This paper aims to analyse the characteristics of tutorials created by academic libraries. It evaluates a sample of 180 tutorials by applying thirty basic indicators referring to general characteristics, content, teaching methodology, usability and technology. The general conclusion is that most of the tutorials are at an early stage of…

This article discusses a Design for Learning project in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where academic and personal support for students was interwoven in their first semester. Staff of the Academic Language and Learning Unit (ALLU) worked with discipline staff to develop their students' capabilities across a range of disciplines,…

This paper describes and analyses a method of self- and cohort-directed design of research training tutorials for final-year research-oriented undergraduate students at the University of Queensland, Australia. The design methodology centered on a research skills self-assessment document used at the university, and utilized Personal Response System…

The Web is now a standard tool for information access and dissemination in higher education. The prospect of Web-based, simulated learning platforms and technologies, however, remains underexplored. We have developed a Web-based tutorial program (ChemVoyage) for a third-year organic chemistry class on the topic of pericyclic reactions to…

The researchers engaged in cooperative inquiry in order to explore screencasts as online instructional tools. In total, each researcher analyzed 37 screencasts, which provided over two hours of instruction. The content area of these screencasts concentrated on teaching specific computing procedures (e.g., how to install web server software or how…

A comparison of courses that do or do not utilize a Course Management System (CMS) was undertaken from the standpoint of a new faculty member. Seven distinct advantages were found with CMS implementation including initial tutorial group set-ups, email communication, sharing of student generated products, sharing of instructor-generated products,…

This study attempted to determine whether giving lower performing tutors preferential instruction over their higher performing tutees before they engage in peer tutoring sessions may help increase the reading achievement for these lower performing tutors. The preferential instruction consisted of giving adult-delivered instruction in a targeted…

University at Buffalo undergraduate students are required to complete a non-credit-bearing information competency assessment prior to graduation, preferably within their first year of study. Called the "Library Skills Workbook," this assessment has evolved from a short, print-based quiz into a sophisticated, multi-module tutorial and…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation has created pressure for districts to improve their students' proficiency levels on state tests. Districts that fail to meet their academic targets for 3 years must use their Title I funds to pay for supplemental education services (SES) that provide tutoring or other academic instruction. Many…

Evidence supporting Problem-based learning (PBL) fostering students' self-directed learning (SDL) in hybrid PBL curricula is inconsistent. To explore the influence of PBL in a hybrid curriculum on students' SDL, the authors investigated the following: (1) students' self-assessed SDL ability, (2) students' perceptions of the influence of curricular…

Research indicates that attendance at lectures and tutorials is associated with university students' level of success and satisfaction, and pre-service teachers' relatively low levels of attendance at scheduled classes is of significant concern to many lecturers. However, little research has been undertaken to investigate the factors associated…

This study reports the results of a needs analysis of literacy programs for a library system serving three rural and suburban counties. It examines the computing skills and needs of literacy tutors as well as native-speaking and English language learner (ELL) literacy tutees enrolled in the programs. Paper surveys were mailed to tutors, who were…

In order to increase engagement and to consolidate skills, a tutorial-based skills course (module) was introduced as a compulsory component of first-year in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen. We evaluated whether students had attained certain "graduate attributes" during the course, comprising: transferable and…

An unconditioned stimulus in the form of "participation money" serves to keep track of students' comments during class discussions and extrinsically to reinforce their class participation behaviors. Using a longitudinal experiment to investigate the effect of the participation money stimulus on several education outcomes, the author finds that the…

Information literacy is an integral generic skill or graduate attribute in higher education, with many higher education institutions developing information literacy policies and including information literacy in graduate attribute policies. Barrie (2007) notes that universities around the world are increasingly concerned with ensuring that their…