For some students, using the method of cross sections to find the volume of a solid is difficult to understand because of the abstraction involved. This paper demonstrates a fun way for students to visualize the method of cross sections. Although a fun activity, the paper implicitly conveys the importance of connecting theory and experiment.…

This article focuses on the use of problem-based learning in high school foods and nutrition classes. Problem-based learning, an instructional approach that promotes active learning, is the elaboration of knowledge that occurs through discussion, answering questions, peer teaching, and critiquing. Students are confronted with a simulated or real…

The purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics of online learning environments. Data collected using the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) were used to explore the relationship between student satisfaction and the following predictor variables: instructor support, student interaction and collaboration, personal…

Two experiments investigating the benefit of computer-based applications in geography education are presented. The computer-based methods employ concepts of visualization, including animation and interactivity, to facilitate active learning. These computer-based methods are compared with physical (i.e. tangible) models, which themselves can be…

We tested five course designs that varied in the structure of daily and weekly active-learning exercises in an attempt to lower the traditionally high failure rate in a gateway course for biology majors. Students were given daily multiple-choice questions and answered with electronic response devices (clickers) or cards. Card responses were…

This study aims to establish the effectiveness of an industrial data set in the delivery of an active approach to teaching and learning across a range of programme levels from NVQ to MSc within Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) Institutions in North Wales. The result described in the paper reinforces in FE and HE the advantages of…

Technology and design was added to the Northern Ireland curriculum in September 1992 and through it, teachers seek to address the need for pupils to understand the ever-changing man-made world by developing skills and understanding in its four elements of designing, communicating, manufacturing and the use of energy and control. To be effective in…

Anecdotal and research evidences show that the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) development model has produced a paradigm shift in the way we develop, support, and distribute software. This shift is not only redefining the software industry but also the way we teach and learn in our software engineering (SE) courses. But for many universities…

The question of what to look for when visiting early childhood classrooms can be addressed on the basis of a set of fundamental developmental principles. In this article, the author outlines five developmental principles that can be invoked when seeking answers to the question every educator must address when creating a curriculum, namely: What…

Learning is an active process, and, as such, interactive lectures are considered as the educational best practice. This study investigated the efficacy of interactive lecturing in a module of eight respiratory physiology lectures in a second-year Physiology course with two distinct subcohorts: students with strong science backgrounds and those…

The eMINTS professional development programs are designed to help teachers learn how to integrate technology into their teaching, using instructional strategies that promote inquiry-based learning and encourage collaboration and community building among students and teachers. The eMINTS programs considered in this evaluation include: (1) eMINTS…

To complement traditional learning activities in a masters-level research methodology course, social work students worked on a formal research project which involved: designing the study, constructing measures, selecting a sampling strategy, collecting data, reducing and analyzing data, and finally interpreting and communicating the results. The…

The purpose of this study was to examine students' levels of engagement in educational practices by enrollment status, time of enrollment, and size of college in community colleges. Specifically, this study assessed the quality of the undergraduate education through students' self-reported data about their academic and nonacademic activities. The…

This booklet can help college instructors breathe life into sociology classes by showing students how sociology is "done" in the real world. Twenty-nine exercises demonstrate to students how data are collected, how data are used to support or refute ideas, how data are interpreted, and the questions raised by different methods of research. The…

This document consists of two booklets, one for teachers and one for students. These booklets are part of the Elementary School Program of Junior Achievement, Inc., where participants learn about their roles as individuals, workers, and consumers. The booklets are designed to develop personal economic concepts through storybook characters…