This article argues that computer literacy is especially useful for medical students because it supports cognitive processes needed for effective learning and professional practice. Three approaches are compared: learning about computers, using computer-assisted instruction, and using computers in daily work. It is concluded that none is…

One teacher educator returned to a secondary classroom to test her mature understanding of teaching and learning with real students and gain insights to influence her teaching of preservice teachers. The experience highlighted the need for teachers to analyze students' learning or lack of learning and respond to that analysis. (SM)

Faculty ask undergraduate students to write self-evaluations in varied settings and contexts, from reflections on a brief learning experience to descriptions of learning over a course, courses, or an entire college experience. Feedback and degree of structure of the writing assignment are important considerations. (MSE)

This article discusses William G. Perry's model of intellectual development, which posits that college students move through four phases of understanding their relationship to knowledge: dualism (knowledge as received truth), multiplicity (knowledge as opinion), relativism (knowledge as relativistic), and commitment in relativism. Specific…

Discusses the impact of information technology and networking on higher education with particular reference to academic libraries, based on experiences in Australia and New Zealand. Highlights include technology and learning; open learning and the virtual campus; network infrastructure; database access; electronic publishing; information…

Pragmatic and semantic problem solving are examined as processes that enhance acquisition of mathematical knowledge. It is suggested that development of mathematical cognition involves restructuring and that math teachers can help restructure children's knowledge systems by providing them with situations in which semantic and pragmatic problem…

Presents an overview of the 1995 Distance Education Research Symposium at Pennsylvania State University. Topics include research on policy and administration, including finances, faculty participation, and the socioeconomic impact; research on instruction, including the role and future of the library; research on course design; and learners and…

Norwegian 6th graders (n=107) either were taught a mnemonic imagery to apply to passages they read or were given no strategy. Mnemonic-imagery students remembered more information. Individual differences in short-term memory and verbal and visual competence did not predict performance in the imagery condition. (SLD)

Discussion of the spread of educational technology and its influence on students focuses on experiences in Hungary. Topics discussed include the design of instructional materials, including software; curriculum development and the use of media; the teaching-learning process; goals of media use; examples from elementary and secondary education; and…

Describes a study of college students that investigated the interaction between instructional mode and testing mode. Computer learning and testing versus paper-and-pencil methods are compared, and treatments for the experimental and control groups are described. Areas for further research are suggested. (20 references) (LRW)

An experiment applied the theories of knowledge engineering and expert systems to science instruction for junior high school students. The model encourages a more creative, constructivist approach to teaching certain science concepts and skills while fostering improvement of logical thinking, communication, and independent learning skills. Results…

Teachers at the Dag Hammarskjold School No. 6 in Rochester, New York, developed an interdisciplinary curriculum for fifth and sixth graders that they call the Interesting Questions Approach. Teachers and students choose questions about a topic and plan activities that will enable students to find the answers. (LB)

To clarify what it means to teach mathematics for understanding and to learn mathematics with understanding, an interactional analysis of video recordings of two lessons in elementary school classrooms is presented. The two classrooms illustrate two distinct classroom traditions, in which mathematics was learned with and without understanding,…

Describes the use of Smalltalk-80, a French programing language, to teach young children to program effectively using object-oriented concepts. Learning processes involving problem solving and programing are examined, the object-oriented environment is discussed, teacher training is described, and future work is suggested. (21 references) (LRW)

Describes the use of expert systems in elementary school classes that focused on developing thinking skills and independent learning. Expert systems as tools, tutors, and tutees are discussed; differences in learning styles are considered; problem-solving skills are addressed; and uses of expert systems in science and social studies are described.…