This chapter aims to seek insight into engagement in context, conceived through Productive Disciplinary Engagement (PDE), which can be perceived as a condition for sustained disciplinary and interdisciplinary interest and motivation. Despite ongoing trends in the design and implementation of enriched learning environments that are expected to…

Debates in forums such as "Educational Technology" and the National Academies of Science (National Research Council, 2011) emphasize the promise (and indeed recent successes) of digital game-based learning programs, but also the need for research-driven approaches that carefully delineate learning goals. This article introduces one such…

Teaching is acknowledged to be complex, multifaceted and dynamic. Curriculum revisions in Scotland, and elsewhere, call for teachers who are adaptable and capable of change. Yet the skills and attributes traditionally valued and acquired by teachers during their education do not necessarily equip them to cope with the shifting landscape of…

In this paper we report on the sustained research and development work at the AMSTEL Institute of the University of Amsterdam to improve mathematics and science education at primary and secondary school level, which has lead amongst other things to the development of the integrated computer working environment Coach 6. This environment consists of…

The Transportation Training and Research Center of the Polytechnic Institute of New York is discussed, along with some issues that must be considered when interdisciplinary research is to be performed at an academic institution. (BB)

The Center for the Analysis of Marine Systems (CAMS) was created as an interdisciplinary "think tank" to meet needs of modern oceanography. The international research center's focus and success rests on theory, observation, and computer modeling. Projects involving lava flow and year-to-year variations in abundance of fish are described. (DH)

Contains the text of an interview with the director of the Engineering Research Center (ERC) at the University of Delaware. Discusses interdisciplinary engineering research and its effects on traditional academic engineering. Describes the development and progress of the Delaware ERC, including eight recommendations for developing and operating…

This publication consists of colorful data sheets on the National Science Foundation's Engineering Research Centers (ERC) Program, a program designed to strengthen the competitiveness of U.S. industries by bringing new approaches and goals to academic engineering research and education. The main elements of the ERC mission are cross-disciplinary…

The Institut fur die Padagogik der Naturwissenschaften (IPN) is the research institute for science education, with a national function in the Federal Republic of Germany. The IPN consists of biology education, chemistry education, physics education, educational science, research methodology/statistics, and administration/general services…

Discusses the National Science Foundation's program to establish Engineering Research Centers (ERCs). States that this effort has provided a new impetus to interdisciplinary research efforts on university campuses. Claims that the concept of bringing together industry, academia, and government is necessary in addressing engineering research and…

Describes the development of the programs of the Center for Environmental Education at Murray State University (Kentucky). Emphasizes the cooperative aspects of this development, involving a consortium of local schools and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Discusses the wide range of instructional services and research activities. (TW)

From 3rd to 5th March 2008 the International Association of Technology, Education and Development organised its International Technology, Education and Development Conference in Valencia, Spain. Over a hundred papers were presented by participants from a great variety of countries. Summarising, this book provides a kaleidoscopic view of work that…

Reports on the recommendations made by House Representative Don Fuqua (Florida), outgoing chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, regarding science policy in the United States. Includes issues such as research funding, the role of the universities, and the need to develop diverse energy sources. (TW)

In response to the challenge for reform in science education, a new graduate course entitled "Advances in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education" was initiated at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell by the College of Education. The course focused specifically on examining how private research and development work dovetails…

This document explores the mission, goals, and underlying philosophy of the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning (NCSTL). The reform of the U.S. educational system, especially in the area of science education, will require a thorough examination of noncurricular, external factors affecting science education. In order to bring about…