A key determinant of the new relationship between students and universities in Australia is the changing nature of higher education funding arrangements and the shift towards "user-pays". In 2007, the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) completed a commissioned national study, "Australian University Student Finances…

Reality-based teaching methods involve the meaningful application of knowledge. The goal of this holistic method is to apply knowledge about specific geographical locations to the curriculum. First-hand knowledge of a location enables teachers to constantly address the student question "Why do I have to learn this?" As a result, students…

The author has worked in education for almost 30 years in the UK and internationally. Since 1987 when she cofounded an international theatre company called CETTIE (Cultural Exchange Through Theatre In Education), the author has worked as an arts practitioner and arts education consultant in parallel with her teaching career. She has consistently…

Traditional approaches to computer-aided learning have tended to minimize the role of the local teacher, despite their experience and close knowledge of their students' learning needs. A new approach to producing educational materials focuses on the construction of "learning objects", storing these in "digital repositories" and…

Why introduce genetics at primary level? Children are fascinated by themselves and where they come from. Many have heard of genes, mostly through the media coverage of genetics, and want to know more. Children should be engaged in science at an early age to foster an interest and encourage an appreciation of its relevance to life. Genetics sits…

People need to better understand the influence of learning management systems (LMSs) on student engagement in order to use these powerful technologies to improve campus-based education. Over the past 10 years, online learning management has been adopted by many campus-based institutions, becoming almost ubiquitous in many parts of the world. These…

This study examines student engagement in elementary civics deliberation. Civics problem-solving steps and audience roles were introduced to two suburban fourth-grade classes to increase student engagement. Lessons were adapted from the "We The People" curriculum. Student engagement increased dramatically as students appropriated the…

We surveyed 374 parents and 82 teachers in the Juarez, Mexico schools regarding their views of what makes an effective elementary school. The survey was a Spanish translation of an instrument used by Johnson (1998). Although both parents and teachers supported most of the factors associated with effective schools, they emphasized different aspects…

The University of Georgia's Interdisciplinary Certificate in Leadership and Service is an undergraduate academic program designed to enhance college students' preparation for leadership in their communities and organizations through service-learning. This form of engagement with the community prepares students to face the technical and social…

The present study evaluated the impact of Urban Improv (UI), a theater-based youth violence prevention (YVP) program developed for inner-city youth, on three behavioral and psychological outcome domains: aggressive behaviors, prosocial behaviors, and scholastic attention and engagement. This study compared outcomes for 77 elementary school…

This paper reports on an exploratory case study involving the development of a model for identifying and measuring individual engagement in critical thinking in an online asynchronous discussion (OAD). The model is first developed through a review of the literature on the construct and subsequently applied to the content analysis of the…

This paper presents the findings of the 2008 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). This year, CCSSE zeroes in on high expectations and high support as it presents the results of its 2008 survey. Both are critical to student success: Students do best when expectations are high "and" they receive support that helps them achieve at…

Primers are used to motivate and uplift your class. They come in many different styles and can be used in a variety of ways. Making primers relevant to students helps them to learn and makes them feel appreciated and knowledgeable when they participate. Using primers in the classroom to make students feel valued brings much success.

The National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform recommends that national, state, and local policymakers provide resources and support to create small schools at the middle-grades level. In those cases where small schools are not feasible, the National Forum recommends that district and school leaders break down large middle-grades schools…

This paper is concerned with identifying keys to successfully teach ethics. The keys are: addressing the relevance challenge; striving to achieve a balance between the active engagement of students with issues and a critical analysis of choices in to be made in real-life situations; attending to or managing the learning process to include learning…