This chapter describes an innovative method of curriculum design that is based on combining phenomenographic research, and the associated variation theory of learning, with the notion of disciplinary threshold concepts to focus specialised design attention on the most significant and difficult parts of the curriculum. The method involves three…

This book is about moving from the conceptual to practical applications that impact the day-to-day teaching and learning processes. Skoglund and Ness give school leaders all the tools that are necessary to change the culture of a school, improve teacher performance, and elevate student achievement. Each component of the process is clearly…

For generations, schools have aimed to introduce students to a broad range of topics through curriculum that ensure that they will at least have some acquaintance with most areas of human knowledge by the time they graduate. Yet such broad knowledge can't help but be somewhat superficial--and, as Kieran Egan argues, it omits a crucial aspect of…

Face-to-face instruction has been held as the gold standard of a quality academic program. But using information technology to redesign traditional courses can actually improve the quality of teaching, cut costs, and improve access and success. A strong redesign often involves active learning opportunities; individualized, on-demand assistance; a…

The rapidly emerging digital economy is challenging the relevance of existing marketing practices, and a radical redesign of the marketing curriculum consistent with the emerging student and business needs of the 21st century is required. To remain relevant to our students and to the ultimate consumers of our output, businesses, the marketing…

Scientific argumentation is increasingly seen as a key inquiry practice for students in science classrooms. This is a complex practice that entails three overlapping, instructional goals: Participants "articulate their understandings" and work to "persuade others of those understandings" in order to "make sense of the…

A large proportion of national education and treatment centers for persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including those providing applied behavior analysis (ABA)-based services, show a relatively high percentage of agreement among practitioners on the instruments they routinely use for a variety of purposes, including curriculum design…

Twenty years ago the development of a sports management program at Massey University was then the only one in New Zealand. Professional rugby was still a couple of years away. Kit McConnell, Head of the 2011 RWC and Tournament Director for the IRB, was a Masters student back then. He indicated "the academic staff were doing something new--and…

Universities are being placed under increasing pressure to produce employable work ready graduates who are able to cope in a rapidly changing work environment. This has resulted in universities offering their undergraduate students the opportunity to gain business acumen and real world experience by undertaking work-integrated learning (WIL) as…

Requirements engineering is one of the fundamental knowledge areas in software and systems engineering graduate curricula. Recent changes in educational delivery and student demographics have created new challenges for requirements engineering education. In particular, there is an increasing demand for online education for working professionals.…

AIM Academy of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania is a K-12 school modeled after the Lab School of Washington. AIM promises its 200 students and their parents a unique and innovative learning environment. Applying the latest techniques proven to help children who learn differently, AIM Academy taps into students' talents in ways that are both fully…

In March 2012, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) released for public consultation the Shape Paper for the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (HPE) that was finalized for publication in August 2012. This paper set out the key propositions for a "futures-oriented" curriculum suggesting…

This paper will propose and privilege "educative outcomes" in Health and Physical Education (HPE), reflecting that one of the five propositions in the "Draft Shape of Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education" (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2012a) can be regarded as the bonding…

Science instruction based on student exploration of socio-scientific issues (SSI) has been presented as a powerful strategy for supporting science learning and the development of scientific literacy. This paper presents an instructional framework for SSI based education. The framework is based on a series of research studies conducted in a diverse…

Teachers are asked to examine the potential opportunities for connecting themes of childhood play to the skills, habits of the mind, and principles of the disciplines. A comparative analysis of the explanations of first graders and the perceptions of their teachers, in separate focus groups, revealed a disparity in the significance of narrative…