While there has been a significant amount of research on technical issues regarding the development of agent-based learning environments (e.g., see the special issue of Journal of "Interactive Learning Research," 10(3/4)), there is less information regarding cognitive foundations for these environments. The management of control is a prime issue…

Faced with uncertain budgets and increasing pressure from high-stakes testing, among other challenges, educators easily can fall into the trap of equating teaching with the presentation of information and then blaming students when outcomes are inadequate. To move beyond this simplistic approach, educators must continue developing as teachers who…

The leadership of the Arabian Gulf nation of Qatar, like that of many other countries, views education as the key to future economic, political, and social progress. Many have concluded that a country's ability to compete in the global economy and enable its citizens to take full advantage of technological advances relies on upgrading the quality…

This paper describes the three-year evolution of an online Economics I course, reports on student outcomes and evaluations, and discusses the lessons learned. Results show that, as the course evolved from an instructor-led to a student-centered learning pedagogical model, several indicators of completing students' learning and satisfaction with…

When students feel that their learning needs are not being met by computer-aided instruction, learning becomes passive, often resulting in boredom, frustration or a dislike for learning with computers. "Button Theory" allows the student to express his feelings and questions to the computer at the touch of a button, thus enhancing control over the…

The Interactive Multimedia Distance Learning (IMDL) project evolved from discussions between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) (New York) and AT&T about how to use the strengths of AT&T's Bell Laboratories and RPI's Anderson Center for Innovation in Undergraduate Education (CIUE) to collaborate on a project in the domain of computers…

In a method of decentering used in a freshman composition course, collaborative workshopping is employed, beginning with the first meeting, pairing students with semester-long colleagues. Students critique each other's writing at the second class meeting. Differentiating this approach from others is a pedagogy that sees collaboration and…

This paper discusses the concept of "study reading" as used at a learning disabilities clinic at the University of Southampton, England. Study reading is defined as attentive reading to learn and remember, as different from reading that is performed simply to follow a narrative or browsing for one's own, self-set purposes. Results…

This book is the sequel to "I Learn Better By Teaching Myself," which argued that parents need to follow their personal parenting instincts and to trust that their students know what is best for themselves. Chapter 1 describes how the author's family became involved in home schooling. The second chapter describes how they set standards in the form…

Open-ended learning environments (OELEs) provide contexts to support exploration, experimentation, and problem-solving. This paper creates a context for understanding the issues and challenges associated with the design and development of OELEs. Discussion first centers on characteristics of OELEs which differ from traditional learning…

The complexity of the modern workplace means that decision makers are entertaining the idea of providing employees with software applications that are designed to provide true support and on-the-job training from the employee's desktop computer. An electronic performance support system (EPSS) is the tool that can make such training a reality when…

Learning activities in environmental education require the use of the physical environment or moving into nature and natural settings to explore issues of the environment. These approaches are sometimes labeled as "nonformal." This informational bulletin examines a taxonomy of four learning environments and explore the application of nonformal…

This study explored ways of developing and utilizing more efficient Computer-Based Instructional Simulations (CBIS) based on the relationship among fidelity levels (i.e., how closely a simulation imitates reality), transfer time, and learning time. The hypotheses presented suggest how to determine the optimal shifting points of the fidelity…

This paper describes an example of a course evaluation where the evaluation process becomes an important part of the learning process. The setting is an action-learning based course in an executive program. The participants apply a framework (the X-model) for perceiving processes to their own learning. The framework is presented, and experiences…

This paper examines some of the theoretical and practical problems associated with the use of hypertext as a medium for teaching, and explores the positive role that it may be able to play in teaching materials. Hypertext is conventionally described as non-linear, and this aspect of non-linearity is interpreted as endowing it with many attractive…