Outlines the Information Literacy Program at Southern Oregon University (SOU), designed to develop information literacy among freshman enrolled in SOU's new university colloquium. Discusses accomplishments and unresolved problems and issues of this model of a learner-centered, supportive, collaborative program. (AEF)

Although most constructivist classrooms feature active, social, and creative learning, different kinds of knowledge (inert, ritual, conceptually difficult, and foreign) invite varied constructivist responses, not one standard approach. Constructivism is pragmatic and should be viewed as a toolbox for problems of learning; teachers should use…

Presents an interview with Wilbert J. McKeachie who is a professor in the Department of Psychology and a Research Scientist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Discusses topics that include, but are not limited to, student-centered teaching, issues current researchers need to address, and the role of technology in teaching. (CMK)

States that cooperative learning in developmental mathematics classes has greater success rates than do traditional remedial courses. Discusses learning communities--in which instructors work with other instructors to help students connect mathematics with other disciplines, and in which there is an increased level of peer interaction--as an…

This article describes a technology tool integrated into course content at Iowa State University that enhances instruction for the group as well as the individual student in teacher preparation classes. "Discourse" is a group response program that links a teacher-station computer to individual student terminals via infrared networking. (Contains…

Populations traditionally served by social workers are experiencing increasingly severe psychosocial stressors, necessitating that students be trained in crisis intervention. This paper provides educators with a theoretical framework integrating generalist practice and crisis intervention, which is applied to compelling case studies from September…

At present, the design of computer-supported group-based learning (CSGBL) is often based on subjective decisions regarding tasks, pedagogy and technology, or concepts such as "cooperative learning" and "collaborative learning." Critical review reveals these concepts as insufficiently substantial to serve as a basis for CSGBL design. Furthermore,…

Collaborative learning environments have been analysed extensively, yet we know relatively little about how students experience their participation in long-term learning communities where learners work together over extended periods of time. This study aims to understand pre-service teacher-students' experiences and accounts of their participation…

This article discusses how children can build teamwork through science activities. Through science experiences, the excitement can generate a sense of shared community in class. Science experiments help develop children's learning. Science experiences are a prime source of powerful new words because they use a common language to describe the…

This article presents a conceptual analysis of collaboration scripts used in face-to-face and computer-mediated collaborative learning. Collaboration scripts are scaffolds that aim to improve collaboration through structuring the interactive processes between two or more learning partners. Collaboration scripts consist of at least five components:…

For this study, the authors developed a multi-item, multi-dimensional scale for peer evaluation encompassing five key dimensions: dependability, task and maintenance orientation, domineering behavior, free-riding behavior, and individual competence. They also tested the relationship between these dimensions and two outcome variables: overall…

The proliferation of online courses has become a major concern for some educators when it comes to whether they apply valid and reliable instruments to asses learning outcomes. In addition, few publications seem to have dealt with the faculty realm that addresses the front-end fundamental learning principles of instruction that underlie quality…

In this case study our aim was to gain more insight in the possibilities of qualitative formative peer assessment in a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. An approach was chosen in which peer assessment was operationalized in assessment assignments and assessment tools that were embedded in the course material. The course…

The study describes a teaching action undertaken in the belief that the use of methodologies based on active and cooperative learning could obviate some of the most worrying deficiencies in current scientific teaching, while at the same time supporting the validity of the constructivistic theory that prompted them. A teaching action on genetically…

Group cohesiveness is a topic addressed in most small group communication texts and courses and is often defined as the degree of attraction members feel towards one another, the degree of loyalty within a group, or the "groupness" felt among members. Further, groups which are cohesive tend to be happier and more productive. When working on…