Draws a connection between the techniques of storytelling and the content knowledge of history. Notes the many fables, tall tales, and legends that have historical incidents as their inspiration. Outlines some specific functions and steps of a story and provides an exercise for students or teachers to develop their own stories. (MJP)

Describes the introduction of computer-based assessment (CBA) in a first-year module in geographical data analysis, and evaluates student opinion and performance in response to this. Finds that students generally reacted positively and that overall module evaluations improved; student interest and examination performance (based on average test…

Describes a summer program for high-achieving middle school girls in math and science. It covers the organization, curriculum, instruction, and outcomes of the program and describes elements that students rated favorably (such as being outside a lot) and those which needed to be changed (such as too great an age span) for the second summer. (DB)

Describes a CD-ROM containing a resource library for students in an information science/technology course at the Open University (United Kingdom). Development gave rise to several issues: adaptation of print-based content to the electronic medium; development of quality-control methods; and adaptation of staff roles. Feedback from students shows…

Reviews and analyzes the responses of a small number of fifth graders, eighth graders, and high schoolers to detailed interviews concerning the purpose or efficacy of studying history. Reveals a sizable range of rationales characterized by age, interest, and ethnic background. Considers possible implications for teaching and curriculum…

Examined whether the use of multiple in-class college student evaluations of instruction throughout the term, coupled with instructor consultations with students, would lead to improved instruction as measured by direct observation and end-of-term student ratings. Results indicated that this created an enhanced learning environment and an…

Examines eighth-grade students' perceptions about their experiences with technology, especially the World Wide Web. Students' personal attributes of self-confidence, resilience, and openness to learning about the new technologies, and their skills in reading the Web and managing information, may offer new questions for teachers and information…

Shares assignments developed and used by feminist science and teacher educators in undergraduate and graduate teacher-education classes. Focuses on students' reactions to these assignments. Contains 37 references. (DDR)

A project to improve students' essay writing on a first-year college geography course is described. Students attended a preparatory workshop in which they helped to generate criteria, and self and peer assessment were supervised and regulated. Project success was evaluated based on analysis of marks, student feedback, and staff opinion.…

Reports on a study that investigated the effects of the presence or absence of lyrics in children's musical selections on young children's responses to music. The children responded to either recorded lullabies performed by a women singing, or a solo instrument, or separate pieces with and without lyrics. (MJP)

Finds that the life and writings of Thomas Merton can be quite appealing to high school and college students because he embodies and articulates the dynamic activity of God's call in his life. Merton gives voice to students' struggles to find meaning and to their difficulties in expressing their experiences of grace in their lives. (VWC)

Describes Tidewater Community College students' reactions to college-wide discussions on racial diversity. Students articulated the need for honest conversation that could lead to better understanding of diverse thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on race and their subsequent influences on behavior. Asserts that faculty, through their curricula,…

Traditional assessment techniques may not afford all students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Rubrics may help students reach the objectives of an assignment. In this study, two rubrics were introduced to 55 community college students in two sections of an undergraduate education class. The first rubric was used to grade…

Many administrators are moving toward using online student evaluations to assess courses and instructors, but critics of the practice fear that the online format will only result in lower levels of student participation. Joan Anderson, Gary Brown, and Stephen Spaeth claim that such a concern often fails to acknowledge how the evaluation process…

This paper reports a qualitative study on students' informal reasoning on a controversial socio-scientific issue. Twenty-two students from four science classes in Norway were interviewed about the local construction of new power lines and the possible increased risk of childhood leukaemia. The focus in the study is on what arguments the students…