Interaction is an essential ingredient in any learning process. However, every interaction does not lead to increased learning. When interaction has a direct influence on learners' intellectual growth, we can say the interaction is meaningful. The precise meaning of meaningful interaction is strongly related to the learning theories underlying the…

We provide an overview of the Calculus Pilot Project that was undertaken by the Rochester Institute of Technology in the 2001 and 2002 academic years. A brief discussion of demographics is followed by a description of three specific steps that, in concert, increased student success rates by over 16%. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)

Digital storytelling is a promising instructional strategy as well as an emerging field of study in higher education. Courses on digital storytelling are offered in communications and creative writing programs at a number of universities. However, the potential for digital storytelling extends far beyond the fields of communication and media…

Over the past two decades, distance education has become a reality of rural schooling in Newfoundland and Labrador. In this article, I provide historical background into the challenges facing rural schools in the province and how distance education was introduced to address that challenge. I also describe how that system of distance education…

It is important for future teachers of mathematics to distinguish between technology as course content to be taught and technology as a teaching tool. This exploratory study examines prospective teachers' views of the role of technology in mathematics education before, during, and after their experience in a mathematics class that focused on…

What are middle school students' attitudes toward digital cheating and plagiarism? To answer the question, an empirical study was conducted in three middle schools using multiple focus groups and interviews. Students participated in the focus groups, and teachers, and parents participated in interviews. The study found that peer culture…

This article presents an interview with Dr. James Johnson Duderstadt, founder of the Millennium Project, the president emeritus and university professor of science and engineering at the University of Michigan. In this interview, Duderstadt talks about how he became an educator and how he decided to specialize in technology and distance education.…

In this article, the author describes the successful laptop program employed at Mt. Abram High School in Strong, Maine. Through the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, the school has issued laptops to all 36,000 teachers and students in grades 7-8. This program has helped level the playing field for a student population that is 50 percent to 55…

This article explains a professional development experience of fifth to twelfth grade teachers in using geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) technologies to enhance classroom teaching and learning environments. A key challenge faced by the developers was whether teachers would value the technology tools enough…

Much has been written recently about the Net Generation--the generation (roughly twelve to twenty-five years old) that makes up the majority of students attending U.S. colleges and universities--but relatively little attention has been given to the college and university faculty who teach them. Faculty roles and the processes of teaching and…

According to Barab "et al." (2004), the ideal community of practice (CoP) is a "persistent, sustained social network of individuals, who share and develop an overlapping knowledge base, set of beliefs, values, history, and experiences focused on a common practice and/or mutual enterprise" (p. 55). Thus, a CoP has a social…

This study involves "GrassRoots", a web-based program, designed to motivate schools to learn how to use an internet access point in the service of student growth. As consultant to the project, the author describes his task of participant recruiter, facilitator and data collector. Primarily, he examines what capacities or abilities the…

Any application of information and communication technology in education (ICTE) sits, at times uncomfortably, at the intersection of three key disciplines: technology, education and sociology (including reflexivity). To confuse matters, any specific study may need to take account of specific knowledge within subdisciplines, such as organisational…

Though deceptively simple to teach, chromatography presents many nuances and complex interactions that challenge both student and instructor. Time and instrumentation provide major obstacles to a thorough examination of these details in the laboratory. Modern chromatographic method-development software provides an opportunity to overcome this,…

Many business and technical writing students find classroom discussions of professional ethics interesting and enjoyable. However, when trying to incorporate the content of discussions directly into their writing practices, they often experience difficulties linking ethical concepts to writing process. This article discusses how instructors can…