Discussion of distance education in the United Kingdom focuses on how teachers in primary and secondary schools can develop teaching strategies to adopt and implement distance learning practices. Topics include lifelong learning; social support; the use of technology; homework activities; teacher access to computers; and learning strategies. (LRW)

Chronicles development of the Baylor College of Dentistry (Texas) competency-based curriculum and outlines 11 lessons learned concerning strategic planning, external accountability, value of significant and continuing faculty participation, administrative support structures, linking planning and assessment, using multiple assessment methods,…

A formative evaluation of computer conferences for 100 preservice teachers over five semesters examined why and how students participated, focusing on grading system, grouping, collaboration, relevance, learner control, and technological preparation. Student conference messages and postcourse surveys from the first and last semesters were examined…

In the Community of Explorers Project (CoE) high school teachers and students engaged in scientific problem solving using advanced network technology and innovative pedagogy. Analysis of e-mail indicated the important effects of organizational and occupational cultures on the application of technology in classrooms and on the development of a…

A composition instructor/biologist and a science librarian describe results of six years of experimentation with collaborative teaching of scientific writing to college undergraduates at both beginning and advanced levels. Their goal was to devise a two-course sequence for students interested in health and natural sciences, with emphasis on…

Considers the metaphor of the "bridge" as it applies to Russian-language courses at the university level. The article examines broader curricular issues of technology, innovation, and outside pressures on language teaching. (22 references) (CK)

Outlines the cognitive theories influencing the Science Library Catalog's (SLC) design; describes the catalog itself; explains research based on the SLC; and discusses research results, emphasizing findings that are most relevant to school library media specialists developing children's information skills. An annotated bibliography of 14 related…

Describes a study that investigated the effect of curiosity on learning art education facts and concepts by first and second graders in computer-based interactive learner-controlled environments with and without advisement. Results are compared with a previous study on learner control and advisement, and implications for instructional design are…

Discusses the use of writing to enhance learning in mathematics from a conceptual development perspective. Shuell's phases of learning are described as a general model for conceptual development and subsequently matched with Britton's categories for transactional-informative writing. Sample mathematics assignments for each writing category are…

Describes the development of a wide area network (WAN) in the Bismarck Public School District (North Dakota). Topics include design goals, network infrastructure, implementing library access, sharing resources across platforms, electronic mail, dial-in access, Internet access, adhering to software licenses, shareware and freeware, and monitoring…

Reports on a study of innovative city and county government programs in four western states. The study discovered widely divergent assessments of the same programs, dependent upon whether the survey instruments used qualitative or quantitative techniques. Discusses the possible reasons for this and the implications for future research. (MJP)

A 10-year study identified risk factors and measured prevalence of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and psychopathology in 523 urban American Indian adolescents and 276 urban Indian women. Describes study aims, research design, methods, sample characteristics, assessment instruments, substance use prevalence, and methodological issues related to…

Considers the effect of an integrated, interdisciplinary curriculum on student achievement, discipline, behavior, and parental involvement. Although an integrated curriculum is not an educational panacea, the results of this study were generally positive. The field site was a comprehensive high school in a lower middle class neighborhood. (MJP)

A study with 181 beginning-level college students of French investigated the effects of sentence-level native-language (L1) translations on retention of second-language (L2) vocabulary presented in a context designed to promote inference rather than word-to-word translation. Research was conducted to address the specific design of software for…

A study compared the performance on a national licensing examination of University of Southern California dental students in problem-based learning (PBL) versus those in conventional educational tracks. PBL track students scored significantly higher in all four discipline-based portions of the exam and also in the aggregate, and scored well in…