "talk-abouts" and details, in-class activities to help students develop their tales, periodic evaluations, and the festival itself. (SR)

Describes a cooperative learning project that taps into students' energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to present information to the class about a disease. (ASK)

Discusses the correspondence between constructivist design and the creation of multimedia projects. Argues that if students and teachers are exposed to multimedia presentations and are offered opportunities to participate in workshops or classroom activities using multimedia technology, those with interest will use it to demonstrate content area…

Explores antecedents and consequences of interdependence development when undergraduates (n=65) learning in groups were provided with little guidance on how to work together effectively. Finds previous class group work and out-of-class experiences contributed to development of goal, resource, and role interdependence among group members. Concludes…

Presents a student-posed project in which students devise mathematics investigations around their school cafeteria. Discusses learning-related outcomes of the project. (ASK)

Defensive routines and tolerance of skilled incompetence can harm student team performance. Strategies to overcome these problems include emphasizing the importance of process learning, teaching team development, providing practice in communication skills, coaching individual students, and providing graded feedback for process quality. (Contains…

Describes in detail the design and implementation of a collaborative learning project in a Constitutional law class, then uses education and social science research to explore how best to create and implement a collaborative learning project. Relates the research to the experience of the class project. (EV)