This paper describes the first part of a new three-part study of STEM and engineering design research termed Design-Without-Make to be conducted by NC [North Carolina] State University in 2009-10 in an NC high school. The hybrid quantitative, qualitative case study is being developed with the purpose of capturing what new technological learning…

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a very successful senior secondary school qualification introduced in the Australian state of Victoria in 2002. Applied learning in the VCAL engages senior students in a combination of work-based learning, service-learning, and project-based learning and aims to provide them with the skills,…

The purpose of this case study is to understand ways to plan, organize and facilitate experiences in which experts who are geographically dispersed act as effective consultants. Graduate students enrolled in an advanced course in instructional technology at a large university in the Midwestern United States interacted with colleagues studying at a…

Middle school history teachers confront the same challenge every day: how to convey the breadth and depth of a curriculum that spans centuries, countries, and cultures. In "Making History Mine", Sarah Cooper shows teachers how to use thematic instruction to link skills to content knowledge. By combining thought-provoking activities and rich…

The student learning process is important in online learning environments. If instructors can "observe" online learning behaviors, they can provide adaptive feedback, adjust instructional strategies, and assist students in establishing patterns of successful learning activities. This study used data mining techniques to examine and…

US high schools appear to measure success according to the number of students admitted into four-year institutions each year. Although this is one measure, there are some schools that focus on developing important life skills needed to become productive members of society. Online surveys were sent out to alumni, students, teachers, and parents to…

This case study investigated undergraduate students' first experience in online collaborative learning in a project-based learning (PBL) environment in Taiwan. Data were collected through interviews of 48 students, instructor's field notes, researchers' online observations, students' online discourse, and group artifacts. The findings revealed…

Project-based learning has been suggested as an appropriate pedagogy to prepare students in information systems for the realities of the business world. Web-based resources have been used to support such pedagogy with mixed results. The paper argues that the design of web-based learning support to cater to different learning styles may give…

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidelines and suggestions for people organizing an environmental action conference for high school students. The format and planning suggestions are based on the methods used for a conference organized by the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education in 1991. The bulk of the manual provides structure…

After offering biographical background about Beverly Cleary, one of America's most popular children's authors, this book summarizes each of her novels, also noting illustration credits and any awards received by the work. The books are grouped by setting and/or age appropriateness. Settings of Cleary's life, which later became settings for her…

This booklet was created to help students present their 4-H projects in the foods area. The guide contains information on making presentations, including the following: types of presentations, how to find and develop an idea, using visual aids, planning the work area for food demonstrations, equipment needed, preparing to give the demonstration,…

This guide is designed for adult volunteer leaders, camp counselors, and teachers who want to set up composting projects with youth. Five sections explore: (1) an introduction to composting with illustrated instructions for making compost; (2) different methods of composting and structures needed for various composting systems; (3) how to identify…

This report describes a classroom project that groups sophomore biology students into "companies" bidding for a "contract" to build a self-sufficient, enclosed city by producing a manual and model of their version of a biosphere. Students must develop technological support systems, social and economic parameters, and systems…

At Utica College, Anthropology 101 seeks to help students begin to detect ethnocentrism in themselves and others, to get an understanding of the varieties of cultural systems, and to see their own society as simply one example of shapes a society can take. An "ethnography project" is a useful device in advancing these goals. Students are…

Many teachers who begin to implement the Project Approach are already familiar with a learning center or theme approach to teaching, but there are some important differences of which to be aware. Noting that projects are especially valuable for children in undertaking in-depth study of real-world topics, this paper presents the reflections of…