Participation is a complex process, engaging the whole person, implying cognitive, emotional and relational aspects. In online open and distant learning, group work is a commonly used strategy, given its collaborative nature and constructivist framework ([Bates and Poole, 2003], [Garrison and Anderson, 2003] and [Jonassen, 2005]). In this context,…

This article examines an established course on Popular Culture which is framed within the general educational model in an English-medium university. The article is organized into three parts: the underlining educational rationale for general educational courses, the course description, and the students' perspectives of their learning experience.…

The purpose of this case study was to describe, assess, and compare the cognitive level of instruction, course objectives, instructional strategies, assessments, and the transdisciplinary nature of two post-secondary degree programs in sustainability. Instructional strategies in these programs included such methods as class presentations, group…

Peer assessment is utilized extensively in digital learning, and many studies have examined the positive influences of online peer assessment on learning (eg, Tseng & Tsai, 2007). However, other studies indicate that this type of activity has negative influences. For example, students may question the fairness of an assessment or disagree with…

Creativity and knowledge management are both important competences that university students need to strive to develop. This study therefore developed and evaluated an instructional program for improving university students' creativity based on a blended knowledge-management (KM) model that integrates e-learning and three core processes of KM:…

This study describes how Twitter (a social networking tool) was implemented as part of a foreign language Reading Comprehension course; it reports on the students' perspectives and opinions about their experiences. The participants were 52 level 2 learners studying in the English department at Huraymila College of Science and Human Studies. The…

The paradigm of ecotherapy posits that personal health and healing are directly related to the health of the natural environment. Based on ideas in ecopsychology that involve the integration of psychology and ecology, ecotherapy is the application of ecopsychology to therapeutic practice. Described in this article are the paradigm of ecotherapy,…

This study compared student group work experiences in online (OL) versus face-to-face (f2f) sections of the same graduate course, over three years, to determine what factors influence student group work experiences and how do these factors play out in f2f versus OL environments. Surveys and student journals suggest that communication issues,…

A new curricular approach in our undergraduate second-year instrumental analysis laboratory was implemented. Students work collaboratively on scenarios in diverse fields including pharmaceuticals, forensics, gemology, art conservation, and environmental chemistry. Each laboratory section (approximately 12 students) is divided into three groups…

Introduction: This paper presents the results of an experiment in using participatory research methods in a classroom among ten students taking an advanced master's level course in library and information science. The project goals were motivated by the course content, an advanced course in research using official government documents. Method: Ten…

Although many students have some knowledge of patents, it can be difficult for them to understand the components of an innovator's decision-making process. Key issues, such as whether to patent or to use trade secrecy, how broad a scope to claim, and what to do in the event of patent infringement, can be difficult to grasp from a standard lecture.…

Value chain analysis is widely taught in business schools and applied by practitioners to improve business performance. Despite its ubiquity, many students struggle to understand and apply value chain concepts in practice. JetFighter uses a complex manufacturing process (making intricate paper planes) to provide students an opportunity to enhance…

This work demonstrates how a Wiki can be mapped into different learning stages during group-based lab reporting via an adequate scaffolding structure. The scaffolding structure of the Wiki-based group report is comprised of six constructs in sequence: Appendix, Methods, Results, Analysis, Introduction and Conclusion. The scaffolding structure was…

A continued and ongoing call for improvement and change in mathematics teaching and learning suggests a need for re-visioning the ways in which mathematics teachers are educated. Suggestions include incorporating reform teaching in university courses that integrate mathematics content with pedagogy and perturbate mathematical beliefs. The context…

In an attempt to determine the differences between the perceptions of a sense of community among online students versus on-campus students, the research surveyed 200 undergraduate students regarding their sense of relational affiliation with their university and, for some, with their small group. The results of the ANOVA indicated that students…