This book provides an archival forum for researchers, academics, practitioners, and industry professionals interested and/or engaged in the reform of the ways of teaching and learning through advancing current learning environments towards smart learning environments. The contributions of this book are submitted to the International Conference on…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represent the culmination of years of collaboration and effort by states, science educators and experts from across the United States. Based on the National Research Council's "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" and developed in partnership with 26 lead states, the NGSS, when…

Purpose: While educators and students alike are increasingly moving to use on-line technologies, there is still much to be learned about how these tools influence student learning. The purpose of this paper is to present a comparative investigation of the online use of one undergraduate (UG) and two postgraduate (PG) student cohorts undertaking…

This overview introduces "Right from the Start: An Institutional Perspective on Developmental Education Reform," a series of three practitioner briefs on developmental education. Created by Achieving the Dream and MDC, the briefs spotlight successful reform efforts in developmental education at seven Achieving the Dream colleges. [The…

Three community colleges--El Paso Community College, Bunker Hill Community College, and Patrick Henry Community College--incorporated technology into the curriculum to support student progress in mathematics through developmental education. Each college took its own path: El Paso developed a self-accelerated emporium-style computer lab, Patrick…

This brief summarizes efforts to reform developmental education at Zane State College and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). Focused on accelerating student success and progress, the two schools pursued distinctive approaches to reform that aligned with their institutional missions and student populations. Recognizing that the…

This article explores the effectiveness of using Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in an adult learning environment. Within this discourse, special attention is given to show how SFBT can be used effectively to support the increasing number of adults who find themselves out of work who are now returning to education. Key ideas within SFBT will…

Although e-learning has been prompted to various education levels, the intention to continue using such systems is still very low, and the acceptance-discontinuance anomaly phenomenon (i.e., users discontinue using e-learning after initially accepting it) is a common occurrence. This paper synthesizes the expectation-confirmation model (ECM), the…

This brief represents part 2 in a series on fostering the adoption of evidence-based practices in out-of-school time programs. Many practitioners lack information on how to implement evidence-based practice(s) in their own programs or communities. A major reason for this gap is a lack of research on the process for implementing evidence-based…

This brief represents part 1 in a series on fostering the adoption of evidence-based practices in out-of-school time programs. The lag between discovering effective practices and using them "on the ground" can be unnecessarily long, sometimes taking 15 to 20 years! The purpose of this brief is to provide practitioners with a better understanding…

Discusses the significance and development of the library symbol and the history of its acceptance by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Canadian Library Association (CLA). Suggestions are made for its use. (CLB)

Describes the use of a simulation designed mainly for trainers and educators who want to get others to consider the factors that affect change. The simulation itself is a loosely structured game which introduces participants to the question of what causes change. (Author/LLS)

The minimal procedures for implementing a management team are determining who will be on it, determining long- and short-range goals for the organization, identifying task areas as a basis for designing job descriptions and setting individual goals, holding formal meetings, and planning for periodic reassessment of progress. (Author/IRT)

Presents a flow chart for turning good ideas into complete proposals before proposing them. The process involves clarifying the idea and assessing its current practicality, value for the program, compatibility with policy, implications, costs, funding sources, and implementation time requirements. (PGD)

Describes principals' responsibilities in overseeing educational technology. Outlines computer knowledge and skills principals should possess about hardware, software, word processing, data bases, spreadsheets, integrated software, and school applications (scheduling, grading, recording attendance, budgeting, maintaining inventories, etc.).…