"Peer tutoring" refers to a variety of ways in which learning takes place through interaction with peers. This paper describes the development of a module (called Peer Assisted Learning and the Study of Psychology) through which third-year psychology undergraduates participate as peer tutors in a foundation-level module on study skills for…

This case study uses a sociocultural perspective and the concept of appropriation (Newman, Griffin and Cole, 1989; Rogoff, 1990) to describe how a student learned to work with linear functions. The analysis describes in detail the impact that interaction with a tutor had on a learner, how the learner appropriated goals, actions, perspectives, and…

The main goal here is to introduce a new perspective through which cognitive learning theory plays an active role in instructional hypermedia design and evaluation through testing educational mediums that elicit two distinct levels of cognitive processing for materials of different levels of complexity. Results indicate that if the cognitive level…

The issue of student success is a common concern in the typical community college, and no less so at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) in New Mexico. As a result of a comprehensive program review of student success rates in mathematics, the Mathematics Departments in the Divisions of Arts and Sciences and Developmental Studies collaborated on…

This study is an investigation of the perspectives of college students who served as tutors for struggling first-grade readers. Two research questions drove the study: What did the tutors perceive as strengths and weaknesses of the tutoring program? and What possible solutions did they have for addressing any concerns? Quantitative and qualitative…

In this article, the author talks about tutoring and learning. He first discusses the analytical and technical questions about the why, what, when, and how of tutoring. He begins by saying a little bit about why he is involved, interested, and fascinated by the very complex human activity people call tutoring. He argues that tutoring is an…

This article describes how Rutgers University's Office for Diversity and Academic Success in the Sciences (ODASIS) provides step-by-step guidance to help aspiring minority physicians fulfill their dreams. ODASIS works jointly with undergraduate admissions officials at Rutgers to identify all incoming freshman students from underrepresented and…

In 1997, the Medical Faculty at Hong Kong University adopted a predominantly problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum. At the same time, a sizeable PBL component was added to an already established English as a Second Language (ESL) Course for Medicine to help first-year students develop PBL discussion skills. However, it was felt that not enough…

Having low domain knowledge is a significant constraint when using the Internet. This study examined the effectiveness of three potential supports for learners with low domain knowledge, including having plenty of time to search the Internet, using notes taken during the search when writing an essay about the topic, and having high levels of…

This article reviews research on the achievement outcomes of alternative approaches for struggling readers in grades K-5: One-to-one tutoring, small group tutorials, classroom instructional process approaches, and computer-assisted instruction. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomized or well-matched control groups, study duration of at…

This paper describes a multi-user role-playing environment, referred to as "e-drama", which enables groups of people to converse online, in scenario driven virtual environments. The starting point of this research, is an existing application known as "edrama", a 2D graphical environment in which users are represented by static…

Negotiation skills are essential in everyday life, whether in a professional or personal context. Negotiation enables two parties to address misunderstandings and avoid conflicts through an exchange that depends as much on the interpersonal skills of the negotiators as the tactics employed. Acquiring these skills requires not only sound conceptual…

Research in the area of knowledge-based tutoring systems (KBTS) and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) has great implications for computer applications in education and training. In a KBTS, course material is represented independently of teacher procedures, so that problems and remedial comments can be generated differently for each student. Such…

A study described and evaluated "First Steps," an intervention program for low-reading first graders that was implemented in four rural schools in western North Carolina. First Steps borrows heavily from Reading Recovery but differs significantly in the areas of pre-post assessment, tutor training, and teaching procedures. Attention was…

The Teacher/Tutor Room (TTR) was created by the Special Services staff at Coweeman Junior High School (Kelso, Washington) to provide academic support for their "special needs" students in the least restrictive environment without giving them an obvious label or stigmatizing them by putting them in a special class. Students who need…