Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an increasingly popular interdisciplinary pedagogy. In this chapter, we discuss its roots, benefits, and potential trade-offs and give practical advice applicable to a variety of academic disciplines.

Current issues in the use of peer assessment techniques and sociometric methods are discussed. Attention is paid to the contributions of the four articles in this volume. Together these contributions point to the continual level of change and progress in these techniques. They also show that the paradigm underlying these methods has been unchanged…

This chapter describes the historical development of learning communities within American higher education. We examine the forces both internal and external to higher education that contributed to and stalled the emergence of learning communities in their contemporary form.

The paper traces the development of citizenship in the curriculum in England since the 1960s, emerging particularly from the Crick report. It argues for lessons to be learnt from John Dewey's "Democracy and education", the centenary of which is being celebrated this year.

For more than a century the social work profession has had a dual purpose: to promote individual well-being and social justice, but the micro-macro divide is fragmenting the profession. This article suggests that the profession's aim might best be realized by adopting a unifying purpose, a just sense of well-being. Research on complex adaptive…

Across the country, many large school districts have seen flat or declining enrollments in recent years, including in places where there's been concurrent growth in charter schools. The result has been a growing perception that charter expansion is coming at the expense of the health of traditional school districts--a perception that, even if…

This paper intends to highlight the issues in thinking skills development and efforts made in addressing these issues in Malaysia. The education system in Malaysia has undergone a huge transformational progress particularly in the field related to the development of thinking skill. Traditionally, thinking skill was not specifically cultivated in…

Professional library education in New Zealand and Australia has developed independently, with different structures for entry-level qualifications. Both countries face challenges in continuing to offer high-quality programmes, in part due to the distribution of students relative to the providers. This paper outlines the LIS qualifications and…

School psychology is one of the most important fields within applied psychology, which is closely related to education and as a developing specialty it is important to be considered. Taiwan is an important Western ally and is highly developed in many ways. Taiwan is influenced by both Western and Eastern cultures, and this has inevitably impacted…

The governance of higher education in colleges and college sectors that offer other types of education and training is distinctive in four main respects. First, governance structures are frequently separate and different for higher education and for other segments of tertiary education. Second, the size and scope of the higher-level education…

Introduction: The e-book and its associated technology have emerged as a disruptive technology over the past ten years. The aim of this paper is to discuss some of the consequences of this development, based on the work of the e-books in Sweden research projects. Argument: To explain the impact of the e-book phenomenon we use Winston's theory of…

In this "Primary Science" interview, science educators Alan Peacock and Mick Dunne reflect on their own experiences of what science was like in England before a National Curriculum was introduced. Among the topics covered are: earliest memories of science in school, teaching science before 1988 (pre-science curriculum for primary…

Cathy Sandeen is Vice President for Education Attainment and Innovation at American Council on Education, the nation's largest organization providing leadership and advocacy for all sectors of higher education. Within this role she develops and articulates ACE's attainment agenda and currently oversees a large research project on Massive Open…

As the largest country in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and its health care system are well positioned to embark on an online learning intervention so that health care providers in all areas of the country have the resources for updating their professional knowledge and skills. After a brief introduction, online continuing medical education is…

Transition from one phase of education to another is inevitable. Sometimes it is a "seamless" experience, but more often than not continuity, and progression in learning are casualties of the process. For "gifted and talented" learners, the potential for problems is substantial. Here is an account of the early stages of an attempt to investigate,…