This paper describes the theoretical foundations of an online course to teach clinical educators how to convert a traditional face-to-face course for either flexible or distance delivery. We describe the design research approach to the creation of the course and the pedagogical theory behind the course development. We also present the details of…

Although information technology is increasingly used to deliver distance and conventional courses, there have been few studies of the effect of technology-enhanced education on the organization and purposes of academics' instructional work. I explore this issue in undergraduate and masters level education through the vehicle of case analyses of…

We describe the design of a knowledge-building environment and examine the role of knowledge-building portfolios in characterizing and scaffolding collaborative inquiry. Our goal is to examine collaborative knowledge building in the context of exploring the alignment of learning, collaboration, and assessment in computer forums. The key design…

This article outlines how the commercialization of structures and management in education risks accelerating the intensification of corporate marketing in schools. It is argued that marketing promotes materialistic values which are harmful to children and US and UK examples are offered to demonstrate how companies seek to use schools as…

The importance of accessibility to digital e-learning resources is widely acknowledged. The World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative has played a leading role in promoting the importance of accessibility and developing guidelines that can help when developing accessible web resources. The accessibility of e-learning resources…

This paper evolves out of a consultancy that was carried out with the European Commission over a two year period between 2001 and 2003. A working group, set within the European Commission and comprising representatives from 15 member states, as well as associated and accession countries, stakeholders and social partners involved in maths, science…

In the 1960s, most individuals engaged in adult education in Great Britain were romantics in the sense that they considered the impetus of the field to be not just to remedy deficits, make up for inadequate educational resources in the broader society, or meet new needs but also to make learning part of the process of social change itself.…

This brief review of principles of inclusive educational practices for students with disabilities explains what inclusion is, identifies characteristics of inclusive schools, considers preparation for inclusive schooling, and addresses inclusion policy. Inclusion is seen as reflecting the intent of federal law that children with disabilities be…

This book discusses the first order principles (FOPs) of college teaching and their role as the easiest route to working happily and successfully in the classroom. Part 1 lists the 10 principles: (1) moderate classroom incivilities with prosocial immediacies; (2) wait actively for the fruits of one's teaching efforts; (3) begin before feeling…

This paper argued that a general theory that can provide a precise definition of educational goals and the means to accomplish them is absolutely necessary to resuscitate schooling, and that the classroom is the place where theory can be developed and tested. The paper makes the following points: (1) a general theory is vitally needed to deal with…

Professional development for teachers is a continuous process of individual and collective examination of practice. This publication first identifies reasons why traditional staff development often fails and several prerequisites for effective professional development. These include establishing real stakes for students; providing incentives for…

This case study describes a preservice program for prospective high school science teachers at Monash University in Victoria, Australia. The program views student teaching as only the first stage of career-long professional development, promotes the notion of the reflective practitioner, maximizes student teachers' contacts with school pupils and…

This digest addresses principles of planning science programs for high ability learners. It notes various evaluation reports that have reviewed needs in science learning and teaching, identified essential science concepts and processes, and evaluated teacher enhancement programs and curricula. Research on gifted learners in science is briefly…

Service learning contextualizes student learning and provides an environment in which students can acquire organizational, team, problem-solving, and other skills and attitudes necessary for future work and learning. Although service learning has been classified as a form of work-based learning, students participating in service learning receive…

This paper explores the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) influence on higher education policy development in Canada and examines the impact its free-market philosophy exacts on more traditional aesthetic, humanistic, and moral educational objectives. The OECD is an international body whose primary objective is to…