There has been a massive shift in teaching quantitative political research since the "Journal of Political Science Education" was launched in 2004. Smartphones were an anomaly, and it was uncommon to have laptops in the classroom. Statistical calculations were sometimes done by "statisticians", i.e., professional staff who did…

Data visualization is the term used to describe the methods and technologies used to allow the exploration and communication of quantitative information graphically. Data visualization is a rapidly growing and evolving discipline, and visualizations are widely used to cover politics. Yet, while popular and scholarly publications widely use…

In teaching the causes of the Iraq War, the use of "virtual history" can be employed in a conference setting in which different individuals are assigned to different plausible counterfactuals they use to construct virtual histories. The Iraq War lends itself to the virtual history approach because of the availability of many plausible…

In November 2007, I helped found a blog, "The Monkey Cage", with two of my colleagues, David Park and Lee Sigelman. This site joined a nascent political science blogosphere that is now composed of at least 80 blogs (Farrell and Sides 2010). The goals of "The Monkey Cage" are to publicize political science research and use this research to comment…

Studies suggest that course-integrated information literacy instruction is an effective way to enhance the quality of student research. However, many political science professors are unfamiliar with the growing information literacy movement in higher education today, with strategies for integrating information literacy into their courses and…

This research paper describes how E-Mail and Vax Notes were used in the Spring 1994 political science classes, "Contemporary Global Issues" and "Women and Politics," involving 80 students at the University of Wisconsin--La Crosse. By modeling and hands-on practice, students were introduced to the electronic mail and then given three major projects…

Provides background information about Mark Boyer, the winner of the fourth Rowman and Littlefield Award for Innovative Teaching in Political Science. States that Boyer has focused on developing active learning approaches for international relations and demonstrates his leadership in the use of technology. (CMK)

This colloquium piece summarizes the author's ongoing research regarding the development and implementation of a political science Web directory designed to take advantage of the research capacity of the Web. Results of student surveys examining the usefulness of Web directories reveal that students are benefiting from their use, particularly in…

Describes a course for undergraduate students called "Supreme Court Decision Making". Focuses on aspects such as homework assignments, computer practicum (an in-class examination based on testing hypotheses), term paper, and midterm/final. Highlights the benefits of this course. (CMK)

This paper reports on student reaction to the use of computer programs in political science courses during 1991-1995 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The courses were junior-senior level courses, except for the honors section. Three types of software were used: (1) simulations; (2) Internet materials; and (3) data processing software…

Explores student attitudes toward technology in the classroom, based on data collected from introductory U.S. government courses that incorporated instructional technologies. Discusses the benefits and disadvantages of utilizing instructional technology in the classroom and the perspective of students. Includes references. (CMK)

Summarizes the extensive changes that have occurred in recent years on the Internet with regard to access and content. Maintains that the combination of subject coverage and user-friendly technology makes the Internet a valuable teaching resource. Suggests ways to incorporate this into political science instruction. (MJP)

Outlines 10 basic principles for managing intellectual property in a digital environment. Expands upon each principle and provides specific examples of how and where these principles might be applied. Briefly discusses the history of electronic documentation, recent changes, and how these impact on the world of scholarly communication. (MJP)

Asserts that commercial online computer services provide a wealth of features that can be helpful in teaching political science. Discusses four commercial services and recommends the use of Prodigy because of its ability to link one article to other articles of related content. (CFR)

Suggests that an interactive student journal (maintained through e-mail with only the teacher and student having access) creates a space allowing for closer and more productive communication between the two. Describes an Introduction to Political Theory course that used this approach, and the resulting benefits. (MJP)