At a round-table discussion, five camp caretakers identified common camp maintenance problems. Snow loads, wooden floors, storage of lake equipment, removal of grass cuttings and leaves, local suppliers, vandalism and trespassing, swimming pools, assigning work, use of outside contractors, decisions to replace or repair, job satisfaction, and…

Ethnographic study of science lab technicians' troubleshooting suggests that they possess most of a lab's contextual knowledge and skill and play a critical role in the production of scientific knowledge. However, because contextual knowledge is less valued than formal knowledge, technicians experience status inconsistencies. (SK)

Researchers espouse that youth are learning differently than any other generation. Many researchers believe that because youth are leading the way with technology, their technology practices impact the way that they connect with the world around them. As a result, educators examine how to successfully engage youth in learning by understanding how…

This module is the sixth of nine modules in the competency-based Missouri Auto Mechanics Curriculum Guide. Eight units cover: introduction to automotive brake systems; disc and drum brake system components and how they operate; properties of brake fluid and procedures for bleeding the brake system; diagnosing and determining needed repairs on…

Offers practical advice to new library committee chairs on when to call meetings and how to prepare for, conduct, and evaluate them. Discusses the quality of committee leadership in terms of coaching, communicating, and troubleshooting skills. (Author/AEF)

Discusses a case study of a project created for the U.S. Air Force, Air Combat Command, in which mental models were taught, reinforced, and assessed as the foundation for instruction. Preliminary data for 183 students reflected a 93% mastery level and a 79% cumulative gain in students' ability to troubleshoot difficult problems. (Author/AEF)

Discusses methods for analyzing case studies of failures of technological systems. Describes two distance learning courses that compare standard models of failure and success with the actuality of given scenarios. Provides teaching and learning materials and information sources for application to aspects of design, manufacture, inspection, use,…

Student modeling--the task of building dynamic models of student ability--is fraught with uncertainty, caused by such factors as multiple sources of student errors, careless errors and lucky guesses, learning and forgetting. Within the context of the Sherlock intelligent tutoring systems project, we have been experimenting with various ways of…

Describes the cognitive processes required to troubleshoot faults and describes an architecture based on that cognitive model for designing learning environments that engage novices in troubleshooting while supporting their construction of requisite knowledge. This model can be applied to different kinds of troubleshooting problems, enhancing the…

Describes one decision-making approach for quickly implementing a communications network into a school district. The use of volunteer labor for wiring installation, computer selection focusing on standardization to aid in troubleshooting, and an intranet system to achieve efficiency and learning opportunities for teachers and administrative…

This packet contains technology-based learning activities for the production technology course at the orientation level (grades 9 and 10) of the Illinois Plan for Industrial Technology Education curriculum project. The packet includes a course rationale, mission, description, and outline. Suggested learning objectives and suggested learning…

This paper encourages the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) tactics and other strategies as a practical means of fostering a quality culture in institutional research offices of higher education institutions. In particular, four approaches are advocated for understanding and minimizing errors: (1) use of TQM tactical tools to enhance work…

In computer-based simulations, students must bring a wide range of relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities to bear jointly as they solve meaningful problems in a learning domain. To function effectively as an assessment, a simulation system must additionally be able to evoke and interpret observable evidence about targeted knowledge in a manner…

This paper lays out the rationale and implementation of student modeling and updating in the HYDRIVE intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for aircraft hydraulic systems. An epistemic level of modeling concerns the plans and goals students are using to guide their problem solving, as inferred from specific actions in specific contexts. These results…

A mental model is a knowledge structure composed of concepts and the relations between them. Mental models are distinct from declarative and procedural knowledge--they go beyond semantic relationships and skills acquisition and contain varied intellectual skills and knowledge. This study describes an initial investigation into the construct…