Among the many teaching strategies that actively engage students are writing tasks, speaking activities, small-group activities, case-study methods of instruction, simulations, role plays, and field studies. The use of writing and small-group discussion by teaching assistants is discussed. (MLW)

Describes elements of the Student Service Quality Assurance model used at Butler County Community College to assure access to education, access to information via the library and various technological means, employee development, and student development through adjunct advising, career planning, student seminars, developmental studies, and peer…

Reviews components of effective advisor training in community colleges. Describes the necessary informational and conceptual content of training programs, and the skills needed by advisors to advise students effectively. Reviews types of training programs and techniques. Outlines Greenville Technical College's model program for training advisors.…

Three major models of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy professional development are discussed: craft or mentoring models, applied science or theory to practice models, and inquiry or reflective practice models. Each is outlined, examples are provided, and innovative K-12 teacher development practices are suggested. (Contains 50…

Describes an early childhood mentorship model used at the University of South Florida to provide support to early childhood educators. Discusses the importance of mentoring for teacher retention. Presents findings from a professional needs survey of 84 graduates, of which a core group of 30 were identified as potential master cooperating teachers…

This article describes the evolution of distance learning in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction from the 1970s to the present, focusing on the "guided didactic conversation" model of Holmberg (1983, 1986), examples of distance learning ESL programs, and a new model of distance learning based on computers and electronic communication.…

The premise of this paper is that computer science has much to offer the endeavor of instructional improvement. Software design processes employed in computer science for developing software can be used for planning instruction and should improve instruction in much the same manner that design processes appear to have improved software. Techniques…

In this paper, we present an ontology to represent the semantics of the IMS Learning Design (IMS LD) specification, a meta-language used to describe the main elements of the learning design process. The motivation of this work relies on the expressiveness limitations found on the current XML-Schema implementation of the IMS LD conceptual model. To…

This study addresses several common shortcomings of current university campus sustainability initiatives, including a lack of attention to integrative issues such as land use, housing, and transportation, and a generally reactive rather than proactive approach to sustainability. To engage these concerns, we develop a model for assessing the…

This monograph describes Supplemental Instruction, a student assistance program designed to improve the academic success of college freshmen based on the idea that if students are not being successful in courses then perhaps colleges should change the way courses are taught. Supplemental Instruction (SI) utilizes regularly scheduled, out-of-class,…

This article describes collaborative efforts to frame university teacher preparation program activities within transfer of learning and transformative learning theories to promote teacher leadership. Specifically, we describe (a) a community sponsored, public school, campus-based experience during an introductory teacher preparation course; (b) a…

This article is a descriptive account of a professional learning community established among university professors, university teacher candidates, a school district instructional supervisor, the high school principal, a high school literacy coordinator, and teachers of a Mid-Atlantic high school in the United States. This learning community…

Highlighting the need for a redefinition and redirection of social services for children and families, this report proposes a new model for social services that can enhance the development of children and the functioning of families. Two essential and interrelated components of the model described and discussed are: (1) supporting and expanding…

Foreign Language Exploratory or Foreign Language Experience (FLEX) programs offer one approach to initiating foreign language instruction for children. One survey reported that 41 percent of United States elementary schools offering language instruction had FLEX programs. Statistics on FLEX programs in middle schools are unavailable. Most FLEX…

In this study, a programmatic decision-making framework called the consensus marker-outcome variable system (CMOVS) was developed as a result of a comprehensive "meta-review" and synthesis of research on variables considered by experts to be important to learning for all students, including those with special needs or those at risk of failing. The…