We developed an advanced, year-long course sequence in eukaryotic cell and molecular biology in order to increase conceptual understanding. Three years of historical data from a one semester, traditional-lecture, senior cell and molecular biology course (n = 237) were compared with 3 years of data collected from the year-long course sequence (n =…

With the spread of adaptive technologies that customize the user experience in response to individual users, it is not surprising that such experiences are increasingly found in educational settings or in tools to facilitate learning. The National Academy of Education commissioned a background paper and held two meetings of scholars, policy…

This article describes one school district department's efforts to train and support teachers in providing effective curriculum, instruction, and assessment methods to their students. This large, K-12 district embraces the spectrum of low to high SES schools, a large number of gifted students from diverse populations, and a variety of gifted…

Typical comparisons of schools in the United States to those in other countries ignore critical factors and overlook potential lessons learned. But here's a book that reveals what the best schools from around the world are doing to educate students for a rapidly changing innovation-based world. Find out that American education has not "gotten…

In the last decade, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has made a substantial commitment to improving the quality of its public education system. The main vehicle for this work has been the Education Reform for Knowledge Economy (ERfKE) initiative. To date, key investments have been made in early childhood education, school infrastructure,…

Written by the director and staff of the first, and one of the largest, teaching centers in American higher education--the University of Michigan's Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT)--this book offers a unique perspective on the strategies for making a teaching center integral to an institution's educational mission. It presents a…

The author notes that technology may have improved the efficiency of schools but it doesn't tell teachers what to teach. (AK)

Article suggests that if principles of learning are applied to teaching college faculty about instructional development, significant learning and change may occur where it has not in the past. (HB)

An attempt to evaluate and describe one older and two newer approaches that can be used to implement instructional development in higher education. (Author/HB)

The purpose of this report is to provide descriptive information about educational technology practices related to the core objectives of the U.S. Department of Education's Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. The EETT program is part of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" ("NCLB") and, like other elements…

With the emergence of instructional design the teacher as designer of instruction, rather than user, can make an unquestionable difference in what happens in classrooms. (Author/HB)

This article explores the conflicting visions of curriculum promoted by humanistic educators and curriculum technologists. Notes that most schools and teachers combine aspects of both orientations, exemplifying an eclecticism which blends the efficiency of instructional technology and the personal freedom of humanistic approaches to instruction.…

The purpose of this article is to clarify some concepts integral to the application of systems theory, and to show how its use may result in humanized education. (Author)

It is the theme of this paper that educators must effect the restructuring and reforms necessary to adapt their school systems to current technological and social conditions. The report states that educators must examine the current structure of the schools with a view toward streamlining and moving the decision-making process closer to where the…

A series of 20 brief papers by teachers and administrators in the Norwalk Connecticut School System.