TERRA (Teaching Ecological Responsibility, Recreation, and Adventure) is an integrated, one-semester, four-course program in environmental science, environmental English, independent geography, and outdoor education for grades 11 and 12 in New Liskeard, Ontario. Program activities include outdoor adventure, environmental research projects,…

Summarizes the legal status, implementation status, and controversies concerning charter schools, contracts between private educational organizations and public schools, and publicly funded vouchers. Few empirical data are available to make sound judgments regarding the efficacy of any of these reforms, and all face formidable challenges in…

Educational facilitators play an important role at Boricua College New York (New York) where they work on behalf of students, mediating, informing, and generally facilitating student progress through college. Two case studies of adult female students illustrate that facilitators can steer students toward better outcomes, even though they cannot…

Founded in 1975 as a magnet school, Isaac Dickson school adopted the Foxfire approach in 1992. Instead of a one-size-fits-all process, students participate in planning their own learning, and teachers serve as facilitators, ensuring that each learner has developmentally appropriate subject matter and resources. Test scores verify that this…

Histories of two church-related folk schools established by Lutheran Danish immigrants to the Great Plains reveal different underlying philosophies. Influenced by pietism, one stressed disciplined reading of the scriptures, active participation in the church, and missionary work. The other emphasized the importance of the living church community…

The University of Phoenix, once belittled as providing "McEducation" and branded a diploma mill, has garnered respect among higher education professionals. The school is attracting increasing numbers of adult students for its practical approach and 64 locations in 10 states and Puerto Rico, and is a financial success. The heavy use of…

Argues that including computer programming in the curriculum as a medium for instruction is a feasible alternative for teaching problem solving. Discusses the nature of problem solving; the problem-solving elements of discovery, motivation, practical learning situations and flexibility which are inherent in programming; capabilities of computer…

Discusses the need for educational environments that allow for authentic learning. Shows how the Internet enables practice in which students are able to manipulate concepts for the sake of getting things done and receiving feedback regarding how well the application of an understanding worked. Provides examples of three learning activities on the…

The author argues that access to education has been the central notion of distance education since its beginnings in 1892. He offers examples of current distance education programs, as well as advice for designing online general education learning communities. (NB)

This article begins with a definition of "edutainment," a hybrid genre that relies heavily on visual material, on narrative or game-like formats, and on more informal, less didactic styles of address. It examines what technology and education entail. Discussion then focuses on a critique of problems with edutainment, drawing on the…

Examines student satisfaction with a doctoral degree offered at a distance based upon the constructs of immersion in advanced study and interaction with and through technology. Immersion in graduate study with mediated communication and access to educational resources can provide a substitute for traditional residence requirements. (Author/AEF)

Interviews with students at an alternative high school for at-risk students in Estes Park, Colorado, reveal their attitudes toward learning, the instructional program, and the learning environment. Finds, for example, that students value teachers who care and hands-on learning experiences. (PKP)

Reports on a comparative study of a traditional and an alternative course offered in Victoria, Australia. Student attitudes provided the indices to changes in students' perceptions of themselves and their courses over one-year period. Students from the alternative course showed a greater increase in self-esteem, higher satisfaction with school,…

Men and women (N=60) who had begun doctoral studies between ages of 37 and 48, half in traditional and half in self-directed learning (SDL) programs, completed 2 questionnaires. Significant ego development was found in the nonauthoritarian SDL environments, which were challenging and nurturing and fostered content mastery, skill acquisition, and…

Analyzes the survival of San Francisco (California) public alternative elementary schools from a symbolic perspective. Concludes that the manipulation of symbols and an effective combination of loose and tight management styles have resulted not only in maintenance but in growth. (FMW)