The importance of myth and ritual in understanding the use of computer simulators in higher education is considered. Myths are commonly held beliefs that maintain social solidarity and reduce ambiguity; rituals serve a similar function, but they involve actions in addition to words. Examples of common myths and rituals are used to illustrate the…

A methodological framework for the delivery of knowledge, performance, and learning (KPL) systems is presented. The role of the KPL system is currently taken by learning management systems or learning and content management systems, and many of these systems facilitate the technical aspects of learning objects. However, they are still rooted in…

The activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) workshop on the development of a systems approach to teacher inservice education in Asian and Oceanic nations are reported. Eighteen participants from twelve countries are listed. Topics addressed by the workshop include: 1) general problems in the…

Project BASICS attempts to answer questions about which of the best reading and mathematics strategies will produce mastery learning for what types of students in terms of their individual characteristics and needs. It focuses on the discovery and implementation of alternative strategies for mastery learning with an innovative school setting. The…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in an adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, focuses on support systems for injured workers. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal, information utilization, and other skills…

Describes the adaptation of the Future Problem-Solving Process (FPS) in a global studies class. The process applies state-of-the-art critical thinking and problem solving to unstable areas such as the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Includes handouts directing the students through the process. (MJP)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how, from 2004-2006, a New Zealand research team experimented with the "change laboratory" learning process to create a new method of government policy development and implementation, referred to as "practice-making". The apple industry in Hawke's Bay was chosen because of the…

Programs that illustrate the ways in which colleges and universities are helping students understand technological methods and issues are described. Some of the programs approach technological literacy from a humanities vantage point that integrates technology into the coursework, while others employ a strict technological approach that touches…

Family involvement in children's education is widely considered critical to student achievement. Yet teachers and other education professionals often feel unprepared to engage families in children's learning. The goal of Preparing Educators to Involve Families is to help prepare teachers and other professionals to partner effectively with the…

This monograph reports on an intervention that attempted to improve the flexible organizational problem solving of a junior high school faculty. Organizational development, not personal change, was the study's goal. Although the emotional reactions of faculty members were considered in the design, the intervention concentrated on organizational…

A cognitive task analysis was performed to analyze the key cognitive components of the en route air traffic controllers' jobs. The goals were to ascertain expert mental models and decision-making strategies and to identify important differences in controller knowledge, skills, and mental models as a function of expertise. Four groups of…

After a detailed history and definition of Computer-Assisted Instruction (which identifies drill and practice, tutorial, and problem-solving activities as comprising CAI), the development and implementation of a college level computer based multimedia physics course is described as an example of tutorial activities in CAI for those interested in…

Periods of executive change provide an ideal time for the development of planning efforts for public school systems and for self-examination of the system's strengths, weaknesses, and long-range needs. In the anonymous school system under study, the new superintendent's application of general systems theory to school district management entailed a…

This textbook contains information and activities designed to help college students develop the following generalized competencies that are critical to job success and satisfaction in the 21st century: learns; thinks reflectively; manages time; manages stress; sets goals; solves problems; demonstrates interdependence; thinks systematically; solves…

Two government documents, "Goals for Americans" and "Toward Balanced Growth: Quantity with Quality" (ED 055 009), together with previous documents, serve as the information source and basis of this guide. The "Goals for Americans" report, initiated by President Eisenhower's Commission in 1960, identified social…