Volker Simmering shows how globalization influences the evolution of international standards and compares the roles of mandatory and voluntary standards. He investigates the problem of technological progress in networks and analyzes the resolution of conflicts within international standardization bodies. As a result, he suggests that policy intervention and the presence of adjacent institutional arrangements are likely to improve the performance of network markets, e.g. those for information technology and telecommunication.

Today many school students are shielded from one of the most important concepts in modern science: evolution. In engaging and conversational style, Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science provides a well-structured framework for understanding and teaching evolution. Written for teachers, parents, and community officials as well as scientists and educators, this book describes how evolution reveals both the great diversity and similarity among the Earth's organisms; it explores how scientists approach the question of evolution; and it illustrates the nature of science as a way of knowing about the natural world. In addition, the book provides answers to frequently asked questions to help readers understand many of the issues and misconceptions about evolution. The book includes sample activities for teaching about evolution and the nature of science. For example, the book includes activities that investigate fossil footprints and population growth that teachers of science can use to introduce principles of evolution. Background information, materials, and step-by-step presentations are provided for each activity. In addition, this volume: Presents the evidence for evolution, including how evolution can be observed today. Explains the nature of science through a variety of examples. Describes how science differs from other human endeavors and why evolution is one of the best avenues for helping students understand this distinction. Answers frequently asked questions about evolution. Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science builds on the 1996 National Science Education Standards released by the National Research Councilâ€"and offers detailed guidance on how to evaluate and choose instructional materials that support the standards. Comprehensive and practical, this book brings one of today's educational challenges into focus in a balanced and reasoned discussion. It will be of special interest to teachers of science, school administrators, and interested members of the community.

Mitigating climate change is one of the most profound challenges facing humankind. In industrialized countries, the residential housing sector produces roughly one-fourth of the greenhouse gas emissions. One solution to reduce these emissions is the availability of building codes that require high levels of energy efficiency. Given the current scientific knowledge, more research is needed to gain a proper systemic understanding of the underlying socio-economic and technical system. Such an understanding is crucial for developing high energy-efficiency standards because this system develops gradually over time and cannot be changed swiftly. This book creates a feedback-rich simulation model for analyzing the effects of different administrative policies on energy demand, the improvement of energy efficiency by means of building codes, and reductions in the greenhouse gas emissions. The dynamic model can contribute substantially to the discourse on energy policies and guide effective administrative interventions. The book will be a valuable resource for officials in the public energy administration, as well as researchers in the areas of innovation, diffusion processes, co-evolution, standardization, and simulation modelling.

Examines methods of developing and regulating compatibility standards in the ICT industry, assisting organisations in their application of the latest communications technologies in their business practices. This book serves as a compendium of the most recent research and development in this arena, providing readers with the insight necessary to take full advantage of a wide range of ICT solutions.

Defining the progression toward inquiry learning, this book provides an extensive overview of the past five decades and the evolution of inquiry in science, history, language arts, and information literacy studies. Information inquiry is a basic skill for those who examine information as a science, and its principles can be applied across the K-12 curriculum. Built around reflective reviews of more than two dozen articles from School Library (Media Activities) Monthly, this helpful book shows the evolution, adoption, and application of the inquiry learning process to the school library teaching/learning environment. Four levels of inquiry—controlled, guided, open, and free—are explored in association with the emerging national Common Core curriculum and the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner from the American Association of School Librarians. With the growing interest in the concept of inquiry and inquiry learning, you may find yourself needing to distinguish between the existing models and their applications. To help you do that, the book provides you with rich, historical context that clarifies the models, and it also projects future applications of inquiry and learner-centered teaching through school information literacy programs. These new applications, such as graphic inquiry, argumentation for inquiry, and the student as information scientist, offer tangible examples you can use to enrich the expanding information literacy curriculum.

This sourcebook contains more than twelve hundred easy-to-follow and implement classroom activities created and tested by veteran teachers from all over the country. The activities are arranged by grade level and are keyed to the revised National History Standards, so they can easily be matched to comparable state history standards. This volume offers teachers a treasury of ideas for bringing history alive in grades 5?12, carrying students far beyond their textbooks on active-learning voyages into the past while still meeting required learning content. It also incorporates the History Thinking Skills from the revised National History Standards as well as annotated lists of general and era-specific resources that will help teachers enrich their classes with CD-ROMs, audio-visual material, primary sources, art and music, and various print materials. Grades 5?12

Who should decide what children are taught in school? This question lies at the heart of the evolution-creation wars that have become a regular feature of the US political landscape. Ever since the 1925 Scopes 'monkey trial' many have argued that the people should decide by majority rule and through political institutions; others variously point to the federal courts, educational experts, or scientists as the ideal arbiter. Berkman and Plutzer illuminate who really controls the nation's classrooms. Based on their innovative survey of 926 high school biology teachers they show that the real power lies with individual educators who make critical decisions in their own classrooms. Broad teacher discretion sometimes leads to excellent instruction in evolution. But the authors also find evidence of strong creationist tendencies in America's public high schools. More generally, they find evidence of a systematic undermining of science and the scientific method in many classrooms.

Model-driven software development drastically alters the software development process, which is characterized by a high degree of innovation and productivity. Emerging Technologies for the Evolution and Maintenance of Software Models contains original academic work about current research and research projects related to all aspects affecting the maintenance, evolution, and reengineering (MER), as well as long-term management, of software models. The mission of this book is to present a comprehensive and central overview of new and emerging trends in software model research and to provide concrete results from ongoing developments in the field.