Faculty Development.Faculty Performance.

Ethical leadership.

Quality Matters, online education assessment.

Teaching mindfulness, learning mindfulness.

Enhancing networking and proactive learning skills in the first year university experience through the use of wikis

Feminism Wiki

Employing my research and practical experience in the field of educational psychology, with a specialty in instructional design and technology, I would like to reflect on the theoretical foundations of instructional design. My purpose is to show the growth of the field through theories associated with learning psychology and educational technology. Both human psychology and technology are the main foundations for instructional psychology. Evaluation and assessment continue to be integral to the field but more in the form of tools. Included is my view of the field in reference to work I and my colleagues have done in what we label as a linking theory of instructional design. That is, linking learning theory directly with research findings and practice I argue that educators need to clearly propose and define their own theoretical foundations when engaging in the design of effective learning environments...

In psychology and education, learning is commonly defined as a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in one's knowledge, skills, values, and world views (Illeris, 2000; Ormorod, 1995). Learning as a process focuses on what happens when the learning takes place. Explanations of what happens constitute learning theories. A learning theory is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn, thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning theories have two chief values according to Hill (2002). One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems. The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solutions. There are three main categories or philosophical frameworks under which learning theories fall: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism focuses only on the objectively observable aspects of learning. Cognitive theories look beyond behavior to explain brain-based learning. And constructivism views learning as a process in which the learner actively constructs or builds new ideas or concepts.

By now, you should understand how to conduct a needs assessment and goal analysis, in order to determine the barrier to the optimum performance of your learner. Regardless of what kind of barrier you are dealing with, you, as the Instructional Designer, need to be able to put yourself in the learner's shoes. These three theories are used in the field of Instructional Design as guidelines for understanding how to develop instruction that will be most effective for the learner.

Objectivism vs Constructivism. Prince George's Community College, Largo, Maryland.

Because many Instructional Design models have their origin's in objectivist conceptions of Education, Instructional Designers all to often focus on observable behaviors. Knowledge, of course, is central to education, and learning should not be forgotten. The purpose of this paper is threefold; it is to examine the historical context of the current philosophical debate in Education, to discuss the relationship of knowledge to Instructional Design, and to discuss other ways of conceiving of the Instructional Design process.

There are as many theories in sociology as in other disciplines such as psychology, physics, biology or political science. Complicating things for students, sociological theories that explain phenomena of interest in specialized areas of study are often mistaken for theories originating from those areas. I have produced a list of possible theory types and "popular" theories from sociology to help you start looking for possible sociological theories to apply to your paper topic. This list is not comprehensive nor are you limited to it. Some of these theories are in your textbook and some are not. But keep in mind, the easiest way to identify a theory to apply in your paper is to review sociological books that address the subject of your paper - a good source will offer several!

The Galilean Library is a community-driven learning resource and forum community, named after the famous Florentine Galileo Galilei and inspired by the sheer scope, influence and consequences of his work. Its aim is to provide a venue for people to meet and discuss to help one another learn and develop together. The site includes a resource library of essays and interviews, and is based on the conviction that people should have access to learning and education, together with the opportunity to study and discuss things with others, even if they do not have...

The issue of quality is becoming front and centre as online distance education moves into the mainstream of higher education. Many believe collaborative course development is the best way to design quality online courses. This research uses a case study approach to probe into the collaborative course development process and the implementation of quality standards at a Canadian university. Four cases are presented to discuss the effects of the faculty member/instructional designer relationship on course quality, as well as the issues surrounding the use of quality standards as a development tool. Findings from the study indicate that the extent of collaboration depends on the degree of course development and revision required, the nature of the established relationship between the faculty member and designer, and the level of experience of the faculty member. Recommendations for the effective use of quality standards using collaborative development processes are provided.

This instructional design knowledge base was compiled by Associate Professor, Nada Dabbagh, for the Instructional Technology Program at George Mason University.Dr. Dabbagh teaches graduate courses in Instructional Design, Applied Learning Theory, and E-Learning Design and Pedagogy. Her professional area of expertise is Instructional Design and Development. Her main research interests are: Task structuring in online learning environments, Problem generation and representation in hypermedia learning environments, and Supporting student self-regulation in distributed learning environments.

Teaching and Learning Guide for: On the Relationship between Social Capital and Individualism-Collectivism. Both social capital and individualism-collectivism (IC) have been, and still are, popular and well-researched constructs in social sciences. Many theorists have argued that individualism poses a threat to social cohesion and communal association. Other researchers believe that growth of individuality, autonomy and self-sufficiency are necessary conditions for the development of social solidarity and cooperation. Recent research suggests that countries with higher level of social capital (where people believe that most people can be trusted) are also more individualistic, emphasizing the importance of independence, personal accomplishments and freedom to choose one's own goals. In societies where trust is limited to the nuclear family or kinship alone, people have lower levels of social capital. Social capital increases as the radius of trust widens to encompass a larger number of people and social networks, bridging the 'gap' between the family and state.

Self-concept, self-esteem, gender, race and information technology use.

New Challenges for Universities: Why They Must Change. This chapter identifies the critical motivations and dimensions for change in today's universities. While the introduction of technology into teaching, learning, and research makes the necessity of change apparent, it is neither the only reason nor the only area in which universities will have to adopt new organizational models. The following questions are considered: what is the function of universities in today's societies? how can technology help the transfer to viable new futures of universities? why is the old culture of teaching and learning failing? what new forms of teaching and learning are needed for the twenty-first century? what is the prevailing culture of universities and why does this prevent necessary changes? how can the necessary changes be brought about?

Adult learning in free-choice, environmental settings: What makes it different? Environmental learning in adults is a continuous, lifelong process. Institutions focused on environmental learning need to channel a portion of their effort into a better understanding of how people learn.

Centering Marxist-Feminist Theory in Adult Learning. Using feminist extensions of Marxist theory, this article argues that a Marxist-feminist theory of adult learning offers a significant contribution to feminist pedagogical debates concerning the nature of experience and learning. From this theoretical perspective, the individual and the social are understood to exist in a mutually determining relationship, with a social world conceptualized as active human practice. The primary theoretical task is then to rearticulate the central relations of adult learning theory (the individual, the social, and experience), which necessitates a dialectical formation of social difference and oppression. This allows for an examination of the reification of experience as a core relation of adult learning theory and a reimagining of feminist praxis.