This instructional design sought to create an easily graspable application of physics principles. It took an engineering slant on the content, asking students to investigate physics by attempting to increase the productivity of a "Splam-canning" plant. Design strategies are outlined for six science principles and eight product utilization…

Summarizes a discussion by the authors of this special issue that took place after the five instructional designers created lesson plans for the same design task. Highlights include the specified content's convergent effect on the designs; design philosophies; things that surprised the designers; and their favorable responses. (AEF)

Qualitative methods were used to examine teacher perceptions regarding curriculum and instructional changes made as inclusive programs for students with mild disabilities were developed and implemented in six elementary schools. Teachers reported fundamental changes had occurred related to curricular requirements, instructional methods, methods of…

Provides an example of staff and undergraduate student development through collaborative writing within a discipline. The "writing to learn" initiative involved staff developers working alongside academic staff and students within subject tutorials, which placed the developer at the nexus of both staff and student development and facilitated an…

ThinkQuest is the fastest-growing, non-profit Internet-based education program in the world. Each year, students and educators from around the globe compete for scholarships and cash awards as they create content content-rich Web sites. In this article, one of the winners, now a ThinkQuest coach, shares his vision about lifelong learning and the…

Investigates how librarians learn to teach and what they need to know. Highlights include information literacy; methods of instruction; learning and motivational theories; planning instruction; working with faculty; and an annotated bibliography of 28 sources of information on teaching librarians to teach, including Web sites. (LRW)

Discussion of the new Web-based instructional planning and management systems (also known as killer apps) that integrate all phases of the educational process focuses on three aspects: how to decide which system meets your needs; criteria to use in evaluating and comparing systems; and how to plan successful implementation. (LRW)

Presents a two-phase instructional design model that focuses on optimizing step size in whole-task approaches to learning complex, mainly non-recurrent, cognitive skills. Step size in a multiple-step whole-task approach-needed for the process worksheets-is determined on the basis of estimated part-task complexity. A developmental study of the…

Discusses learning style theories and shows how being aware of learning styles can benefit both teachers and students. A case study at the University of Louisiana indicated a prevalence of auditory learners. Despite this finding, educators must be prepared to accommodate all learning styles. The research concludes with a summary of teaching…

College and university faculty members are comfortable with their role as facilitators of learning in the traditional classroom setting. However, how do they move a current course to the online format? Is an online course merely a transfer of materials used in the course to an online format? The experiences and research results of these authors…

Shifts in networked technologies have removed the need to store information geographically close to students, staff, and faculty on college campuses. This shift has put libraries on the offense to remain vital to the campuses they serve. As the library of the future emerges, new models for decision making that place an emphasis on the teaching and…

Many colleges and universities have developed various kinds of formal faculty mentoring programs in response to (1) the benefit some faculty can gain from guidance as they pursue tenure, appointments, salary increases, and professional recognition; and (2) the poor quality of undergraduate teaching at many academic institutions. The purpose of…

In this article, we work towards developing a signature pedagogy for educational leadership preparation programs. A signature pedagogy that engenders theory-building processes and leadership practices includes complex case studies, inquiry-centered internships, collaborative and interdisciplinary leadership institutes, and continuous assessments…

This article discusses Rochester's two academic models that offer different tools for different purposes--measuring individual learning and measuring what affects learning. The main focus of currently available growth measures is formative assessment--providing data to inform instructional planning. Value-added assessment is not a student…

This study used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the use of inclusive pedagogy by science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty at three community colleges. The purpose was to identify barriers to the adoption of inclusive teaching methods for diverse learners and students with disabilities and to propose ways to…