One educational fad in higher education is the movement toward "facilitation." College teachers are asked to identify themselves as either a facilitator or teacher. With the introduction of facilitation, the assumption was made that current teaching practices were lacking. Traditional teaching practices are described as strictly transmission…

This article discusses a project that placed over 97% of Mars' topography made available from NASA into an interactive 3D multi-user online learning environment beginning in 2003. In 2005 curriculum materials that were created to support middle school math and science education were developed. Research conducted at the University of North Texas…

Both virtual and physical manipulatives are reported as effective learning tools when used with different groups of students in a variety of contexts to learn mathematical content. The use of multiple representations and the flexibility to translate among those representational forms facilitates students' learning and has the potential to deepen…

This review investigates the use of certain types of interaction in mathematics education. These types include interaction between students, interaction between teacher and students, and interaction between students and learning technology. Student-technology interactions are explained by computer programs that use problem-solving strategies and…

This study assessed the effectiveness of computer-based biomolecular visualization activities on the development of high school biology students' representational competence as a means of understanding and visualizing protein structure/function relationships. Also assessed were students' attitudes toward these activities. Sixty-nine students…

This report summarizes findings on strategies chosen by students (n=38) when solving algebra problems related to various functions with the freedom to use a TI-83 graphing calculator, influences on student problem-solving strategy choices, student ability to approach algebra problems with use of multiple representations, and student beliefs on how…

An online homework system created for use by beginning calculus students is described. This system was designed with the specific goal of supporting student engagement outside of class by replicating the attempt-feedback-reattempt sequence of events which often occurs in a teacher's presence. Evidence is presented which indicates that this goal…

This article reports on a research effort that investigated whether the use of Microcomputer-Based Labs (MBLs), implemented within an inquiry-based activity sequence on phase transformations (melting and freezing), contributes to the development of fourth grade (9-10 year-old) students' conceptual understanding and ability to construct and…

Inequalities are considered among the most useful tools of investigation in pure and applied mathematics; yet their didactical aspects have not received much attention in mathematics education research until recently. An important aspect of teaching problem solving at the secondary level deals with the notion of equivalence of algebraic…

Algebra has been identified as the foundational course for all other mathematics courses. Yet, research has shown that African-American students are low achievers in all strands of mathematics (NCES, 2001). Computers, on the other hand, have been marketed as an instructional tool to teach and reinforce classroom instructions. This study…

This work examines the Israeli National Informatics-Computer Science (CS) Olympiad from the perspective of diversity. A conspicuous phenomena in this olympiad (as well as in other science olympiads) is that very few females participate in the national competition, and none has ever represented the country in any international competition. When…

The main aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of the competency-based web learning material (CBWLM) on the self-directed learning aptitude (SDLA) of college students. Specifically, it seeks to investigate, statistically, the changes in SDLAs at different stages of competency-based web learning (CBWL) over an eight-week period. The sample of…

This article reports the findings of Phase II of our study of student use of web-based tutorial materials for general chemistry and student understanding of chemistry concepts. We have found that students who use the web site valued the aspects of visualization of chemistry concepts and availability of materials online. In our analysis of student…

A learning object is an interactive web-based tool that supports learning by enhancing, amplifying, and guiding the cognitive processes of a learner. To date, no formal research has been done on the use of learning objects in secondary school science classrooms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of learning objects developed for…

This case study investigated the impact of a spreadsheet (EXCEL) exploration on the understanding of statistical graphs among twenty Singapore secondary school students of average ability. Four EXCEL templates were constructed to allow students to explore four aspects of statistical graphs: zero in scale, effect of different scales, size…