Students from many different subject areas are required to study statistics as part of their qualification. The Open University developed a statistics module which could simultaneously be studied by students from a variety of different disciplines, by engaging them with topics which are of interest to everyone, namely money, education and health,…

A hands-on educational module was created to illustrate the scope of chemical engineering. Students are taught fundamental concepts that they integrate in a laboratory experience designing and fabricating a 'plant-on-a-chip' microfluidic device capable of continuous processing of reactive flows. Students gain insight into chemical engineering…

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted a national scan of formative assessment supports provided by state education agencies. The report presents common themes in formative assessment support, a series of supports by content and grade area as well as by modality of professional learning, and illustrative examples. It also examines…

Using formative assessment gives students a second chance to learn material they didn't master the first time around. It lets failure become a learning experience rather than something to fear. Several types of formative assessment are discussed, including how to use summative assessments formatively. (Contains 2 figures.)

Superintendents and principals can have a positive and decisive impact on student achievement and higher graduation rates. Their essential leadership can illuminate the path to excellence for faculty and students. In upgrading curriculum and instruction, school leaders need to keep abreast of practices proven effective in other districts and…

This paper identifies a set of universal instructional design (UID) principles appropriate to distance education (DE) and specifically tailored to the needs of instructional designers and instructors teaching online. These principles are then used to assess the accessibility level of a sample online course and the availability of options in its…

This newsletter of best practices in implementing the High Schools That Work (HSTW), Making Middle Grades Work (MMGW) and Technology Centers That Work (TCTW) school improvement models is based on presentations at the 27th Annual HSTW Staff Development Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the summer of 2013. The newsletter is divided up into…

Educational technology applications and lessons, such as learning modules, activities, and user-authored systems, face substantial implementation challenges in public schools and post-secondary institutions. The design of technology impacts the willingness of teachers to implement new technology; evaluators examining implementation obstacles can…

This report on the French Teaching Modules Project is divided into four parts. Part one describes current theoretical concerns in second language curriculum and outlines a scheme for second language curriculum development. Part two explains the history of the project and the underlying principles of modules. Part three describes case studies which…

Provides information, strategies, and activities designed specifically to aid instructors and students in developing collaborative group processes that promote teamwork in an online environment. Outlines an instructional module that was developed and formatively tested with graduate students, and describes a workshop designed for faculty members…

Describes the Online Academy that developed online instructional modules in reading, positive behavior support, and technology across the curriculum for preservice teacher education programs at the University of Kansas. Focuses on the formative evaluation processes that were employed in creating the instructional design, usability, and…

Instructional development projects in Medical Terminology and Orientation to Hearing Aids are reviewed to demonstrate the procedural steps used and the interactive dynamics employed by development teams at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Six references are provided. (MER)

To help students grasp the intimate connections that exist between mathematics and its applications in other disciplines a library of interactive learning modules was developed. This library covers the mathematical areas normally studied by undergraduate students and is used in science courses at all levels. Moreover, the library is designed not…

This article describes how a small business school, as part of a strategic planning initiative to improve career services, added a self-directed career planning lab to an existing managerial communication course. The lab concept and the learning design are innovative because they met a student need without creating additional time demands on the…

Describes the design and development of a computer simulation and accompanying software to teach the scaleup of chemical processes to chemical engineering students at Penn State. Collaboration on the instructional development team is described, software modules are explained, and students' evaluations of the system are reported. (LRW)