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…

The Open University of Catalonia (UOC) was established as public, online university and thus has grown quickly with the global interest in online courses. However, like other dedicated distance-education institutions, UOC has had challenges adapting to MOOCs, and the emergent world of Web 2.0 learning technologies. To meet these challenges, UOC…

Collaborative learning provides students with vital opportunities to create and build knowledge. Existing technologies can facilitate collaborative learning. However, barriers exist to enacting collaborative practices related to the coverage of material for assessments and classroom management concerns, among others. Teachers can overcome these…

J. Michael Spector's academic preparation was in philosophy--epistemology and logic, primarily. His dissertation was on skepticism in modern philosophy, and that led him to a deep-seated appreciation for classical skepticism. The word "skeptic" is derived from the Greek word "skepsis," which means investigation. While the…

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines are considered key to the scientific and economic improvement in the United States. As noted by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (2011), we need a nation in which "all" teachers and thus, all students, are "STEM-capable" (p. 2), that is, equipped with a broad…

Most classrooms in the U.S. are composed of students with different learning styles and experiences as well as different achievement levels (Ferguson, 2001). Personalized learning is a unique way of students' learning determined by their own learning style, pace, and needs. Focusing on individual differences, personalized instruction aims to…

Issues associated with the preparation of engineering faculty to teach online courses are examined. This includes: the nature of online teaching, engineering course materials, training faculty to teach online, use of online resources, course development, and evaluation of online courses. Selection of faculty and providing adequate support are…

Discusses the identification and application of instructional support services to the instructional development process. To determine the full extent of these support services a matrix is presented, listing services and criteria for their inclusion in the ID process. (RAO)

Defines the role of instructional developer and relates issues of research, certification, and evaluation as they influence the field. The future of instructional development in higher education, business, and industry and the eventual merger of faculty, organizational, and instructional development are explored. (RAO)

This article describes a network among the Commonwealth's 28 smallest countries created to enhance the professional capacity of educators, developing new course materials, and enabling the transfer of courses and qualifications across borders. The focus is on topics such as entrepreneurship, tourism, professional development of educators, life…

Sixteen things to avoid in planning and implementing inservice programs are listed including problems in the areas of faculty involvement, scheduling, flexibility, funding, and non-monetary support. (BD)

Discusses the role and function of the instructional specialist, i.e., one who is trained to provide assistance and support in faculty and instructional development, and outlines model competencies for this position. (RAO)

Developing contact with faculty who have not been involved in instructional development, and the task of the developer in this process, are discussed. Five major outcomes that indicate successful instructional development are outlined: project completion, group dynamics, additional instructional development projects, formal evaluations of…

Presents guidelines for effective distance education planning that confront the issues of planning/organization, technology, and faculty development/academic policies. Concludes that understanding the unique characteristics and constraints of any particular program or target audience is the first step in selecting appropriate distance education…

Describes the responsibilities and the role of universities in adequately preparing teachers to use educational technologies. Topics discussed include instructional design and development of technology training; curriculum considerations, including interdisciplinary efforts; the availability of resources; and the role of faculty, including the…