The purpose of this paper is to describe the processes utilised to develop an online learning module within the Opening Real Science (ORS) project--"Modelling the present: Predicting the future." The module was realised through an interdisciplinary collaboration, among mathematicians, scientists and mathematics and science educators that…

Failure rates in first year calculus courses are high in most post-secondary institutions across North America and other parts of the world. This Inukshuk-funded open education project involved the development of five stand-alone pre-calculus learning modules. The design and revision phases of this project occurred between the fall of 2007 and…

This document contains teacher's materials for an instructional module on how to conduct a visual screening that was developed through use of the Dick and Carey model of instructional design. More than a third of the document consists of a description of the model's use and adaptation in the development of the module. Section headings are as…

When talking about different faculties designing a single performance-based module, one is faced immediately with 2 sets of opposing views. The first has to do with the conflict between a strict discipline orientation and interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, or non-disciplinary work. The second set of conflicts arises from the differences…

The curriculum revision project described in this paper was initiated by Gateway Technical Institute (Wisconsin) in 1976 in order to implement competency-based education (CBE) in Gateway's vocational/technical programs. The paper first defines the key elements of CBE as implemented at Gateway, which were developed on the basis of an analysis of…

To respond to teacher training needs, staff at the National Center for Research in Vocational Education developed an alternative approach to teacher/instructor preparation, called performance-based teacher education (PBTE). This training program was based on competencies required of successful vocational and technical instructors and required the…

This paper describes the Basic Skills Learning System, a comprehensive curriculum development effort designed to deliver a variety of materials via the PLATO System in the three content areas of reading, language, and mathematics. Design criteria required that the system be individualized, adaptive, and responsive as well as modularized and…

The level of specificity of objectives and content in field education programs are described, the structure and function of monitoring and evaluation systems are analyzed, and a framework for modularizing field education content to achieve a high degree of precision in teaching and learning is proposed. (Author/MLW)

In Scotland, vocational education at the professional level takes place in colleges and universities and at the craft and technician level, in further education colleges. Most of the further education/higher education curriculum has been modularized. The following benefits of modularization are claimed: rationalization of resource provision;…

An instructional program based on a learning hierarchy and involving the addition of fractions was presented to fourth grade students in a pretest - posttest design. The results of the tests were analyzed using both Walbesser's and White's techniques for validation. There was sufficient disagreement in the results to prevent a conclusion of…

This document records the procedures followed by the South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education in developing a two-year curriculum for civil engineering technology with a learner-oriented, open-entry/open-ended individualized format relying heavily on the use of audiovisual aids and hands-on experience with software and…

The use of the Interpersonal Communication Inventory (ICI) with urban undergraduate social work students is described. ICI measures the patterns, characteristics, and styles of communication along the dimensions of: self-concept, listening, clarity of expression, coping with angry feelings, and self-disclosure. (Author/MLW)

The University of South Carolina is using assessment to bring about academic change in general education at several levels: the individual student; system-wide courses; and the entire general education program. The approach uses both qualitative and quantitative data, and has enabled faculty to collaborate both across disciplines and all eight…

In developing modules for training vocational educators in nondiscriminatory practices, the authors of this paper saw a need for a new approach to competency identification--one that would enable teachers to use skills generalizable across many areas. A detailed review of the literature, from which twenty major project studies in competency…

The goal of a project was to develop an instructional model and guidance system for helping economically disadvantaged youth more effectively prepare for successful employment. Critical affective work competencies (Neat/Orderly/Personal Appearance/Manner and Pleasant/Friendly/Cheerful) were identified from data collected during a pilot…