A study of 211 medical students in small-group classes taught by both subject-area experts and non-experts found that the facilitator's content expertise alone did not determine the amount of teacher-directed behavior in a group, student learning, or student satisfaction. Case focus and case training were also significant factors. (Author/MSE)

An undergraduate course in pharmacology in which problem-based self-directed learning in the context of small groups provides students with an opportunity to take greater responsibility for their own learning is described. The objectives, examples of problems used in the course, and student evaluations of the course and tutors are included. (KR)

Twenty-three first-graders at risk for learning disabilities received one-to-one tutoring from noncertified tutors for 30 minutes, 4 days a week, for one school year. Tutoring included instruction in phonological skills, explicit decoding, writing, spelling, and reading phonically controlled text. Participants significantly outperformed controls…

Introduces and discusses a model of teaching and learning that can be used as a basis for building new types of educational infrastructure based upon the use of Web-based resources, peer group interaction and online tutoring. Discusses the special role that e-tutoring plays within online courses and outlines some of the implications of this…

Seeks to determine if differences exist in learning styles between developmental "at-risk" college students and college peer-tutors. Finds that through the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), differences existed on the Judging-Perceiving scale. Discusses academic skills related to this scale along with suggestions peer-tutors can use…

Evaluated the effectiveness of Book Buddies, a volunteer tutor program designed to improve young elementary students' reading and writing skills, using diverse older adult tutors and a rigorous experimental versus control group design in a high-poverty, urban setting. Overall, students participating in Book Buddies were significantly stronger in…

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine how the reading skills of children at-risk are affected by tutoring by preservice reading endorsement students, (b) to identify differences by setting, gender and grade level, and to (c) identify effective strategies and influences on student success in a four-month tutoring program. Data were collected…

In this article, the authors describe a program developed to encourage women and minorities to continue their study of mathematics in high schools until graduation. The 3-year program was a collaborative effort by professors and students from Bryant University, local businesses, and local high schools. During the 3 years, the program evolved from…

Allan Ridley has many interesting qualities, not least his determination. Though he is totally blind, he doesn't let that stop him pursuing his interests, whether he is water skiing or learning database design. When asked to tutor blind learner Allan Ridley, the author had to give a lot of thought to making the curriculum accessible. This article…

In this article we report on the results of an evaluation of a two-tiered strategic approach to the development of sessional teaching staff in one Australian university. Analysis of the data reveals a tension between the institutional imperatives underpinning the strategy and its local implementations. This tension ultimately undermines the…

Aim: Tutor performance and tutorial group productivity interact with each other in a complex manner. The aim of this study was to investigate how tutor performance, tutorial group productivity and the effectiveness of a PBL unit interact with each other. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) Does the tutor performance score differ across different…

A peer tutoring scheme has been introduced into the Department of Engineering at the University of Liverpool to help 2nd year undergraduate students tackle conceptual design problems. Conceptual design is an iterative process consisting of a series of generative and evaluative stages, which gradually converge on a preferred conceptual solution.…

This study investigated the efficacy of a method of parent training and parent reading tutoring that built on past research. Parents of five first-grade children who were reading below grade level participated. Parents were trained to implement a tutoring procedure that included modeling, practice, phonics, fluency building, accuracy building,…

Prior to 1994, the education system of South Africa was characterized by a hierarchical and bureaucratic style of management as well as a situation where white schools were the key beneficiaries of resources and black schools massively disadvantaged. In 1996 a national task team made strategic proposals for education management capacity, including…

In this article, the authors describe the development of a pilot project called Writing Zones 12.5. Writing Zones 12.5 was created to help students find strategies for solving writing problems and help them become better writers at every stage of the writing process. The project touches on five of the nine principles that Center for Higher…