Sociocultural theories of learning such as Wenger and Lave's situated learning have been suggested as alternatives to cognitive theories of learning like constructivism. This article examines situated learning within the context of computer science (CS) education. Situated learning accurately describes some CS communities like open-source software…

Agricultural extension is evolving worldwide, and there is much emphasis today on community-based mechanisms of dissemination in order to bring sustainable change. The goal of this study was to examine the factors that make farmer groups successful in dissemination of information and technologies. A mixed-methods, multiple-stage approach was used…

Plagiarism is certainly not new to academics, but it may be on the rise with easy access to the vast quantities of information available on the Internet. Students researching on the Internet do not have to take handwritten or typewritten notes. They can simply print out or copy and save whatever they find. They are even spared the tedium of having…

Background: Research has shown that the cochlear implant may improve deaf children's speech and communication skills. However, little is known about its effect on children's ability to socialize with hearing peers. Methods: Using a standardized psychological measure completed by parents and a longitudinal design, this study examined the…

The George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida is currently undergoing a major renovation. Library West, the building that houses the humanities and social sciences collection, will be gutted and expanded. The collection will be moved to off-site storage and the staff will be relocated for a two-year period. The reality of these…

Background: Parent-child mutuality is comprised of emotional reciprocity, co-responsiveness, and cooperation, which together represent aspects of co-regulation of emotion and behavior that may be important in the etiology of children's behavior problems. Furthermore, individual differences in children's mutuality and behavior problems involve…

As online education escalates, it is important for instructors to explore teaching techniques that engage students and enhance learning at a profound level. To achieve this goal, instructors must look at the primarily text-based environment of the online class not as a limitation, but as an opportunity. Attentive and highly personal teaching that…

In the world of work and in the social lives of many, new technology plays an important role in establishing and maintaining relationships and exchanging information. The school system varies in its response to this new technology and particularly to the popular communication of email and mobile phone users. In schools and classrooms, policies,…

In recent years the scope and application of intellectual property rights has been expanded remarkably in the area of medical research and development. This has strengthened the role of the private sector in developing and producing new medicinal drugs. However, medical research is usually close to a pure public good and thus not efficiently…

Recent efforts to design teacher education experiences using reflection as a philosophical orientation (Abell & Bryan, 1997) have shown that such experiences are influencing the way that teachers think about their practice, specifically teachers' personal beliefs about teaching and learning. In this paper, we introduce the design and…

The participants for this study were 47 doctoral faculty from Nova Southeastern University Fischler School of Education and Human Services (FSEHS). The faculty taught six-credit, three-credit, and two-credit online courses to 701 students in the winter 2004 term using the WebCT platform. The data were collected using an 11-question survey that…

Program evaluation is an important component of successful distance education programs. In this article, a distance master's Instructional Design and Technology Program is evaluated for overall quality. Interviews and a Web-based survey were the major instruments employed. Data was collected from three groups associated with the program:…

This article reviews research related to the construct of interaction in the educational technology and distance education literature. The review is limited to higher education and includes theories and empirical research that inform the construct of online interactions. Conceptual and operational definitions of "interaction" are categorized from…

As is true for human resource development (HRD), the field of organization development (OD) draws from numerous disciplines to inform its theory base. However, the identification and selection of theory to inform improved practice remains a challenge and begs the question of what can be used to inform and guide one in the identification and…

This study investigated professional thinking about pedagogical aspects of technology use in mainstream classroom practice. It focuses on the systems of ideas which frame teacher accounts of the successful use of computer-based tools and resources in the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science at secondary-school level. These accounts…