Higher education has witnessed remarkable technological advancements; however, the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) presents substantial challenges for teaching and research. This growing reliance has expanded educators' roles, underscoring the need for ethical and selective AI integration while preparing students and…

Exemplar-based learning requires: (1) a segmentation procedure for identifying the units of past experiences that a present experience can be compared to, and (2) a similarity function for comparing these past experiences to the present experience. This article argues that for a learner to learn a language these two mechanisms will require…

This commentary investigates the extent to which the control-value theory of emotions (Pekrun, 2006) is applicable in online learning environments. Four empirical studies in this special issue of "The Internet and Higher Education" explicitly used the control-value theory as their theoretical framework and several others have components of the…

Being a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is not very enchanted. Despite all of its charms, Hogwarts still requires its students to attend class, read books, write exercises, take tests, and be graded on a competitive scale. The teachers do not use veritaserum to check students' homework or studiousness. Nor do students…

Based on research studies from fields of education, social organization, and logic, this article argues that the study of organization of knowledge has important implications for students' general intellectual development. Recurring stages of intellectual development are outlined, and implications for improving quality of library school education…

Describes and compares various assumptions of instructional design and of constructivism, some of which have been raised in other articles in this issue. Topics discussed include instructional design theory; instructional systems theory; mental models; categories of knowledge; knowledge representation; instructional strategies; collaborative…

Observes that writing students are often confronted with a great many variables that preclude their attention to specific stylistic details. Explores professional journals that suggest that students in content areas also experience the same difficulty when confronted with abstractions or contexts different from those taught in the classroom. (HT)

Study of processes by which Liberian apprentice tailors learn their craft is the basis for questioning the traditional dichotomy of "formal" and "informal" education. Used as an analogy to demonstrate that anthropologists need not leave the study of learning to the psychologists, but can make valuable contributions by pursuing…

Examines the notion of "deep" and "surface" approaches to learning and phenomenography, the associated methodology and theory of knowledge; explores reasons for the heightened status of the deep/surface notion within higher education research; discusses problems of phenomenographic research methodology. Introduces the idea of…

Whereas Maria Montessori believes that humans are born with a divine animating spirit, John Dewey believes that no such spirit exists, and that it is society which shapes the child. Their definitions of education reflect this difference. For Montessori, education is a natural process that develops spontaneously in the human being, and formal…

Poses the theory that teaching is telling a story about the acquisition of knowledge. Explores the approaches of four composition textbooks using the pattern of heroic adventure (separation, initiation, and return) as a basis for comparison. Concludes that the implied educational values in texts should be considered conscientiously by teachers.…

Challenges a critique of phenomenography and the idea that college students approach studies in ways leading to either "deep" or "surface" learning. Finds the description of phenomenography to be unrecognizable and based on inadequate review of the literature. Sees this attempt to invalidate this approach to research about…

Responds to criticisms of a paper rejecting phenomenography and the notion of "deep" and "surface" learning, noting that important arguments were not addressed, including the nature of the research relationship in phenomenography, the ahistorical stance of phenomenographers, their lack of appreciation for…

Discusses parallels between Bloom's taxonomy for cognitive learning outcomes and hypertext design, and argues that hypertext designs should be consistent with desired learning outcomes. Bloom's taxonomy is explained; hypertext designs are described and diagrammed; and the need for more research connecting hypertext design and effective learning is…

Discussion of evaluation of learning focuses on a constructivist approach to evaluation based on a constructivist learning model. Topics addressed include comparing traditionalist and constructivist views; traditional evaluation of learning; and constructivist evaluation strategies that include one-sentence summaries, concept maps, annotated…