The paper focuses on educational projects developed in the ETSII (Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid during the past few years. These projects were developed as new tools for enhancing the active role of students, for improving practical teaching, especially by means of virtual laboratories…

Some learning scientists are beginning to investigate social and cultural aspects of learning by examining the interactions between a learner and the environment as well as with other people in the learning environment. This article proposes conversational analysis (CA) as a tool to analyze interactions between learners and instructors in…

Since the 1970s, both authors have been involved in the school reform movement, sharing a passion for improving public education, particularly urban public education. Their experiences as teacher and professor in an urban magnet laboratory school reinforced their belief in the ability of all children to learn. They state that, within the magnet…

Graduate students from a variety of agricultural and natural resource fields are incorporating geographic information systems (GIS) analysis into their graduate research, creating a need for teaching methodologies that help students understand advanced GIS topics for use in their own research. Graduate-level GIS exercises help students understand…

This study aimed to identify the types of arguments promoted in various contexts common to a high school chemistry classroom, including lecture-discussion and laboratory activities. The study was guided by the following research question: What types of argument structures and schemes, if any, are promoted and engaged by students within various…

Preservice elementary teachers in a conceptual physics course were given multiple resources to use during several inquiry activities in order to investigate how materials were chosen, used, and valued. These students performed significantly better on assessment items related to the inquiry physics activities than on items related to traditional…

For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

The 15 essays in this book reveal the complexity of teaching writing, with some contributors calling into question the gap between classroom theory and classroom practice as seen through students' and tutors' perspectives. The book analyzes the cornerstone of theory and proposes a reexamination of some taken-for-granted composition practices.…

Students are advised to enroll in WAC 101--a writing across the curriculum "Stretch" course--based upon SAT scores. Two types of "at risk" English composition students usually comprise a WAC 101 Stretch class. The first type are the familiar students who are underprepared for college writing courses, while the second are…

Writing centers are one place where expert-novice interactions are likely to occur. Students often assume that tutors possess expertise by virtue of their appointment as tutors. The tutor, for his/her part, often assumes that the student's knowledge is deficient in the area in which the student is seeking advice. The complex interactional and…

As part of an effort to evaluate the Academic Computing, Tutoring, and Testing Center, Gainesville College, in Georgia, surveyed 672 students in morning classes, 424 students in evening classes, and all faculty and staff to determine their use of and satisfaction with the Center. Faculty and staff responses were received from 79 individuals,…

This brochure describes ways that science teachers and students with disabilities can work together to develop creative alternatives for the challenges in gaining and demonstrating knowledge faced by these students. In the first section, "Gaining Knowledge", lists of difficulties faced by students with disabilities are placed in columns opposite…

Based on the assumption that a hands-on approach would enable students to better grasp the usefulness of concepts presented, a course and laboratory component in non-experimental research methodology, statistics, and computer applications for beginning students was implemented at Ursinus College, in Pennsylvania. The course meets 3 hours a week…

Computers have become an integral part of most college and high school programs; however, the utilization of computers at the elementary level has lagged behind. This paper focuses on the efforts of a New Jersey public school district to expand computer education into the elementary school environment. It describes the second year of a 3-year plan…

This handbook was developed for persons in Virginia without formal teacher training who are teaching a laboratory course in trade and industrial education for the first time. The guide covers some of the issues that a beginning teacher must address in the first few weeks of school. The document also provides background information for the…