Presents a rationale for developing and implementing integrated curricula in the middle school. Draws connections between the middle school concept, integrated curriculum, and constructivist learning theory. Explores differences between integrated curriculum and the more traditional separate subject curriculum. Examines several models of…

Discusses self-learning exercises (SLEs) incorporated into the Medical Physiology course for first-year students at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Twenty to thirty percent of course material is presented in these exercises instead of in lectures. The exercises develop active learning and problem-solving skills. Formal analysis…

Reviews developments in educational technology in distance education as an appropriate foundation for delineating the challenge to educators of conventional on-campus institutions interested in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Highlights include a conceptual framework of models of distance education, instructional design, and the…

Describes the new culture that the Internet imposes on its users with the problems that high school teachers face. Discusses the viewpoints of teachers who engage in traditional learning and examines how they cope with the change process, and considers the young in age versus the young in spirit who do cope. (Author/LRW)

Describes Pepperdine University's (California) two-year doctoral program in educational technology designed to meet the needs of mid-career professionals. It combines face-to-face sessions and online communications via e-mail; America Online chat rooms; Multi-user Object Oriented environments (MOOs); and Co-Motion, an interactive Web site designed…

Discusses changing traditional higher education courses to a Web-based environment, focusing on faculty workload, and describes the development of online courses at Ohio University by a cohort of faculty from the College of Education and College of Music. Highlights include technical problems; instructional design; and psychological concerns of…

Selected nursing courses offered in both traditional (36 students) and online (20 students) formats were evaluated using final grades and a student satisfaction questionnaire. No significant differences in learning experiences were found. Following this successful pilot, the whole curriculum was migrated to online. (SK)

Of 29 industrial technology students in an action research project, 15 learned in a traditional classroom, then online in two 3-week periods (different subjects); 14 students reversed that order. Test and project results showed no significant differences. Interaction was rated more favorably in the traditional setting. (Contains 15 references.)…

Critical questions for measuring quality in accelerated learning include the following: Does it require learners' active involvement? Use their life and work experiences? Allow time for reflection? Individualize instruction? (Contains 13 references.) (SK)

Describes a study that examined changes in writing achievement between two groups of middle school students, one of which experienced a traditional language arts curriculum and the other participated in a more technology-rich curriculum which fully integrated technology use and language arts content. Suggests future directions. (Author/LRW)

Although content-based instruction may eventually produce the same quality of learning as skill-based training, the latter produces results more quickly because skills are practiced earlier. Commonly used for teaching computer skills, the skill-based approach has other applications such as accelerated language learning and the Yamaha method of…

Reviews what has been learned about the use of motivational and informational feedback in traditional instruction, examines how this knowledge may be useful in the design of feedback for computer-based instruction (CBI), and discusses the relationship between feedback and learning outcomes. Further research needs are suggested. (13 references)…

Educators must understand two opposing traditions in education, the mimetic and the transformative. Whereas traditional lesson structuring stresses concept introduction, constructivism emphasizes exploration. To constructivists, teachers strike the delicate balance between teaching for fact and skill acquisition and teaching for independent and…

Finds no evidence to counter the assumption that reading begins with a logographic stage; teaching method had a significant impact on children's reading strategies; and several children taught using the whole word technique appeared to exhibit letter-by-letter reading. Suggests that letter-by-letter dyslexia might be an extreme form of a strategy…

Considers the use of multimedia technology for training in business and industry. Topics include multimedia benefits, including organizational benefits, instructional benefits, learning effectiveness, and business efficiency; the accelerated rate of change; the mismatch between education and the economy; traditional instructor-led training; and…