Background: School workstations are often inappropriate in not offering an optimal sitting posture. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of individually adjustable saddle-type chairs with wheels and desks with comfort curve and arm support on schoolchildren's working postures compared to conventional workstations. Methods:…

In this account a model of communicative functions is used in an attempt to clarify the nature of mixed mode learning delivery. Formulated in research on communication in written mode, the model can be seen to offer insights into the nature of hypermedia communication, as well as helping to identify some key features of effective mixed mode course…

This article describes the 2006 Technology Education Collegiate Association (TECA) Eastern Regional elementary competition, wherein teams of technology education students from nine different universities designed and built cardboard chairs. The competition required the teams (four or five to a team) from universities up and down the East Coast to…

Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) is an established and important technique used to physiologically stress the human body, particularly the cardiovascular system. LBNP is most often used to simulate gravitational stress, but it has also been used to simulate hemorrhage, alter preload, and manipulate baroreceptors. During experimentation, the…

Educators and school designers place a high priority on creating facilities that enhance learning. That applies not only to how a school is built, but also to the materials and equipment used. Just as acoustical treatments or well-placed windows and skylights can make a classroom more conducive to learning, so can the right furniture. Desks,…

This article describes an approach to developing student reading materials that support middle school learners in a project-based, inquiry curriculum for grades 6 through 8. Reading materials are designed to encourage sense making beyond the classroom, as students read and write about science as it takes place in a classroom and as it occurs in…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review cross-disciplinary research on e-learning from workplace learning, educational technology, and instructional communication disciplines to identify relevant e-learning design principles. It aims to use these principles to propose an e-learning model that can guide the design of instructionally sound,…

Development of criteria for the judgment of architectural quality is presented according to an eight-part system. Each criterion is explained in terms of a general statement and definitive questions to be asked. The standards developed are--(1) concept, (2) structure, (3) physical environment, (4) emotional environment, (5) materials, (6)…

A new on-campus apartment complex at a Texas university contains eight units, each containing four apartments, whose design was based on the amenities students valued both in an apartment complex and in individual units. (Author/MLF)

Explores the concept of validity in relation to games and simulations, including four aspects of validity that apply to simulations and games (psychological reality, structural validity, process validity, and predictive validity). Factors that may threaten validity during game design are discussed, and suggestions are made to avert these threats.…

Explains why installing a well-designed indoor climbing wall can draw new users to an athletic facility. Climbing-wall design elements and gear are discussed and a checklist for working with contractors is provided.(GR)

The use of surveillance cameras in schools is not new, but just about everything involved with the technology and the way it is used is new. Surveillance equipment once was a precautionary system, relegated to the corner, where it gathered dust until an incident took place, then administrators would painstakingly roll out the video to investigate…

There is a common predicament faced by educational designers, that is, the lack of learning design tools for nontraditional pedagogies of learning. Because of this lack of alternatives, educational designers often use traditional design tools (such as task analysis) in contexts where nontraditional learning activities (such as collaborative…

In an effort to completely transform both teaching spaces and pedagogical orientation, a multi-stage project that tied professional development efforts for faculty and administrators to a redesign of existing classroom facilities was initiated. The goal was to simultaneously transform learning and spaces for learning in order to change the…