This document presents the proceedings of a February 2002 policy forum on whole class reading strategies for students with disabilities. The forum was convened in conjunction with the last of three satellite teleconferences on reading instruction. The forum focused on identifying challenges of using whole class strategies with students with…

A technology-mediated solution to enhance the learning experience for students in a large lecture setting was evaluated. Online problem sets were developed to engage students in the content of a human biology course and implemented in the classes of eight faculty coordinators. The weekly problem sets contained several multiple choice problems,…

An experiment with large and small groups of students in mathematics and language arts. (Editor)

Reports on a study which evaluated the effectiveness of an economic model of resource-allocation in explaining why resource flows may vary among students in classrooms. Thirteen fifth-grade classes were observed for variations in the supply of human resources during whole-class, small-group and individualized instruction, and supervised seat-work.…

Two teachers each taught a 2-week fractions unit to two classes of grades 4-5 students. Each teacher taught one class using direct instruction and the other using a small-group variation of direct instruction. Regression analysis on achievement showed significant aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) and significant teacher effects. (Author/RL)

A study investigated a computer-based testing method in an anatomic pathology course within a new, modular, systems-oriented medical curriculum at the University of Otago (New Zealand). Students (n=193) completed five biweekly criterion-referenced, computer-based quizzes incorporating digitized photographs and varied question formats. Results…

Describes a compulsory first-year management course for 250 students designed as an independent learning class, and discusses the results of student surveys conducted in class and one year later. Concludes that while results show an increase in effective learning strategies for independent learning students, a minority did not respond positively.…

Considers how to meet the challenge of providing students in large college courses with effective library instruction and describes librarian cooperation with faculty in the development of a Web tutorial and supplementary course materials to deliver library instruction. Explains how the tutorial was incorporated into the class syllabus and…

Discussion of the use of computers for presentations in the classroom focuses on their use in a calculus course to explain graphs of functions. Topics discussed include the importance of managing the group process in the classroom; environmental considerations; and projectors and screens. (LRW)

Describes a method for demonstrating absorption spectra of intensely colored solutions using a mounted grating and a specially designed cell. Allows a student to compare the spectrum of a white light source directly with the same light modified by an absorbing spectrum. Uses acrylic tubing to make the cell. (MVL)

Reports on ways in which interactive video-based courseware is being used with students studying for vocational qualifications at Thames Valley University (United Kingdom). Two alternative models using interactive video are described, one using multiple workstations and one using a single workstation led by a tutor. (Contains six references.) (LRW)

Examined what actually transpires in California's reduced-size classrooms, using systematic classroom observations and teacher and student interviews at four elementary schools. Results indicated that, overall, teachers still used whole-class instruction (though they perceived they used varied instructional strategies). Most learning activities…

Traditional grading systems use numerals in a manner equivalent to psychological measurement, and encounter many of the problems associated with psychological measurement, particularly in aggregating grades to obtain a single score. Problems are illustrated by a university's grading system for 1,039 students in a first-year psychology course.…

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that the size of physical education class be consistent with those of other subject areas (e.g. maximum 1:25 for ES, 1:30 for MS, 1:35 for HS) for safe and effective instruction. When students with special needs are included in regular physical education classes, their…