Despite the rhetoric around technology as a transformative force in education, transformation is in the hands of teachers not technology. Yet, teachers cannot capitalize on technology's transformative potentials when teacher education is focused on the technology itself or even on the goal of technology integration. Teachers today are challenged…

While instructional design's technological roots have given it many approaches for process and product improvement, in most cases designers still rely on instructional forms that do not allow them to develop instruction of a quality consistent with that expressed by the field's visionary leaders. As a result, often the teachers and students using…

The author proposes that today's existing, world-wide curriculum--based on offering roughly the same math, language arts, science, and social studies to all--is not what is required for the future, and is hurting rather than helping the world's students. Math, language arts, science, and social studies, he argues, are really "proxies"…

This article describes one school district department's efforts to train and support teachers in providing effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment methods to their students. This large, K-12 district embraces the spectrum of low to high SES schools, a large number of gifted students from diverse populations, and a variety of gifted…

The Open University of Catalonia (UOC) was established as public, online university and thus has grown quickly with the global interest in online courses. However, like other dedicated distance-education institutions, UOC has had challenges adapting to MOOCs, and the emergent world of Web 2.0 learning technologies. To meet these challenges, UOC…

In the past decade, virtual worlds have progressed from isolated sectors of the Internet, inhabited by computer and fantasy role-playing enthusiasts, to one of the fastest growing sectors in the gaming industry. In the process, they have established themselves as promising venues for the delivery of online instruction. Unfortunately, during that…

This article discusses an effort to improve training performance in a large corporate conglomerate in South Korea. In particular, focus is placed on a new instructional design (ID) model named the Cogwheel ID model. The cogwheel metaphor is used to illustrate the integrated processes within complex training organizations, including organizational,…

Five representatives from the mobile computing industry provide their perspectives on handhelds in education. While some of their ideas differ, they all agree on the importance of staff development, appropriate curriculum development, and teacher support to create the kinds of personalized learning environments that mobile devices make possible.

Issues associated with the preparation of engineering faculty to teach online courses are examined. This includes: the nature of online teaching, engineering course materials, training faculty to teach online, use of online resources, course development, and evaluation of online courses. Selection of faculty and providing adequate support are…

This article provides an overview of research in the Learning Sciences from a Design Research perspective, as it has been framed in Singapore by the National Institute of Education (NIE). The initial research agenda is considered in the light of challenges and the subsequent re-casting of objectives, based on the working out of a tripartite…

Suggests that arts education can be used as a curriculum model for the integration of the cognitive and affective domains. Highlights include aesthetics, an interdisciplinary approach, instructional methods in art, transfer to other disciplines, and implications for instructional design. (LRW)

Describes basic concepts in the field of general systems theory (GST) and explains the relationship between instructional systems design (ISD) and GST. Benefits of integrating GST into the curriculum of ISD graduate programs are discussed, and a short bibliography on GST is included. (LRW)

Discussion of teaching practices that are effective in developing higher cognitive functioning focuses on curriculum development for at-risk students. Four main strategies are addressed: (1) big ideas; (2) linked concepts and connected knowledge; (3) depth of understanding, including declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge; and (4)…

Discusses the relationship between mass media and education, and stresses the need for better media education in the United States. The Channel One project is discussed, advertising and marketing strategies are considered, media studies in other countries are described, and U.S. barriers to media education are suggested. (33 references) (LRW)

Discusses information technology (IT) in member countries of the European Community. Topics addressed include IT in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools; activities sponsored by the European Community relating to IT in schools; IT projects; IT in postsecondary education and training; and future plans. (Contains 15 references.) (LRW)