Discusses the layering of instructional designs and implications for teaching and practicing instructional design. Phases that students evolve through as they mature in their theoretic and practical knowledge are described, and the roots of this progression are explored. The following layers of an instructional design are summarized:…

Discusses the cognitive approach to instructional design (ID) and how ID practitioners can design training differently. Highlights include how learning occurs; categories of learning; a model that summarizes the components of a well-designed lesson; a framework for ID based on cognitive psychology; and a table to use as a job aid for designing…

Reports the results of an intervention program for students with difficulties learning mathematics. Compared two kinds of math intervention, guided versus structured instruction, to regular math instruction for students from regular and special education aged seven to thirteen and concludes that both forms of intervention were effective for low…

Examines the balance model and identifies the issues that divide scientists. Describes learning situations that were the subject of the empirical study which involved 40 students in two 8th-grade classes. Shows the presence of negative numbers gave rise to many errors. Discusses the relevance of the balance model and analyzes the arguments put…

Interviews were conducted before and after 10 trainers attended workshops on using an educational equity guide for nontraditional training. Pretraining resistance to equity gave way to new awareness of issues and learner concerns and willingness to change practice. Training modified male and female participants' discourses in different ways.…

Explores possibilities of animated pedagogical agents to enhance the use of support tools in open learning environments. Constructs a typology to describe and compare different pedagogical agents from an instructional design perspective; analyzes currently available pedagogical agents; and reviews empirical research on pedagogical agents in…

Describes the development of an online learning program being developed by the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute, a consortium of colleges and research institutes in Scotland. Highlights include staff development; theories of learning and teaching; principles of course design; conversation theory; and paradigm shifts in…

Explores the dominant factor controlling the distribution of Daphnia. Describes components of a temperature gradient apparatus that can be assembled from materials readily obtainable in the laboratory and hardware stores. Investigates whether the mean depth of Daphnia is determined by temperature. (KHR)

Describes an automatic pipette washer that is functional, inexpensive, and easy to construct from locally available parts. (KHR)

Discusses the need for subject-matter experts who understands that purity of content must be coupled with ensuring that the participants actually learn. Looks at ways to leverage and circulate intellectual capital within an organization. (JOW)

Describes the creation of SeniorSage, an eight week facilitated online learning community for older adult volunteers in a Florida learning center. Discusses how members were prepared to participate in the community, explains the instructional design theory that guided the development of SeniorSage, and recommends future research. (Author/LRW)

Reports on action research regarding hybrid courses, defined as Web-based courses where the students and instructor actually meet for half or less of the regular scheduled meeting time. Investigates instructional design strategies as well as students' opinions towards the courses and the impact of using different strategies on online communities.…

Examines the relationship between the graphical user interface (GUI) and the cognitive demands placed on the learner in eLearning (electronic learning) environments. Describes ways educators can design appropriate interfaces to facilitate meaningful interactions with educational content; and examines learner engagement and engagement theory using…

Examines a course team who have joint responsibility in the design of student learning as they reflect on their professional learning, focusing on professional development as a course team rather than staff development for individual teachers. Highlights a strategy for linking professional development activities to course teams for a more…

Discusses concept learning research and theory, and examines the relationship with models of instructional design. Topics discussed include how concepts are learned; how concepts are measured; instructional design for concept learning; inferences; teaching with analogies; use of learning strategies; and new strategies for classification…