Efforts to improve education, including the use of educational technology, are subject to factors within the context where the change is intended. In countries not typically classified as advanced, the change methods to be used, the probability of success, and even the ways of measuring achievement most likely will vary on the basis of cultural…

This article provides an overview of research in the Learning Sciences from a Design Research perspective, as it has been framed in Singapore by the National Institute of Education (NIE). The initial research agenda is considered in the light of challenges and the subsequent re-casting of objectives, based on the working out of a tripartite…

This is the second in a series of articles about creating and sustaining systemic transformational change in school districts. The first article described the "AECT FutureMinds: Transforming America's School Systems" initiative for helping state education agencies (SEAs) facilitate paradigm change in their school districts. This article describes…

The authors discuss the results of a study in which they investigated 68 university-level media education students' knowledge of Web 2.0 and their conceptions about its impact on media literacy. The main research finding was that the students argued firmly in favor of new media literacy. Their own use of Web 2.0 applications was, however, rather…

Educational technology integration in higher education consumes enormous resources but with little evidence of efficacy, due in large measure to lack of vision and a cohesive strategy. Instructors perceive formidable technical skills in undergraduate students, untapped in an instructional role, but this may be unfounded. This article proposes a…

Stories offer a powerful framework for engagement, reflection, and other important skills that young people need to learn. As digital media have expanded, so have the possibilities for creating stories. Here, several examples of those new possibilities are examined, examples that highlight student-produced online broadcasting initiatives,…

A wiki is a collaborative and highly interactive communication technology that enjoys worldwide fame in multi-user editing. It is based on specific design principles. Wiki has implications for both educational and instructional design as well as for general usage. As long as wiki is relatively cost-free, and users find value in its contents, it…

Issues associated with the preparation of engineering faculty to teach online courses are examined. This includes: the nature of online teaching, engineering course materials, training faculty to teach online, use of online resources, course development, and evaluation of online courses. Selection of faculty and providing adequate support are…

The rapid growth of technology has made online tools available for education. The ability to discern the characteristics of these tools and to use them appropriately for educational purposes has become increasingly critical. Weblogs and discussion forums are among those up-and-coming tools that have great potential in supporting learning. They…

Many universities are providing video content such as lectures on the Web. The trend away from strong restrictions on instructional content toward more open-access policies offers exciting possibilities for extending classrooms beyond the campus but also brings new management challenges. This article describes some of the opportunities and…

This article, the third in a series of four installments, begins by discussing the need for paradigm change in education and for a critical systems approach to paradigm change, and examines current progress toward paradigm change. Then it explores what a learner-centered, Information-Age educational system should be like, including the APA…

The great need for educational innovation goes beyond what educational research alone can provide. Educational design offers much potential, particularly in combination with research--as design research (research "on," "into," or "about" design), design-based research (research "through" design), research-enhanced design (research to "inform"…

Learning has changed dramatically, but learning measurement has not. Since we can only effectively manage what we can measure, how we measure learning must change. This article posits that fifty years after Kirkpatrick's work, it is time for new thinking about the measurement of learning to emerge. This article challenges learning and human…

The authors discuss topics appropriate for augmenting the ADDIE paradigm for instructional design. The topics selected are based on data from a study of working professionals who successfully completed an instructional design and technology certificate program and who identified related topics that they regarded as beneficial. The participants…

As a current and popular instructional technology, Personal Response Systems (PRS, or "clickers") are seen by many educators as a path to increased learner-instructor interactivity (especially in large-class settings) that produces learning outcomes superior to those achieved in technology-lean classrooms. While this expectation may appear…