Considers the roles and the process that characterize the design of online distance education courses, especially when the online tutors are not real experts in the course content domain. Describes an Italian pilot project that studies the use of Information and and Communication Technologies (ICT) in in-service teacher training. (Author/LRW)

Examines how technology was utilized within a student-centered project-based class, as well as students' beliefs about their technology use. Findings indicated teachers and students held differing conceptions on what was valued in class. Students spent much more time on technology-related skills than on exploring content. Content learning occurred…

Endorses the television series entitled "Culture Shock" that views controversial art as an artifact suggesting that the arts, and controversies surrounding them, can help viewers think critically about the issues of past and present societies. Focuses on "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the painting "Olympia,"…

Describes the development of a distance learning course at Keele University (United Kingdom) for staff training in the use of information technology for people with special needs. Discusses course design, learner needs analysis, course content, instructional design, and formative evaluation. (Contains 24 references.) (LRW)

Discusses how moral values should be addressed in schools. Focuses on procedural neutrality that is a method of values education that refers to a way of dealing with the discussion of controversial issues in schools. Suggests using another approach, critical affirmation, because the disadvantages of the procedural neutrality approach are serious.…

Addresses the role of technology in higher education outlining the various steps in creating a cyberclass: (1) provide access to Web sites on general research; (2) create a class listserv and a FTP site for students to upload coursework; (3) provide access to the syllabus electronically; and (4) teach an entire course online. (CMK)

Reminisces about how students reacted to learning about the Vietnam War within a U.S. history course where the students read the book "Dispatches" by Michael Herr which encouraged the students to empathize with their fathers who lived in that era. Discusses the implications this reaction has for teaching history. (CMK)

Describes a course entitled "Art and Art Theory of the 18th Century" designed for both undergraduate and graduate students that introduces them to the demanding work of scholars as opposed to the broad survey courses usually offered. Justifies and highlights the readings for the course and provides a sample schedule. (CMK)

Survey responses from 42 teachers in 24 Scottish elementary schools and 8 structured interviews suggest that study of the Holocaust is generally considered appropriate for elementary students, parents have few objections, and Holocaust history is set firmly within the context of World War II. Significant barriers to its teaching exist, yet most…

Argues that for a true moral democratic education teachers must learn to address homosexuality in elementary and secondary education using methods that focus on moral democratic stands (MDS) as opposed to moralistic positions. Explains that MDS is essential because it includes recognition of homosexuality and non-oppression simultaneously. (CMK)

Considers the use of electronic mail in submitting teacher evaluations, student construction of web pages, and PowerPoint presentation slides in lectures within an economics course in order to improve student interest in economics. Addresses the positive and negative aspects of all three teaching strategies. (CMK)

Discusses the Christopher Newport University (Virginia) [CNU] online program in which students can complete their general education required courses and earn four-year undergraduate degrees online. Addresses the effects of technology on students and the problems encountered in an online environment. Includes reactions by George Bredon and Howard…

Examines objections to sex education practices and calls by British Muslim leaders to withdraw Muslim children from sex education classes. Discusses policy makers' dilemmas as they try to reconcile the public interest with diverse beliefs. Considers whether an approach to sex education that is acceptable to all groups is possible. (DSK)

Technology can contribute to increased learning productivity by offering economies of scale and mass customization, enabling faculty to accommodate individual differences and students to progress at their own pace. The areas that can profit most from technology-based strategies are those that have a high volume of students, a standardized…

The University of Wisconsin Madison has a speech code that punishes faculty who make offensive remarks in the classroom. The code, declared unconstitutional in 1991 by a federal judge, has now been revised by a panel of professors, administrators, and students to allow faculty to teach controversial subjects, even if some students are offended in…