Universal design for learning (UDL) is a valuable tool for the proactive planning of engaging, accessible lessons in today's diverse classrooms. UDL focuses on three core principles--representation, expression, and engagement--to help educators develop motivating, accessible instruction that will increase the participation of all learners,…

Are there different kinds of design problems? Jonassen (2011) argued that problems vary in terms of structuredness, complexity, and context. On the structuredness and complexity continua, design problems tend to be the most ill-structured and complex. Brown and Chandrasekaran suggest that design problems may vary along a continuum from…

This document summarizes the findings from the initial round of research on the development and piloting of two types of instructional tools designed to support teachers' integration of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in literacy and math. In this interim report, Research for Action (RFA) presents key findings from the first half of the…

The purpose of assembling this "New Directions in Teaching and Learning" volume was to introduce college and university teachers to a broad range of approaches that reflect evidence-based teaching (EBT). As each of the preceding chapters has shown, EBT not only can increase student learning across a variety of measures, it also can increase…

The study of protein-protein interactions is important to scientists in a wide range of disciplines. We present here the assessment of a lab-intensive course that teaches students techniques used to identify and further study protein-protein interactions. One of the unique elements of the course is that students perform a yeast two-hybrid screen…

Serious games have a great potential for training and educating people in novel and engaging ways. However, little empirical research has been done on the effectiveness of serious games, and although early findings do point to a moderately positive direction, even less is known about why some games succeed in effectively educating while others do…

Stellenbosch University has gone through a serious engagement with the topic of a pedagogy of hope. The engagement included the initial proposal of Paulo Friere, the South American educationist, bearing the imprints of the twentieth century and the new ways in which intellectuals are revisiting the critical pedagogy of hope for the twenty first…

It has become accepted wisdom that there is a shortage of leaders in the library profession. A number of leader and leadership development programs have emerged in Australia, Canada and the United States that attract interested participants, yet what is the core purpose of these programs? Do they work? Review of leadership programs reveals that…

Globalization, the explosive growth of knowledge, the advent of information technology, and the development of a knowledge-based economy are leading to unprecedented worldwide changes. Hong Kong's continued cultural, social, and economic development will depend on whether its population can rise to these challenges and make the best use of the…

Online professional development (OPD) is proliferating in an effort to eliminate barriers to high-quality in-service teacher training. Using the Internet as a vehicle for continuing professional development, however, introduces new concerns largely absent in its face-to-face counterpart. For example, evidence from the USA's e-Learning for…

This paper highlights the instructional design process followed by the Maricopa Community College faculty in the creation of instructional modules in Digital Visual Literacy. The paper categorizes 10 tasks that an instructional designer, a teacher, or a trainer performs during the design phase of the instructional design process. The importance of…

English Language Learners (ELLs) are a dynamic and rapidly growing population within the California school system. In this age of greater accountability, teachers need access to the tools necessary for effectively reaching this growing subpopulation of students. In this study, A Developmental English Proficiency Test (ADEPT), a language assessment…

Schools of social work are mandated to train students for policy practice. A new instructional approach is needed so that social workers skillfully engage in policy change to address the growing economic, social, and cultural problems that affect our clients. This article presents the Practicing Policy, Pursuing Change, and Promoting Social…

This reflective essay describes a teacher's development of a student-centered approach to teaching which bridges the gap between students' knowledge before and after a course. In "mind the gap teaching," students' prior knowledge leads the conversation and, in turn, the teaching, allowing them to integrate new information more…

The purpose of this qualitative study, "Professional development for teachers working with culturally and linguistically diverse students: A qualitative study of teacher perceptions," was to investigate general educators' perceptions of existing professional development activities in order to identify program attributes they perceive as likely to…