This article describes a qualitative study, and it focuses on the analysis of the dynamics surrounding tutorial action in higher education. The authors have tried to determine the specific needs of the students by identifying and examining the functions associated with tutorial action. Several action guidelines aimed at improving tutorial function…

The authors investigated the effects of student spatial ability, as measured by Raven's Progressive Colored Matrices (J. C. Raven, 1938) and type of instructional program on geometry achievement. Sixth-grade students worked through either 6 instructional activities in Geometer's Sketchpad (Key Curriculum Press, 1993), a dynamic geometry program,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tutorial and edutainment design of instructional software programs related to the "cell division" topic on student achievements, misconceptions and attitudes. An experimental research design including the cell division achievement test (CAT), the cell division concept test (CCT) and…

While it is well known which curricular practices can improve student performance on measures of conceptual understanding, the sustaining of these practices and the role of faculty members in implementing these practices are less well understood. We present a study of the hand-off of "Tutorials in Introductory Physics" [McDermott and Schaffer…

This chapter looks at the development and nature of learning objects, meta-tagging standards and taxonomies, learning object repositories, learning object repository characteristics, and types of learning object repositories, with type examples. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper examines the working philosophy of a university-community collaborative program--the Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC), a multifaceted community service center located in the Northeast Neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana, in the United States. This program's multitude of educational and social services includes individualized…

Evaluation of a distance learning nursing program that used problem-based learning tutorials shows it resulted in both student achievement and enjoyment. Results demonstrated the importance of well-written and accessible learning materials, realistic goals, and allowance for the learning curve of tutors. (SK)

Effectively targeting a heterogeneous student population is a common challenge in academic courses. Most traditional learning material targets the "average student," and is suboptimal for students who lack certain prior knowledge, or students who have already attained some of the course objectives. Student-activating learning material supports…

The results of college-level tutoring programs are best described as mixed. The present study was designed as an attempt to quantify the effects of being tutored at the college level. A pretest-posttest design involving the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory was used. Results support the use of tutoring. (EMK)

Describes how in the implementation of the Humanities Out There (HOT) program, two consecutive modules focused on "border" in a range of senses--national, ethnic, linguistic, literary, and even interpersonal. Discusses how the worth of this program has opened a field of communication with potentially long-term benefits for an educational community…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in the United States is not equivalent to a national curriculum; however, it does set forth some conditions essential for enhancing student achievement at scale (e.g., curriculum standards, assessment standards, and expectations of compliance). The missing component within these conditions is support for…

Presents the use of cross-age tutoring to enhance literacy in kindergarten students. Covers benefits of the approach in comparison to other methods. Describes tutor and tutee selection, frequency and length of tutoring, tutor training, tutoring session format, evaluation, and problems encountered. Discusses results, including increased emergent…

MTutor is a web-based online tutorial that provides a nursing research problem, online resources, multiple-choice questions, and an evaluation survey. Student nurses (n=60) found it easy to use and felt that it reinforced classroom learning and enhanced their understanding of research design. (SK)

A number of important studies have pointed to the significance of active participation in learning as a determinant of student performance on tests and of grades. As these studies showed, student engagement can result from development of personalized learning. Each of the Breakthrough High Schools (BTHS) has taken various paths to personalization…

It is often assumed that engaging in a one-on-one dialogue with a tutor is more effective than listening to a lecture or reading a text. Although earlier experiments have not always supported this hypothesis, this may be due in part to allowing the tutors to cover different content than the noninteractive instruction. In 7 experiments, we tested…