As we have come to accept the duality of physical and virtual learning spaces as a permanent feature of our educational landscape, we begin to question its validity. Is this really a dichotomy, or is it a continuum? Should this be the primary dimension around which we cluster educational experiences -- how does it intersect and interact with other…

There is an increasing interest in the integration of computational thinking (CT) in the K-12 curriculum. By integrating CT into other disciplines, the aim is to equip students with essential skills to navigate domain-specific challenges. This study conducts a systematic review of 108 peer-reviewed scientific papers to analyze in which K-12…

As evidence-based reform becomes increasingly important in educational policy, it is becoming essential to understand how research design might contribute to reported effect sizes in experiments evaluating educational programs. The purpose of this study was to examine how methodological features such as types of publication, sample sizes, and…

California has embarked on a major new wave of curriculum reform with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the new English Language Development (ELD) standards, and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The adoption of the CCSS builds a legacy of standards-based education reform in California that began with the…

Summarized are definitions, trends, and the change in the views of design in engineering education since the 1950s. Four decades of report conclusions are reviewed. (CW)

Describes an alternative medical school curriculum for the first two years of preclinical basic science studies. Discusses student and faculty selection for the program. Details the format for teaching biochemistry in the Alternative Curriculum, including program structure, content organization and exams. Evaluates the success of the program. (CW)

Described are research efforts in the United States designed to help improve the competitive nature of high technology manufacturing in the U.S. U.S. policies and techniques are compared with those of Japan. Six recommendations for improving manufacturing practices in the U.S. are detailed. (CW)

Multidisciplinary programs have a venerable history, but most of the early history was either at big university equipment projects or at first-rate industrial laboratories. There has always been a small amount of interdisciplinarity, such as the physicist's or chemist's cadging crystal specimens from the geologist. But only in the post World War…

Emphasizes that the concept of design is fundamental in innovation. Outlines the work of the European Society for Engineering Education-Working group on Innovation. Describes the innovation-management stream in the curriculum of the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. (CW)

Discusses a project approach to teaching students how to discover, evaluate, and employ some of the avenues available to them for raising concerns about ethical issues in engineering. (TW)

National Science Foundation support for instructional innovation in design curriculum is discussed. Programs that illustrate diverse approaches to teaching design are described. A list of programs given engineering curriculum development awards in 1988 and 1989 is provided. (CW)

This report provides information on the current status of mathematics, science, vocational education, and computer science in the secondary schools in the United States. The introductory chapter briefly discusses the decline in mathematics and science education and possible solutions to stop the decline. An overview is also presented of course…

The main objective of this publication is to raise awareness of the capacity of elementary students to learn using a process termed designing activity. The text is divided into nine chapters. Chapter 1 describes the principles of designing activity. The difference between design activity and design educational activity is discussed in Chapter 2.…

This report outlines the range of existing problems in science education and proposes that a modular based physical science curriculum would contribute to solving some of the identified problems and produce numerous advantages. The physical science curriculum will be divided into a "core" of fundamental modules (the absolute minimum…

Described is the proposed implementation of Scope, Sequence and Coordination into California and Houston schools. The rationale behind this project is discussed. The curriculum, arranged developmentally, merges different scientific subjects via discipline-bridging themes. (KR)