In the opening paper in this Special Edition I outlined the major issues that led to the establishment of "project e-scape". The project was intended to develop systems and approaches that enabled learners to build real-time web-based portfolios of their performance (initially) in design & technology and additionally to build systems…

Most innovations have contextual pre-cursors that prompt new ways of thinking and in their turn help to give form to the new reality. This was the case with the e-scape software development process. The origins of the system existed in software components and ideas that we had developed through previous projects, but the ultimate direction we took…

A household name synonymous with modern telecommunications, Verizon's performance management innovations in 2010 kept pace with the growth of its brand. Many people probably are customers of the company's services. What's less known to the public is the consistent quality of Verizon's learning and development programs. A regular on the "Training"…

In this article I describe the context within which we developed project e-scape and the early work that laid the foundations of the project. E-scape (e-solutions for creative assessment in portfolio environments) is centred on two innovations. The first concerns a web-based approach to portfolio building; allowing learners to build their…

A professor and student have a conversation about using blogs as part of a mathematics class. The goals of using a blog include giving students a motivation to read ahead in their textbooks, providing another means of communication between students and the professor, and creating a space for students to write about mathematics. The article also…

This article reports on the outcomes from the "e-scape Primary Scientific and Technological Understanding Assessment Project" (2009-2010), which aimed to support primary teachers in developing valid portfolio-based tasks to assess pupils' scientific and technological enquiry skills at age 11. This was part of the wider…

Training and investing teachers at all career levels in student-centered practices is widely recognized as a significant challenge. Various studies document the failure of student-centered teaching practices to take hold in K-12 mathematics classrooms in significant ways, including collaborative work; problems that are cognitively demanding or…

The use of web-based software and course management systems for the delivery of online assessments in the chemistry classroom is becoming more common. IMMEX software, like other web-based software, can be used for delivering assessments and providing feedback, but differs in that it offers additional features designed to give insights and promote…

This paper discusses the online Personal Learning Planner (PLP) project underway at the National Institute of Community Innovations (NICI), one of the partners in the Teacher Education Network (TEN), a 2000 PT3 Catalyst grantee. The Web-based PLP provides a standards-linked "portfolio space" for both works in progress and demonstration collections…

Discusses the Maryland School Performance Assessment (MSPAP), addressing the benefits of MSPAP and the teachers' call for assistance. Focuses on the use of the Internet to (1) disseminate information about assessment to parents and students and (2) offer professional development for teachers on instructional and assessment strategies. (CMK)

Describes a staff-development course for middle school teachers which builds a collaborative learning environment using the Internet and Lotus Notes Learning Space. The course features activities that demonstrate performance outcomes, interactive instructional strategies, authentic assessment, and a student-centered learning environment that…

Performance assessment is an important task in all levels of education, both as input for identifying remedial needs of individual students and for improving general quality of education. Although explicit assessment measures can be obtained through objective standardized testing, it is much more difficult to capture fuzzier, or tacit, performance…

Discusses the need for educational environments that allow for authentic learning. Shows how the Internet enables practice in which students are able to manipulate concepts for the sake of getting things done and receiving feedback regarding how well the application of an understanding worked. Provides examples of three learning activities on the…

Many of today's teachers are receiving training to perfect their technology skills. One place to begin technology integration during preservice education is at the instructional design level, focusing on student performance assessments and alignment of school curricula with state standards. The Teachers' Internet Use Guide emphasizes alignment of…

Based on the "Educational Software Preview Guide," this article discusses trends; lists selected software titles related to the Internet, arts, multilingualism and multiculturalism, multimedia and edutainment, and authentic experience, cross curricular and alternative assessment; and describes how to conduct a software evaluation…