With the growing emphasis on developing 21st century skills among today's youth, there is continued optimism about the possibilities granted by increasing access to networked technologies, particularly for encouraging youth to pursue their interests and take ownership of their learning. Yet, research demonstrates the importance of adult support in…

This article offers principles that contribute to developing the aesthetics of instructional design. Rather than describing merely the surface qualities of things and events, the concept of aesthetics as applied here pertains to heightened, integral experience. Aesthetic experiences are those that are immersive, infused with meaning, and felt as…

Describes the need for learning communities within the context of asynchronous distance education. Highlights include the relationship of community and distance learners; community as social reinforcement and as information exchange; and types of communities, including academic support communities, intellectual support communities, and…

Describes a program at Arizona State University that uses the PT3 (Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology) initiative to provide preservice teachers with opportunities to develop, implement, and evaluate their own instructional activities that use technology effectively and appropriately in authentic situations and to integrate it in to…

Reports on a curriculum development project in which principles of instructional design were integrated with real-world experiences in a corporate environment to provide a connection between graduate education and practice. Evaluations by learners, the client, student teams, and the instructor are discussed, and guidelines for similar projects are…