Group work is an increasingly used teaching strategy. Very little research, however, has considered how students perceive group work and whether certain factors influence their perceptions. To fill this void, the current study considers how 143 students who had recently completed a group project perceived group work. Attention is also given to the…

Two distinct courses, "Molecular Biology" taught by the Biology Department and "Advanced Biochemistry" taught by the Chemistry Department, complement each other and, when taught in a coordinated and integrated way, can enhance student learning and understanding of complex material. "Molecular Biology" is a comprehensive lecture-based course with a…

This activity discusses a two-day unit on ecology implemented during the summer of 2004 using the project-based science instructional (PBSI) approach. Through collaborative fieldwork, group discussions, presentations, and reflections, students planned, implemented, and reported their own scientific investigations on the environmental health of…

What social studies project challenges students with interdisciplinary learning, engages their various abilities and learning styles, offers them the opportunity for collaborative work-and encourages them to speak in strange voices? The answer is an eighth grade radio drama project. For most of the month of March 2004, the entire eighth grade at…

This article describes a classroom project that combines creative writing, basic book design, and social studies content. During this project, the authors' seventh grade students research a variety of ancient Egyptian archaeological sites while reviewing course material from a unit of study on ancient Egypt, practice project management skills…

The ninth-grade students are helped in finding their writing voices by using a traditional African poem as a model. With the teaching of this poetry project, it is observed that having a well-defined structure allows students to think and write creatively.

This paper provides the results of a literature review on the use of practical, hands-on training experiences in evaluation course work and training programs. The review spans the years 1965-2003. I identified 18 articles that encompass four basic approaches for practical evaluation training: simulation, role-play, single course projects, and…

Practitioners and scholars today are calling for the inclusion of nonfiction in primary-grade classrooms where in the past fiction has dominated. With the increasing availability of age-appropriate nonfiction texts, this request can now become a reality, and youngsters can read nonfiction books on their independent or instructional reading levels.…

In this study we investigated the design of assignments by students as a knowledge-generating activity. Students were required to design assignments for 'other students' in a computer simulation environment about electrical circuits. Assignments consisted of a question, alternatives, and feedback on those alternatives. In this way, subjects were…

This paper describes the procedures used to assess the extent that a team of students, and the individual students in it, has mastered the competencies set for a student team-based open-ended project. The paper addresses questions such as: why examine team-based project work? What and when to examine? What are the essential regulations and…

Previous research has shown that university students, when asked to rank different methods of learning and assessment tend to rate student presentations unfavorably. There are though, sound reasons for constructing learning situations around student presentations, resulting in presentations being an integral part of our psychology degree over the…

For science teachers, implementing inquiry for the first time can seem intimidating. Inquiry-based curriculum requires teachers to design experiences that engage students in scientific phenomena through direct observation, data gathering, and analysis of evidence. Replacing familiar routines and conventional methods with inquiry may seem outside…

Teachers working in early care and education programs are engaging in professional development activities, many times without a foundation in child development or early childhood education. It is difficult for teachers to apply what is presented in professional development experiences to their classroom. The use of children's projects, the topic…

Prior researchers have described how individuals prefer to learn with different types of activities. Vincent and others (2002) have reported that business students prefer kinesthetic and interpersonal modes of learning and prescribe their use in the international business curriculum. Based on their findings, this paper presents a compendium of…

Emerging engineers need to rely on a whole body of scientific and technical knowledge, but also on a wide set of competencies. For engineering schools a competency objectives approach requires specific pedagogical methods. Some competencies based on skills and attitudes are difficult to develop through traditional teaching, so in 2003 our…