Critical analysis of contending theories of international relations. Focus is on alternative theoretical assumptions, different analytical structures, and a common core of concepts and content. Comparative analysis of realism(s), liberalism(s), institutionalism(s), and new emergent theories. Discussion of connections between theories of international relations and major changes in international relations.

An advanced instructional design course for masters students. Targeted for preparation for jobs in higher education, in particular. Topics included backward design, problem-based learning, e-learning, learning management systems (moodle), multimedia learning, etc.

Educational psychologists work to understand how to structure educational systems in order to meet the mental and emotional needs of students. They study how people learn, identify and suggest efficient teaching methods, and evaluate the effectiveness of various educational policies and practices. Educational psychologists often point out the inherently social nature of our current educational system, study the ways that learning environments affect education, and study the ways that societal, local, and family issues affect learning and classroom practice. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: explain why knowledge of psychology is important to effective teaching; discuss, compare, and contrast cognitive and behavioral psychology; discuss, compare, and contrast constructivist and behaviorist models of teaching and learning, as well as their applications in classroom management; identify important cognitive stages of development, the typical age range of each stage, and the ways that teachers can use that knowledge; identify important aspects of personal, emotional, and moral development, and ways that teachers can use that knowledge; identify diversity in terms of differences in learning styles, intelligence, cultures, and gender, as well as specific abilities and disabilities, that a modern classroom might need to accommodate; discuss theories of motivation and defend those you would use in your classroom; discuss classroom management strategies that smooth the learning process and prevent or deal with misbehavior, and defend those strategies you would use in your classroom; identify communication skills that enhance learning, management, and coordination with students' families; identify strategies for enhancing students' ability to use complex cognitive skills; identify the major parts of a lesson or unit plan; identify and discuss types of teacher-made assessments; discuss the uses of and issues surrounding standardized testing; identify and discuss factors that influence job satisfaction in a teaching career. (Psychology 303)

I started this book in 2001 with a core group of doctoral students. The initial version included 12 chapters with no animations and very few images. Each semester, I ask my current students who are using this book as their required text in my class to improve on the book by either making animations, recorded presentations, graphics, editing, or various other contributions (there is no such thing as a completely free book!). It has been in HTML until May 2007 when we converted it to this Wiki. I continue to provide this book to the academic community free of charge, but now I would like all of you to contribute back by helping me to continually improve the book.

Dr. Farideh Mashayekh contribution to the "OSS and OER in Education Series." In this post, she shares share some of her thoughts about the importance and nature of adult learning in a knowledge society, opening ample opportunities for the rest of us to connect these topics with open source software and open educational resources.

This activity will allow the student to look at real-time satellite, radar, and derived imagery to study the growth and development of thunderstorms.

Despite much publicity surrounding the use of computer games in education, most applications have involved either expensive games for high-end users or force-fitting of commercial games to the academic environment. There have been few controlled studies to find the ‘active ingredients’, let alone account for placebo. The success of non-games such as The Sims and Second Life suggests that it is the virtual world interactivity rather than game elements which is creating the addictive interest.

What is well-established, however, is a demand for learning objects which can be dis-aggregated, customised, and adapted to curricula, rather than vice-versa. The theme is ‘make your own resource’. This requires low cost resources with flexibility, attractiveness, and a quick learning curve. Such materials have been sitting under our noses for some years in the form of the later additions to spreadsheets. The venerable spreadsheet can now serve as a presentation (ie- like PowerPoint) storyboard, quasi-animation tool, and game hub.

This presentation draws together the recent advances in Control Box form tools, clip art human characters, special fonts, and modified Charts (ie- graphs) to produce the look and feel of virtual worlds without special programming, macro’s, or plug-ins.

This course explores how identities, whether of individuals or groups, are produced, maintained, and transformed. Students will be introduced to various theoretical perspectives that deal with identity formation, including constructions of "the normal." We will explore the utility of these perspectives for understanding identity components such as gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, language, social class, and bodily difference. By semester's end students will understand better how an individual can be at once cause and consequence of society, a unique agent of social action as well as a social product.

This site contains photographs of 22 igneous rock hand samples. Clicking on an image brings up a larger view of the sample. In addition, links to thin sections are available for some of the samples. Thin sections can be seen in both crossed polarized light and plane polarized light by moving the cursor on and off the photomicrograph. This resource is part of the Teaching Petrology collection. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/petrology03/index.html

This course seeks to provide a basic understanding of foreign affairs and the fundamental principles of international relations within a political science framework. It will examine the theories of realism and liberalism, which will serve as the foundation for more advanced study in international relations and help students develop the critical thinking skills needed in order to analyze conflicts between states. Additionally, the course will explore issues that relate to the politics of global welfare, such as war, world poverty, disease, trade policy, environmental concerns, human rights, terrorism, the global distribution of wealth, the concept of the balance of power, and what happens in the international system when the balance of power collapses. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Discuss and explain the various analytical and theoretical positions used in the subfield of international relations to explain world politics; Delineate the historical development of interstate relations and the place of the nation state in that development; Describe specific issues that have relevance to the study of interstate relations, national security, war, economic integration, trade, and so forth; Describe the differences between national and transnational actors in the international arena, both public and private; Distinguish between the three levels of analysis of the international system: individual, domestic, and global; Discuss the role of national power and diplomacy in international relations; Discuss the nature and development of international organizations; Identify and discuss major issues associated with international law and morality; Identify and discuss major issues of the international economy; Identify and discuss major issues related to human rights; Identify and discuss global environmental issues; Discuss the economic relationship between the North and South. (Political Science 211)

"This course explores the design of innovative educational technologies and creative learning environments, drawing on specific case studies such as the LEGO® Programmable Brick, Scratch software and Computer Clubhouse after-school learning centers. Includes activities with new educational technologies, reflections on learning experiences, and discussion of strategies and principles underlying the design of new tools and activities."