Purpose -Many educators have advocated constructivist-based pedagogies as a way to develop the skills needed in knowledge societies. However, many countries have a tradition of instructivist-based practices, which rely on didactic lectures, rote memorization and high-stakes exams. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the reactions to constructivist-based pedagogy in instructivist-based learning cultures. Design/methodology/approach -The author employs a literature review to compare the philosophical and pedagogical differences between constructivism and instructivism, and proposes a conceptual model for introducing constructivist-based pedagogies into instructivist learning cultures. Findings -The needs of teachers, students, and institutions intersect during pedagogical innovations, which take place within national systems. The alignment between students' and teachers' educational philosophies, as well as an institutional system's resources, policy, and culture can bring conflict or congruence, as teachers, students, administrators and other stakeholders dismiss, adapt, ignore or celebrate the (mis)alignment. Originality/value -The model described in this paper is intended to serve as a guide for educators who are introducing innovative pedagogies in a variety of settings, and will continued to be validated through a design-research study in Oman.

While collaborative problem-solving has been suggested as a solution for linking classroom learning with workforce skills, it is still not entirely clear how personal, institutional, and national factors work together to influence student and teacher acceptance of this pedagogical strategy. Oman provides an appropriate case for exploring this intersection, as previously limited technology and an instructivist education tradition bump up against the demand for rapid educational improvement and economic development. This study focused on the cultural aspects that affect adoption of a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) environment, and how adaptations appeared in the students, the teacher, and the course. An education design research methodology was used to examine how students react to the CSCL framework and tools.

The increased reliance on online education and educational technologies more generally has laid bare the need to more deeply consider how researchers, designers, and educators can improve the quality of technology-mediated learning. To address this need, more than two dozen experts from a variety of fields came together to discuss the challenges that educational technology must address in the immediate future. These experts were tasked with identifying barriers to and potential solutions for delivering highquality and equitable online and remote education. This article examines the themes and topics that emerged from these discussions and proposes a Collaborative Framework for Accelerating Online Education. This framework highlights the need for rapid experimentation within larger design cycles as well as the coordination and cooperation of multiple stakeholders across all phases of research and development. The themes, topics, and framework that emerged from this work serve as a call to action for innovative approaches to developing and studying online education.

The perspective of self-directed and self-regulated learning as a generalized skill discounts the fact that a major driver of self-direction is an individual's motives centered on communities of practice. Effective design of learning experiences that foster agency, self-direction, and curiosity requires a clearer understanding of this relationship. Activity theory provides a helpful model for explaining the internal and external interactions of learning, both individually and within a community. Without this perspective, educators too often blame learners as failing to have self-regulation when in reality these learners are working under a different set of goals, roles, rules, or tools than those of the learning designer. Using this framework, this theoretical overview will demonstrate ways an immersive adult technology training academy helps support novices striving to enter technology-related careers, as they develop the identity, skills, and self-regulation of coding, data, and design professions.

for-profit trade schools-on average, $13,000 in 2008/09-are less than at private nonprofit institutions but still twice as much as the tuition and fees charged at public four-year colleges and universities, which average $6,600 in 2008/09.By contrast, federally guaranteed loans and direct-loan volume have only marginally been affected by recent events. In fact, Congress this year took steps to ensure the continued availability of federal capital so that students could be assured that loans will be available next year and the following year. Home-Equity Lines of CreditWith the rapid increase in tuition over the past quarter century and the even more rapid growth in housing prices over the past decade, lines of credit based on the value of a family's home equity have become an increasingly popular way for many American parents to pay for college. Under this arrangement, parents can borrow against the portion of the value of their home that exceeds what they owe on it. Also, those using home equity lines of credit qualify to take tax deductions on the interest they pay on these lines of credit under current tax rules. Although precise data are not available, a reasonable estimate is that this form of finance provides perhaps $10 billion dollars in loans used to help pay expenses related to higher education.But the current financial crisis is likely to put a real squeeze on this popular source of student finances. Many banks are simply reluctant to lend in a market where the value of houses-the collateral for these loans-has dropped sharply, making this form of financing much more problematic. It is reasonable to assume that the amount available through this source to help parents pay for college also will drop sharply in coming years, at least by one-quarter and perhaps by as much as half. Drawing on SavingsBecause of the high and growing prices for higher education in the United States, parents increasingly realize they must save while their children are young in order to pay for at least some of their college costs. This saving takes many forms including investing directly in stocks and bonds and through participation in mutual funds, retirement accounts, and pension funds. The use of savings for college in the United States has further expanded through the enactment of a series of provisions that extend tax benefits for savings allocated into designated college savings accounts. But the recent loss in stock market values of more than one-third from previous highs could have a huge negative impact on the ability of many parents to pay the high prices of college in the United States.As in the case of home equity lines of credit, the amount of savings used to pay for college has expanded sharply in recent decades. The next year or two will be marked by re-evaluations of how family savings will be used in the future to pay for college. A reasonable surmise is that the changing financial situation will have a greater impact on where students go to school than whether they continue their educational career at the post...