Discusses the prevailing conventions of portfolio assessment specifically where experiential learning is tied to course equivalents. Suggests that further discussion is needed about prior learning assessment, traditional education, and how to use experience in to advance understanding of learning. (JOW)

Proposes a solution to the learning paradox (how learning develops from prior learning) that is based on the work of C. Peirce and J. Dewey. Ideas, as opposed to schemas or postmodernist discourse, are viewed as the real carriers of meaning. Abduction offers the best chance of coming to terms with the paradox. Contains 78 references. (Author/SLD)

Seven articles comment on the proposed resolution of the "learning paradox" of how people make meaning and learn from prior learning. The reviewers find much of merit in the proposed reliance on the work of J. Dewey and C. Peirce, but they criticize many aspects of the paper, especially its brief treatment of the learning paradox itself.…

Comments on this special issue on cognitive load theory and suggests three new basic directions for research: (1) the potential of cognitive load theory (CLT) to ground approaches to learning and instruction; (2) monitoring activities that occur in the learning process; and (3) the study of the notion of prior knowledge in the context of CLT. (SLD)

Background: Interest in the interactive effects of prior knowledge and text structure on learning from text is increasing but experimental manipulations of knowledge and structure variables often produce findings that do not help teachers to select expository texts for students. Aims: We aimed to extend the ecological validity of previous findings…

A mathematical problem is solved using the extension-reduction or build it up-tear it down tactic. This technique is implemented in reviving students' earlier knowledge to enable them to apply this knowledge to solving new problems.

"Transportation into a narrative world" (Green & Brock, 2000, 2002) has been identified as a mechanism of narrative impact. A transported individual is cognitively and emotionally involved in the story and may experience vivid mental images. In the study reported here, undergraduate participants (N = 152) read a narrative about a homosexual man…

This study explores whether different types of hypermedia annotations facilitate reading comprehension for intermediate and advanced ESL learners. Data was collected from 84 intermediate and advanced level adult ESL learners using a tracking tool that recorded the amount of time readers spent on a given annotation. An expository text was annotated…

Understanding factors in successful online course experiences can provide suggestions for instructors and students to promote improved learning experiences. A survey of 700 students regarding perceptions of online-learning quality was analyzed with a structural equation model. For students with online-learning experience, comfort with technology…

Advances in technology have caused a major shift in how students spend their time and challenged curriculum development to maintain interest and focus in the classroom. Implications are most profound in issues related to literacy due to a lack of experience and interest in reading. This article explores this issue and how it relates to teaching…

Through an examination of one undergraduate American history course at a large university in the southeastern United States via interview, observation and content analysis, we attempted to discern if the pedagogical methodology was relating to the students in such a way as to foster students' ability to construct meaning beyond simply…

We investigated whether and how prior knowledge activation improves learning outcomes for high school (less experienced learners) and university students (experienced learners) in a hypertext environment. Map coherence was defined as the extent to which relationships between the concepts in the map were made explicit. Therefore, we classified the…

Japanese distance education has been slow to utilize the Internet, and mainly depends on the mail system and, to a lesser extent, television broadcasting as its mode of delivery. Since 2001, however, regulations have been relaxed to allow students to complete all course requirements for a university degree via online distance learning. This…

This study reviewed dropout research in online learning, particularly focusing on nontraditional students and examined what progress has been made since Garrison's 1987 review. This study categorized factors identified from literature into student characteristics, student prior skills, external factors, and internal factors, all of which are based…

The study reported in this article describes second language (L2) vocabulary learning outcomes associated with adult L2 reading comprehension processes, thus connecting L2 learning with the complex cognitive and linguistic processing involved in reading. The study aimed to determine whether background knowledge moderated the relationship between…