This paper is a case study of the development of the "Using Information Technology" computer literacy course at East Tennessee State University. The paper follows the transformation from the previous traditional model of instruction to the present model that incorporates online training and testing. It focuses on the problems with the…

To meet the challenges of a rapidly-growing student population, a desire to increase student retention and success rates, a shortage of classroom space, and the need to maintain quality educational opportunities for students, the University of Central Florida (UCF) is strategically employing distributed learning. In three years, UCF has progressed…

Learner-centered software design (LCSD) guides the design of tasks, tools, and interfaces in order to support the unique needs of learners: growth, diversity and motivation. This paper presents a framework for LCSD and describes a case study of its application to the ScienceWare Model-It, a learner-centered tool to support scientific modeling and…

This study examines the changes in students' conceptual thinking and problem solving abilities. Conceptual thinking skills and problem solving abilities are important factors for medical school applicants as diagnosis and treatment procedures strongly depend on these skills. Underrepresented minorities in medicine is a concern in United States,…

Early in the 20th century, vocational education was a concern of educators in the United States as schools struggled to meet labor force needs during the shift from an agrarian to an industrial economic base. A 1914 Congress-authorized commission studied whether federal aid to vocational education was warranted. Charles Prosser, a student of…

This symposium explores the impact of a range of family resources on children's successful transition from middle to high school. The five case studies that form this symposium examine the ways in which children's experiences at school are directly related to their parents' knowledge of school structure and bureaucracy; self- confidence in making…

This final report discusses the outcomes of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools), an outreach project designed to provide training and technical assistance to states and territories in the development of a statewide transition system for children with disabilities, birth through 5 years of age. The focus of the…

This document contains 85 articles taken from previously published issues of the "CTS Communication Network Update," a publication about the career and technology studies (CTS) program of career education designed for Alberta, Canada, high school juniors and seniors. Following an introductory section and a section on general CTS, the…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of SpecialCare Outreach, a program designed to expand inclusive child care options for families of young children with severe disabilities through replication of the SpecialCare model of training while developing linkages for collaboration through interagency planning groups. The…

This book synthesizes information from a range of scientific disciplines, including neuroscience, developmental psychology, and psychiatry, to explore the idea that the mind emerges at the interface of interpersonal experience and the structure and function of the brain. Each chapter explores a major domain of human experience. Following an…

There is an evolving paradigm shift in the field of rural education away from emulating urban schools and toward a pedagogy of place. This shift is influenced by the following trends: 1) the rediscovery of the unique features of rural and small schools as strengths to be nurtured, not problems to be solved; 2) the recognition that centralized,…

This paper opens with a story of what was once cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technology and its integration into preservice teacher preparation. It is a story of the technology, in this case video recording, the theories applied to its educational use, and a specific teacher training method--microteaching. The historical context of microteaching…

This paper presents an alternative, nonlinear view of technology adoption among teachers participating in The WEB Project, a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant. It is based on a number of new theories, including activity and systems theory, and upon previous evaluations of large scale educational technology programs by RMC Research Corporation,…

This study examines the effects of changes made by a small rural school division in Manitoba (Canada) to its professional development model in response to requirements for new curricula and provincial standards tests. The study looks at the effects that sharing of local expertise, the restructuring of the traditional professional development…

In this remarkable collection of articles, teachers reflect on the complex worlds of their classrooms to gain a better understanding of their students, themselves, and the act of teaching. The contributors to Class Acts represent a diversity of backgrounds, subjects, grade levels, and educational philosophies. But they share a common approach:…