States that engineers contribute tremendously to the changing face of the earth, and the ever more urgent call for languages, management, and law competencies for engineers is an expression of the need for a grounding in humanities. Discusses the role of humanities in engineering education in the context of world economics and the role of…

Artificial Intelligence for Technology, a distance learning course at the Open University, is based on a learning model that combines conceptualization, construction, and dialog. This allows a practical emphasis which has been difficult to implement in distance education. The course uses commercial software, real-world-based assignments, and a…

Describes initiatives such as project-based learning, student-generated examinations, and peer assessment that have been implemented at Queensland University of Technology to prepare graduates for professional practice and equip students with attributes for lifelong learning. Also states that assessment procedures should promote and reward the…

Part-time vocational engineering curricula aim to transform experienced higher technicians into engineering managers. This is done by making use of previous experience in working positions and adding training in new situations. Job training is combined with academic training through courses and activities at an academic institution. Describes ways…

Analyzes motivation in academia at a university in Argentina, taken as an example of a Latin American country, using a questionnaire containing the same 37 attitudinal statements used recently for a large university in the Arabian Gulf. Motivators in both universities are compared. Also describes the Spanish Intercampus program. (PVD)

As teacher education undergoes significant reform, open and distance education utilizing new interactive forms of technology will play a crucial role in improving the quality and extent of preservice and inservice teacher education. New assessments of costs and effectiveness are needed. The paper presents four case studies illustrating technology…

The Dutch government conducted a project to promote information and communication technology (ICT) use in education. To systematically gather data on ICT use in other countries, the government began a continuous survey of best practice ICT use in education via printed and electronic resources and site visits. The final report is available on the…

This annotated bibliography includes 140 entries with information on open and distance learning in teacher education worldwide. Listings range from well-known international journals to smaller, more localized newsletters. The bibliography provides a keyword index and a listing of relevant journals and newsletters. (SM)

Interviews with eight experienced teachers explored how they developed core beliefs about student learning and how the beliefs had changed. Results indicated that all of the teachers' current beliefs about learning resulted from development or change during their career. Most teachers learned cumulatively from experience. Development and change of…

Discusses Swedish student teachers' changing expectations about the roles of teachers and teacher education, emphasizing students' socialization processes and how teachers influence them. Examination of students at the beginning and end of preservice education indicated that most came into teaching without coherent beliefs and expectations.…

Two case studies from a Finnish university examined how innovative student teaching practicums and their contexts would affect student teachers' professional knowledge. Data from interviews with students, student reports, and student narratives indicated that the experience made them critically examine their often tacit assumptions and restructure…

Describes an approach to supporting student teacher belief change via self-regulation and metacognitive awareness. Study teams of Dutch student teachers worked in a self-regulated manner on problems they selected. When actively involved in inquiry-oriented and reflective learning and encouraged to discuss and exchange thoughts, they became…

Discusses a methodology for developing an environmental load balance which can be the means for conducting a life cycle inventory. The methodology described can be taught at the same level of chemical engineering fundamentals at which basic mass and energy balances are introduced. (DDR)

Describes how a fourth-year computing elective was introduced at Monash University in 1995 with the goal of allowing students to pursue their own computing interests in a project-based subject. The course demonstrates student-directed learning and the pride resulting from such ownership. Shows how the subject can use a wide range of resources…

Evaluates the importance of realism in the screen presentation of the plant in computer-based laboratory simulations for part-time engineering students. Concludes that simulations are less effective than actual laboratories but that realism minimizes the disadvantages. The schematic approach was preferred for ease of use. (AIM)