The purpose of this study is to refine Japanese elementary science activity structures by using a CSCL approach to transform the classroom into a knowledge-building community. We report design studies on two science lessons in two consecutive years and describe the progressive refinement of the activity structures. Through comparisons of student…

Following a cognitive-developmental perspective, the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning is understood as a process of knowledge construction whereby knowledge claims are validated through reflection on teaching experience and educational theory. These reflective processes can be documented and peer reviewed. Teaching portfolios allow for the…

For several years prior to 2000, students and faculty at McMaster University rated classrooms below those at peer universities. In the case of many classrooms, the teaching environments were outdated and the technology was old. The provost determined in 2000 that they needed to make a long-term investment in their learning spaces. For sound…

Despite the preliminary studies that support solution-focused brief therapy, limited research has examined the model as a group intervention with students at risk for academic underachievement and school nonattendance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the model on school attendance and grade point average.…

Purpose: While synchronous and asynchronous distance education options have fulfilled the promise to reduce travel costs and decrease the number of human resources necessary for training delivery, many corporations are faced with the need to produce learning even at a faster pace in order to gain and sustain competitive advantage. This means a…

There are many ways to use manuscripts images to allow undergraduates the change to employ problem solving techniques to interact actively with these materials. In this article, the author uses her undergraduate survey course entitled "Medieval Europe" to suggest ways in which digitized manuscript research can be brought into the…

North Carolina State University (NCSU) is a Research Intensive (Research I) university located in Raleigh, the state capital. Increasingly over the past ten years, NCSU faculty interested in issues of teaching and learning have used the term "inquiry-guided learning" (IGL) to describe the kind of learning they are trying to promote. The…

This paper explores what students taking an international project-based course in computer systems strive to learn. Through empirical, phenomenographic work we have identified three different motives that the students strive for: academic achievement; project and team working capacity; and social competence. What a student strives to learn largely…

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of multimedia cases for the purposes of preservice teacher preparation. Case-based learning typically involves an analysis of a teaching scenario followed by a discussion of issues that emerge. While this kind of activity is consistent with theories of situated learning and social…

The classroom teacher's comfort and familiarity with computers and software influences student-computer use in the classroom. Teachers remain mired in repetitive introduction of basic software mechanics and rarely progress with students to advanced concepts or complex applications. An Online Assistant (OLA) was developed to accompany the…

This article presents a constructionist approach to introducing technology, in particular robotics, in the early childhood classroom. The authors demonstrate how this approach is well suited, since the four basic tenets of constructionism have a long-standing tradition in early childhood education: (a) learning by designing meaningful projects to…

The use of computers in early years has become a contentious issue, with advocates calling for more Information and Communications Technology (ICT), more machines, better software, and more training for professionals, while other groups call for "a moratorium on the further introduction of computers in early childhood and elementary…

This article focuses on the design of competency-based performance assessment in e-learning. Though effort has been invested in designing powerful e-learning environments, relatively little attention has been paid to the design of valid and reliable assessments in such environments, leaving many questions to educational developers and teachers. As…

A collaborative design-based, cross-cultural exchange between the Chinese School of Architecture, Tsinghua University of Beijing, and the Faculty of Architecture, Building, and Planning at the University of Melbourne is the case study presented in this article. Two design studios were conducted: one in the Master of Urban Design program, and the…

This paper presents a model for using technology to help fulfill the Council on Social Work Education requirement for international content in the social work curriculum. The literature on including global content and using Web-based technology in social work education is reviewed. Special considerations for international Web-based discussions are…