Outlines and discusses the design and evaluation of a University of Southern Queensland (Australia) graduate study program in open- and distance learning, accessible exclusively via the Internet. Highlights instruction versus facilitation, learning environment, computer-mediated communication, student projects, and practice-based reflection in a…

Discussion of student assessment focuses on issues related to distance education. Topics include purposes of assessment; performance-based assessment; constructivist approaches; examples of alternative assessments, including portfolios, projects, and problem-based learning activities; implementation; and distance education as a catalyst for…

A student-initiated nature center project began six years ago when the original participants were in fifth grade. The students did the research, planning, construction, grant writing, and accounting and tied it all to Colorado state standards. Student engagement and self-confidence grew from a sense of responsibility and from knowing that the…

Describes a project for a history survey course where students visit a historic site and write an essay that identifies a broad theme in history relating the site to the theme; the students must also reflect upon their own learning process. Discusses the merits of the project providing student responses. Gives an appendix. (CMK)

Describes a biochemistry laboratory course in which the curriculum revolves around a single theme: the purification, characterization, and molecular biology of threonine dehydrogenase (TDH) from Escherechia coli. Lists examples of related class research projects. Contains 41 references. (WRM)

Describes characteristics of effective and enjoyable learning activities, that can be grouped into these categories: (1) Assignments that Matter; (2) Activities that Involve the Researcher; (3) Assessments that Help By Promoting Growth and Showing Care; and (4) (Teacher) Attitude is Everything. A sidebar presents a four-level research question…

Describes how students in an 8th-grade rural English classroom were focused and engaged over a 9-week period as they investigated and researched a poem of their own choice by a Native American poet, and wrote a hypertext web of their research journey. Notes that students experienced text in a new way, as a network of links. (SR)

Authors were conducting research in different disciplines and carrying it out by apparently different methods. This combined paper is a reaction to their mutual discovery that the theories used by each to examine the data have interesting similarities. The two projects studied encouraged creative strategies and evaluative reflection in the…

The Bird Discovery Box, designed for teachers who want to teach a bird unit, contains tools designed to help educators and students familiarize themselves with birds by sight and sound and understand bird habitats. The box also helps in creating a habitat for birds in the schoolyard. Contains field guides and other resources, binoculars, a…

Discusses a student-centered activity in which students create a fictitious radio show as a means to address Content Standards 8 and 9 of the National Standards in middle school or high school general music courses. Explores student resources, preparation and teamwork, discussion topics, assessment, and extensions of the project. (CMK)

Discusses a project in which students in an upper-division methods course conducted field research on racial discrimination and presented the findings to students in Introductory to Sociology classes. States that the aim of the project is to encourage white students to see beyond textbook examples of institutional racism. (CMK)

Presents two video project ideas for use with middle and secondary students. Focuses on cell biology and environmental issues. Provides the rubric used for the project evaluation. (DDR)

Describes two exercises that utilize computers and the Internet in the social studies classroom: (1) virtual field trips; and (2) the virtual newsroom. Offers an example virtual field trip focusing on Mount Vernon (Virginia) and includes a virtual field trip guide. Presents an example of the virtual newsroom exercise on the Civil Rights movement.…

This article describes the experiences of a second grade teacher who teaches in a heterogeneous bilingual classroom in a large district, and his assignment in a graduate class to conduct action research. This teacher was concerned about the academic performance and motivation of two gifted, but underachieving Hispanic boys in his class. Both of…

Designing inquiry-based-learning with and for university students develops problem-solving skills and logical reasoning, as well as reflective thinking. It involves working as a member of a team, questioning, being creative, shaping the skills for continued intellectual development. It is argued that inquiry-based group work is one of the most…