With the advance in information and communication technologies, computer-mediated communication--more specifically computer conferencing systems (CCS)--has captured the interest of educators as an ideal tool to create a learning environment featuring active, participative, and reflective learning. Educators are increasingly adapting the features…

Group work is a widely used teaching technique in higher education. Faculty find themselves utilizing this method in their classes more and more, yet few studies examine what students actually think about group work. The current study surveyed Mathematics, Education, and Business Administration majors at a mid-sized southeastern university in…

Young adolescents experience many cognitive, physical, and emotional changes during their middle school years; however, the middle school literature suggests that structural reforms supporting the emotional and social needs of young adolescents are implemented far more readily than the instructional reforms necessary for addressing young…

A common challenge in many situations of computer-supported collaborative learning is increasing the willingness of those involved to share their knowledge with other group members. As a prototypical situation of computer-supported information exchange, a shared-database setting was chosen for the current study. This information-exchange situation…

This article discusses a qualitative research project designed to investigate processes and outcomes of learning in a first-year undergraduate course--"Introduction to conflict resolution: theory and skills" (ICR)--taught in the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. The research project was set up to help us understand how…

This study employed a quasiexperimental control group design in a university setting to test the effect of a rater-training program on reducing social style bias in intragroup peer evaluations after controlling for ability based on GPA. Comparison of rating scores of the test group to the control group indicated minimal social style rating bias in…

In order to demonstrate how learners utilize the text-based asynchronous attributes of the Bulletin Board System, this study explored Japanese-as-a-second-language learners' metalanguage episodes (Swain & Lapkin, 1995, 1998) in offline verbal peer speech and online asynchronous discussions with their Japanese key pals. The findings suggest the…

The Open Learning Initiative (OLI) is an open educational resources project at Carnegie Mellon University that began in 2002 with a grant from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. OLI creates web-based courses that are designed so that students can learn effectively without an instructor. In addition, the courses are often used by instructors…

This three-part article first presents an overview of a Web-based reading-intensive course that introduces work-family scholarship to social work students so that they can integrate the historical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives of this rich body of knowledge into their practice. Second, the authors explore the compatibility of…

Undergraduate research in the biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology program at Drake University uses apprenticeship, cooperative-style learning, and peer mentoring in a cross-disciplinary and cross-community educational program. We call it the one-room schoolhouse approach to teaching undergraduate research. This approach is cost effective,…

Coke (2005) argues that vertical cooperative learning is needed between elementary and secondary school teachers. While this would help with the transition between grades and subjects, it is dependent upon school principals to implement these cooperative learning meetings. Drawing upon prior experience, the author advocates that pre-service social…

The purpose of this article is to probe teacher beliefs about the cultures and curricula of mathematics classroom. By examining the case of a teacher in New York City--his teaching practices and the resulting learning environment fostered there--certain pedagogical and epistemological beliefs can be highlighted. The author first examines some…

This article focuses on the ways in which four eighth-grade girls, each with varying levels of algebraic understanding, share ideas, debate, and gradually move toward generalizations inherent in the "Painted Cube" problem. The intent of this article is to examine how students move to progressive formalization and to provide insights into the ways…

The purpose of this study was to understand, describe and interpret the uses of information communication technology (ICT) in primary education in the Taiwan Schools Cyberfair as a means to expand and enhance student learning in an extra-curricular setting. Four winning schools, with 48 teachers and students involved, were purposefully selected…

In this study, the implementation effects of a staff development program on cooperative learning (CL) for Dutch elementary school teachers were studied. A pre-test-post-test non-equivalent control group design was used to investigate program effects on the instructional behaviours of teachers. Based on observations of teacher behaviour during…