There is currently much interest in exploring environmental approaches to combat weight gain and obesity. This study presents process evaluation results from a workplace-based study that tested two levels of environmentally focused weight management interventions in a manufacturing setting. The moderate treatment featured a set of relatively…

Using data from the Department of Health funded study "Making the most of policy evaluations", this paper explores the views of those working within the policy process about the role of evidence. It highlights a tension between formative and summative uses of research, which appeared to be exacerbated by a lack of clarity surrounding the…

A study reported by The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (Black & William, 2007) found that low achievers do particularly well when provided high quality feedback about their work. The type of feedback, as well as the information provided to students about their assignments, can positively impact student learning. Providing students…

Gazing at the night sky is a familiar experience for many elementary students. Depending on where children live, they can often look out a window and see the Moon and stars. Children may have seen the Moon and stars in television shows, movies, posters, or children's picture books. Regardless of whether they see the Moon and stars firsthand or…

Assessment for learning (AfL) is different from other forms of assessment because it has the specific purpose of promoting children's learning, rather than summarising or measuring what has been learnt. A key aspect of this is recognising that it is only "formative" when the information gleaned is actually used to move learning forward. It is not…

Formative assessment has been recognised as a critical element in teaching for conceptual development. A case study research design was employed to: (1) characterise the assessment thinking of three science instructors at a research-based university; and (2) examine the complex relationship between instructor thinking and practice by encouraging…

According to Wilhelm, a teacher's power lies in learning to work "with" students, starting with listening. He recommends setting up conditions and mechanisms that help you learn from your students what they are learning, what challenges they are facing, and how best to teach them. Through inquiry, the classroom can become a vital and engaging…

The Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) is a statewide education program located in the Midwest of the United States. The goal of the program is to leverage teacher education to improve and increase energy literacy in Wisconsin's K-12 schools as a means of contributing to statewide energy savings. Created in 1995, the program continues…

Education, from a student perspective, is largely driven by assessment. An effective assessment tool should be both valid and reliable, yet this is often not achieved. The aim of this literature review is to identify and appraise the evidence base for assessment tools used primarily in evaluating clinical skills of dental students. Methods:…

This paper explores a pedagocial approach to teaching oral English---Conversation Analysis. First, features of spoken language is described in comparison to written language. Second, Conversation Analysis theory is elaborated in terms of adjacency pairs, turn-taking, repairs, sequences, openings and closings, and feedback. Third, under the…

Assessment for Learning for elementary classroom is a concept that aims to stimulate self learning and development among the student via assessment model. This research aimed to 1) develop an Assessment for Learning Model for elementary classroom and 2) test and assess the outcome of our model. The authors utilized interviewing, questionnaire and…

One of the challenges experienced by students of instructional design is eliciting user participation when designing and developing products for course or program projects, particularly over multiple cycles of evaluation. Student projects do not normally have budgets to engage recruitment companies or provide participant incentives. This paper…

In order to effectively utilize the capabilities of virtual reality (VR) in supporting the desired learning outcomes, careful consideration in the design of instruction for VR learning is crucial. In line with this concern, previous work proposed an instructional design model that prescribes instructional methods to guide the design of VR-based…

In the wake of accreditation cycles stressing student outcomes, we believed the reflective and practitioner-centered philosophy of action research a perfect fit for effecting institutional improvements for a four-year grant-funded effort in our urban-suburban community colleges in California. We learned that things were both worse and better than…

The purpose of this study was to determine students' perceptions of learning gains when using the one-minute paper. Thirty-one students from the Physical Therapy (PT) and Nurse Anesthesia (NA) programs participated in this study. Students completed the one-minute paper in three classes. An email to students clarified the "muddy" points…