West Springfield High School sits on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., in Fairfax County, Virginia. WSHS is home to a thriving and growing technology education program. In recent years, the program has exploded from less than 175 students to well over 425. These numbers are expected to continue to grow in the foreseeable future. In 2002, the…

In South Africa, poor performance of learners in mathematics across the school system is a problem demanding new solutions. One possible solution is to try to raise standards through the use of open educational resources (OER). This article presents and discusses findings from a case study of a collaborative OER development project initiated by…

THIS PICTURE BOOK WAS DEVELOPED FOR USE WITH THE ELEMENTARY SCIENCE STUDY UNIT ON "BONES." THE UNIT PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP MANY CONCEPTS ABOUT THE SKELETAL SYSTEM. NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PROVIDED OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FIVE VERTEBRATE CLASSES AND SELECTED INVERTEBRATES. BOTH EXTANT AND EXTINCT MEMBERS ARE REPRESENTED.…

This issue of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) newsletter is mainly devoted to reports of the international adaptation of the BSCS materials. The BSCS director provides an overview of the international cooperation program, and a member from most of the adaptation teams contributes a short report on the progress of adaptations in his…

The contributions of Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, Chemical Education Materials Study, and the Physical Science Study Committee courses to the understanding of science among Israeli students are compared. Changes in science process inventory scores in concurrent courses in grades 9-12 are examined. Common misunderstandings about the nature…

Describes the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) program from the point of view of its possible contribution to environmental education for elementary school children. Ecological examples are used in the description. (AL)

The final part of a five-part series reporting the results of the evaluation of the trial version of the Nuffield A-level Biology Project presents data from a follow-up study of students one year after they completed the trials. Student perception of the objectives of the course is reported, and employer or supervisor comments on strengths and…

Reports the results of evaluation of specified student and course objectives by teacher ratings and test results. Includes a discussion of the evaluation of the materials as a result of formative evaluation. (AL)

Teachers who accept" the BSCS rationale are generally more humanistic in their pupil control ideology than those who reject" the program. Acceptors" scored higher on personality scales determining the capacity for independent thought and action. (AL)

The growing popularity of computer and network technologies has attracted researchers to investigate the strategies and the effects of information technology applied instructions. Previous research has not only demonstrated the benefits of applying information technologies to the learning process, but has also revealed the difficulty of applying…

This paper proposes an integrated approach for developing the engineering curricula with a specific focus on engineering design. The proposed approach allows a continuous and coherent development of engineering students' design skills throughout the entire undergraduate curriculum. This ongoing design experience is delivered at an involvement and…

Information systems educators must balance the need to protect the stability, availability, and security of computer laboratories with the learning objectives of various courses. In advanced courses where students need to install, configure, and otherwise manipulate application and operating system settings, this is especially problematic as these…

The complexity of engineering and its integration into K-12 education have resulted in a variety of issues requiring sustained empirical research (Johnson, Burghardt, & Daugherty, 2008). One particular area of need, given the emphasis on teacher effects on student learning, is to research engineering-oriented teacher professional development. A…