Successful implementation of historical approach to teach nature of science (NOS) requires suitable curriculum material. Several research and development projects have produced lesson plans for science teachers. 25 lesson plans from four different projects involved in creating curriculum material utilizing historical approach in chemistry…

We redesigned the undergraduate introductory biology course by writing a new textbook ("Integrating Concepts in Biology" ["ICB"]) that follows first principles of learning. Our approach emphasizes primary data interpretation and the utility of mathematics in biology, while de-emphasizing memorization. This redesign divides biology into five big…

A distributed online curriculum and courseware development model (DONC[superscript 2]) is developed and tested in this study. Courseware development teams which may work in different institutions who need to develop high quality, reduced cost, on time products will be the users of DONC[superscript 2]. The related features from the disciplines of…

Academics preparing students for experiential placements within professional programs require considerable curriculum planning and pedagogical expertise. Communities of practice involving workshops and online processes provide opportunities for collaborative work in developing quality curriculum materials and also in supporting widespread…

Many teachers find developing a new lesson or course quite difficult. It would be nice to have all necessary information, lesson plans and assessment materials ready at hand. But most often, they find themselves on their own when it comes to lesson and course development. The author faced this situation when he was asked to develop a lesson on…

Discusses the need for and use of models in the design and development of instructional materials, providing an overview of the main characteristics of a unit model and three course models: a simple linear model, a refined linear model, and a branched model. (RAO)

This guide presents established principles of learning and instruction, along with practical examples of how these principles can be incorporated into instructional materials. This guidebook is a collection of 55 of the more commonly known principles of learning. The principle statements are first arranged by category of learning. Each category…

Describes an elective, noncrisis course on death and dying which targets fifth graders. Discusses both the psychological theory behind the program and the ways that life and death values can be clarified. Program tries to allow children to grieve previous losses and helps children to develop appropriate grieving behaviors. (RJM)

This paper discusses issues in instructional material development for rural gifted children in Australia. Issues include who should develop curriculum materials, what form should enrichment materials take, which theoretical frameworks are appropriate, and how should content be selected. Interdisciplinary materials used in developing a unit in…

Documentation for the U.S. Navy's curriculum development system is brought together in this paper, beginning with a description of the Naval Technical Training System. This description includes the Navy Training Plan (NTP) process, which is the current mechanism for introducing new courses; the organization and administration of the system; the…

A review of the research literature on systematic instructional design indicates that few empirically supported guidelines exist for testing materials under development and for improving materials on the basis of feedback from potential learners. In an analysis of 17 textbooks on instructional design, eight specific aspects to be considered in…

In conjunction with United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's 40th anniversary, 1986 was named the International Year of Peace. During 1986, UNESCO selected the theme "peace" as an education project to be undertaken in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico,…

Describes a project at Bell Laboratories which sought a compromise between ideal formative evaluation procedures and more feasible procedures necessitated by restrictions on time and resources. Local-trial and field-trial stages of a phased approach are discussed, as well as the benefits of field-tests. (EAO)

Outcomes of the Junior Secondary Education Improvement Project (JSEIP), implemented in Botswana during 1985-91, are presented in this final report. The project's purpose was to help the Botswana government expand its 7-year basic education program (primary) to 9 years (primary and junior secondary). The first and second sections provide the…

The instructional development (ID) process is a teaching method that can be applied to an entire course, unit, or subject. The ID process can be compared to the decision making stages in purchasing and designing a house. These stages involve such concepts as communication theory, audience analysis, and study of goals and objectives. The choice of…