Feedback is critically important to student learning, but the reduced frequency of assignments combined with isolated or stand-alone tasks reduces the opportunity for students to engage with feedback and use it effectively to enhance their learning. Here, I evaluate student attainment during a module consisting of eight iterated tasks where the…

Motion planning is a core problem in robotics concerned with finding feasible paths for a given robot. Motion planning algorithms perform a search in the high-dimensional continuous space of robot configurations and exemplify many of the core algorithmic concepts of search algorithms and associated data structures. Motion planning algorithms can…

The student cohort on the University Science Extended Degree (SED) course is diverse in terms of educational experience. One of the key facets of teaching at this level is to engage and prepare students for higher levels of education in the sciences. The purpose of this evaluation is to relate a specific virtual framework, designed for students…

La Trobe University Library has embarked on an institution-wide project with the objective of enabling students to engage with scholarly and credible information from the first year. This initiative by the library is in response to La Trobe curriculum reform. In particular, it aligns information literacy with the inquiry/research graduate…

Electrochemistry is found to be a difficult topic to learn due to its abstract concepts that involve three representation levels. Research showed that animation and simulation using Information and Communication Technology can help students to visualize and thus enhance students' understanding in learning abstract chemistry topics. As a result, an…

The Universal eLearner is an online integrated learning module, under development, that incorporates accessible technology, universal design for learning, and best practices for online education. The American Foundation for the Blind and Bridge Multimedia have just completed a three-year grant through the National Institute on Disability and…

A study was conducted comparing the feedback received from students about teaching obtained using different instruments. Twelve first- and second-year undergraduate modules were selected from seven different schools within a single university. Students studying each module were allocated to "questionnaire" and "comparator" groups. "Questionnaire"…

The Danish PARSEL team included 5 teachers from the region of Southern Denmark, of whom two enjoyed special status. These two teachers have been trained to develop, implement, and evaluate interventional modules similar to those of PARSEL, through a one year full-time equivalent master's degree program in science and mathematics education. This…

This paper presents our experiences and the challenges identified in transforming traditional lecture-based modules at a university into problem-based blended learning within a social constructivist approach. Our experiment was, among other factors, motivated by an urgent need to meet new curriculum requirements by reducing the lecturing time in a…

Young adolescents in communities with high rates of early sexual initiation are at risk of multiple negative health outcomes. Although sex education programs for this age group are often controversial, surveys document that many mothers and fathers would appreciate guidance about how to discuss sexuality with their children. This paper presents an…

We studied the effect of formative assessment and feedback on learning. Students produced phylogenetic trees based upon morphological and molecular data. The trees were projected in class, feedback provided, and the process repeated twice with new data. Assessment revealed that these in-class modules resulted in significant improvement in student…

In "Relating Mathematics to the Middle School Child's Real World", multi-faceted learning kits were developed, piloted, field tested, and revised. The kits make heavy use of games, simulations, practical applications of real world math skills, and other activity-oriented strategies. They use a learning cycle approach to help students…

This project designed and developed a specialized student skill module for providing rudimentary time management skills, and implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of this skill module for reducing course completion times and promoting positive student attitudes in the context of a computer-based progress management system. Evaluation…

This final report summarizes the activities of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of a project designed to develop curriculum materials to teach critical television viewing skills at the postsecondary level, including individuals in various community and professional groups, as well as students in formal educational programs. Defining such skills as those which…

An evaluation of a CD-ROM multimedia component of a first grade science curriculum, the IBM/CTW "Through the Woods," is presented. The presentation offers hands-on activities related to forest ecology, such as virtual nature walks. Children participating in the study (n=95) displayed ability to use the technology, a high degree of affect…