In both purpose and practice, general education in American higher education has experienced several recurring debates and national revivals. In a world with constantly evolving technology, students need a strong general education to be flexible and adaptable to the changes of the world. General education is an important component and requirement…

What and how much can children learn without subject teachers? In an attempt to find a limit to self organized learning, we explored the capacity of 10-14 year old Tamil-speaking children in a remote Indian village to learn basic molecular biology, initially on their own with a Hole-in-the-Wall public computer facility, and later with the help of…

Emergent research indicates that electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) can have a positive impact on the learning experience, but there are significant challenges--pedagogical and technological--which may limit their effectiveness. This paper contributes to research by providing further evidence about such challenges from the tutor perspective and…

Many current (online) help systems fail because users refuse to use them or, even if they do so, they do not perceive them as helpful. There is an obvious gap between the intentions of the help content authors and the achievement of objectives concerning the perceived usefulness by help users. Problems may be divided into psychological and…

In this study, we introduce the digital backpack as a means for creating a rich learning experience for students of multiple ages. Development, design, and refinement of the digital backpack are grounded in the theoretical framework of Universal Design for Learning using a Design-Based Research (DBR) model. This article presents the design and…

This paper reports on a study of the experiences of teacher educators in the introduction and development of e-portfolios over an eight-year period from 2002 to 2009 at a Swedish university. The study was conducted with 67 teacher educators in order to investigate how e-portfolios have been discussed, designed, used and disseminated during this…

This study presents the findings from the first-year evaluation of the Round Rock Independent School District's (ISD) Digital Learning Classroom project, an initiative focused on the improvement of English Language Learners' (ELL) learning using interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology. An objective of the evaluation was to determine the extent IWB…

This paper provides a historical and philosophical basis for parent involvement in the education of their children. It also furnishes a rationale for programs in Oregon which combine aspects of the classroom-oriented Standard Center-Based Model and the Home-Based Head Start Mode. Section One places Head Start development in Oregon in the…

Investigated is the topic of research implementation and how it can affect evaluation results. Even when evaluations are well planned, the obtained results can be misleading if the conscientiously-constructed research plan is not correctly implemented in practice. In virtually every research arena, one finds major difficulties in implementing the…

The construction and application of innovation configuration in assessing the implementation of adopted/adapted National Diffusion Network (NDN) programs and developmental programs funded by Elementary Secondary Education Act Title IV, Bureau of the Educationally Handicapped and Vocational Education, are presented. Implementation evaluation…

Indicates that educational programs in prisons illustrate how the tensions between symbol and substance create a loosely coupled situation requiring sensitivity by policy makers and instructors. Examines specific problems that subvert adult education and suggests policies to recouple educational goals to strategies of implementation. (JOW)

Education Matters' working hypothesis in this report was that the quality of implementation of ILT (Instructional Leadership Teams) and LASW (Looking At Student Work) groups is related to the quality of implementation of other components of reform. Specifically, the authors anticipated that schools in which ILTs and LASW groups were…

This monograph describes calls for educational reform and reviews many of the most significant curricular outcomes and innovations. The focus is on documenting changes institutions have made in response to calls for reform. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Curriculum Reforms in the Professions: Responding to Calls for…

This paper is the sixth, and final, monograph is a series of invited papers on distributed education. It describes the barriers to distance learning, both inside and outside the higher education community. Inside the academy, distance education programs encounter numerous challenges: (1) the academys acceptance of distance education as an…

Indicates that student vocational organizations have a unique capacity to bring the goals of vocational education to the attention of the public. Suggests that sponsoring a community activity, such as a bicycle race, is an effective way to do this. (JOW)