This article provides a report on NetMeeting as an appropriate fourth-generation tool for interactive language learning in distance mode. It follows on earlier research by Wang and Sun (2000, 2001) on the most urgent problem facing distance language education--lack of provision of oral-visual interaction and the emergence of a fourth-generation…

One of the most important decisions to be made in a face-to-face collaborative learning activity is how the participating groups are composed. These compositions produce different learning and social interaction results. The ability to change the group member composition in real time and dynamically enables the leveling up of learning results and…

Classroom assessment of writing is considered from an anthropological perspective as practitioners' tool use. Pan Canadian data from a 2002 English teacher questionnaire (N = 4070) about self-reported assessment practices were analyzed in terms of tool choice and use by secondary teachers of different experience and qualification levels. Four…

In the past decade, based on a change in paradigms in university policy, performance funding on a cantonal and central state level has been introduced in Switzerland: the universities have been granted higher autonomy, combined with global budgets and contract management by the responsible authorities (cantonal authorities). At the same time, the…

This paper offers a critical examination of an e-learning project in the context of a Distance Education training program delivered to teacher trainers in Rwanda. In examining the successes and failures of the project, it uses a framework based on ideas promulgated by Moore (1995) and strives to provide guidance and reference for future projects…

Kaleidoscope is an innovative approach to an arts-based early childhood program, combining visual arts, music, dance and language arts. The program's principal goal is to promote the learning and development of low-income, inner-city children who are attending preschool and kindergarten. Kaleidoscope's three objectives are: (1) to provide children…

Alternative assessment not only offers the opportunity to assess what students know, it also can more fully engage students in their own learning. When properly implemented, alternative assessment has the potential to: be a useful classroom tool, stimulate student participation; form a communication bridge with parents; and measure specific types…

The manual provides information to assist secondary school level program and curriculum designers in the creation and administration of second language programs. It is not a how-to manual, but includes descriptive data about program types in existence and criteria for evaluating language proficiency. It contains: a list of terms used and their…

This guide provides information about how middle schools can promote the development and education of adolescents, especially about how they can focus students' attention on career opportunities and training. It also offers families some ideas about how they can encourage their children's career awareness, and it presents some criteria for parents…

This report summarizes what occurred in Australian education from 1983-89. This compilation of updated information is designed for use by U.S. college admissions officers who review Australian credentials at both the secondary and tertiary levels. Findings are based on letters, interviews, bulletins, handbooks, and actual credentials. At the…

This Congressional hearing report is intended to provide a broad overview of the current state of higher education and establish a foundation for future hearings on more specific topics concerned with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Issues addressed in the report include: costs of going to college; characteristics of those who go…

The purpose of this study was to determine if preservice teachers, during their student teaching experiences, were utilizing the strategies they had learned in university methods courses, and if these strategies were being modeled by the supervising teachers. Responses were obtained from 31 preservice elementary teachers. Students responded to…

This report summarized observations of administrators at nine colleges in the Academic Quality Consortium (AQC) who assessed the performance of their institutions using the Malcolm Baldrige criteria as a guideline. These criteria include leadership, information and analysis, strategic planning, human resource development and management, management…

A collection of essays addresses issues in alternative assessment in English as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. Chapter 1, "Toward a Definition of Alternative Assessment," (Priscilla Butler) gives an overview of the concept of alternative assessment and introduces some theoretical considerations. Chapter 2, "The Roots of…

A study examined the impact of limited English competence on participation of foreign female students in technical cooperation training (TCT). Questionnaires were sent to British Council offices and embassies in all 107 countries with TCT programs and completed by 55 (30.9%) of the countries (including 17 of the 22 largest). Responses indicated…