Twenty years after its first application, the Integrated Science Learning Environment model (ISLE) proved still-useful in catalyzing novel thinking about the role of artifacts in shaping Holocaust remembrance at the graduate level. Drawing on new ideas from museum science and technology design, an updated framework, called Provocative Artifacts…

Discovery sessions are usually based around a stimulus that the teacher has set up. When children are all doing something similar, watching what happens, talking about the science that is going on, the teacher has a way in to learn about their understanding, but then the teacher can take it deeper into exploring their skills in working…

This design case describes the development of the Invention Coach, an intelligent exploratory learning environment (ELE) for the constructivist activity of Invention. The Invention Coach scaffolds students as they invent mathematical formulas to describe contrasting cases. In this paper, we detail our process and rationale for three key design…

Dimensional Analysis (DA) is shown to play a pivotal role in the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This article summarizes the basic rules and corollaries of DA and addresses (1) the importance of using DA with mathematical functions; (2) how to use DA in a science/engineering laboratory based discovery approach;…

The paper presents a meaningful discovery learning environment called "cache-cache comparison" for a personalized learning support system. The processing of seeking hidden relations or concepts in "cache-cache comparison" is intended to encourage learners to actively locate new knowledge in their knowledge framework and check…

There is still much to be learnt about best practices in leveraging digital resources for learning in higher education. Research on student interactions with online video indicates such practices are as minimal as setting passive-receptive viewing through to teacher-structured purposeful engagement. This position paper focuses on teacher-set…

Digital systems and digital technologies are globally investigated for their potential to transform learning, teaching and assessment towards offering unique learning experiences to the twenty-first century learners. This Special Issue on "Digital systems supporting cognition and exploratory learning in twenty-first century" aims to…

This note discusses the introduction of Fourier series as an immediate application of optimization of a function of more than one variable. Specifically, it is shown how the study of Fourier series can be motivated to enrich a multivariable calculus class. This is done through discovery learning and use of technology wherein students build the…

In this paper we present Geodromo, a prototype of an educational multimedia system, part of the Portuguese "Ciencia Viva" (Live Science) educational program, which is aimed at young people and designed with innovative characteristics. The project is based on a robotic multimedia simulator and an online puzzle game aimed at the…

User interfaces are becoming more intuitive following the requirements of the individual learner and reinforcing the drive towards more personalised learning and greater learner autonomy. There are clearly a new set of challenges emerging for teaching practitioners that will have implications upon not just what is learned but importantly upon…

A WebQuest is an inquiry-based lesson plan that uses the Internet. This article explains what a WebQuest is, shows how to create one, and provides an example. When engaged in a WebQuest, students use technology to experience cooperative learning and discovery learning while honing their research, writing, and presentation skills. It has been found…

In the United States, people get very little news about Africa, and what news they do get is about war or famine, with little historical information or context. In this article, the authors describe how they developed and implemented a Pan-African Summit simulation project in order to give their approximately 100, 9th-grade students (in five World…

In spite of the efforts to increase student performance by using the newest technologies and software, there has not been enough advancement in student learning. Innovative teachers who make time to incorporate projects utilizing instructional technology are too often disappointed with the results; others find that their students spend an…

For the past five years, Andover, Kansas middle-schoolers in an amateur radio club and class have sent and received Morse code messages, assembled and soldered circuit boards, designed and built antenna systems, and used computer programs to analyze radio communications problems. A successful bond issue financed a ham shack enabling students to…

This paper argues that Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) offer the potential for advancing existing techniques for computer assisted instruction and deepening the understanding of issues in the learning and teaching of writing. The paper: (1) outlines the goals and significance of research in ITS, emphasizing their value in formulating knowledge…