The definition of education and learning has been changing in recent years, as the field experienced, and is still experiencing, many changes. One of those changes is a rise in adult learners in higher education. In order to cope with this particular change and set their classrooms up for success, it is vital for educators to be aware of and…

In order to demonstrate how course content can be adapted so that thinking skills are included in the learning experience, this paper uses a unit of study from theater history as a basis for examining how subject matter can be structured with learning objectives, a study guide, a hypothetical problem situation, instructions, and feedback. The…

Describes a study designed to demonstrate that child pedestrian training objectives may be identified systematically through various task analysis methods, making use of different types of empirical information. Early approaches to analysis of pedestrian tasks are reviewed, and an outline of the Traffic Research Centre's pedestrian task analysis…

The development of computer-based instruction will be greatly facilitated by the use of an effective and efficient design model. Five components of such a model are: (1) the objective; (2) the content; (3) the questions; (4) the boundaries; and (5) the entry skills. A good objective describes either something observable that learners do, the…

Delineates the differences between simulators and training devices, and discusses the possibility of inadequate training when simulators are used as training devices. Guidelines for appropriate training device development using a behavioral learning approach are presented. (13 references) (CLB)

Discusses four major elements of computer assisted instruction (CAI) program (instructional objectives; presentation, interaction, feedback); describes attributional consistency, which involves developing CAI programs so each major element has a common topography (e.g., to discriminate, describe, demonstrate, depict graphically); and presents…

Suggests programming structures of computer assisted instruction for teaching severely learning disabled students be related to an established educational model. Use of performance contoured programming (PCP), based upon behavioral model of precision teaching, is discussed and contrasted with cognitive programming approaches. PCP applications and…

Presents various ways to transform sustainable development rhetoric into individually recognizable alternatives that may contribute to achieving sustainable societies. Discusses geographic, historical, human-ecological, and simulation approaches and provides detailed examples of reorientation of current human activities toward a sustainable…

This paper examines recent trends in the establishment of state-level policies for the performance evaluation of experienced teachers. "Trends" are defined as the prevailing state-sanctioned currents of thinking that undergird teacher performance evaluation policies. The document includes a paper that reports on the specific nature of…

Presents evidence to establish that instructional technology applications often result in transfer of training failures, which are attributed to inappropriate mixing of behaviorist and cognitive instructional design models. Specific suggestions are made for instructional design prescriptions that support different levels of transfer for different…

Drawing on the exam responses from a graduate teacher education course, this paper analyzes four general difficulties teachers have in implementing inductive teaching methods. Based on Piaget's model of how children learn, inductive teaching is an instructional methodology that begins with concrete instances of a concept, and encourages learners…

Examines differences between needs assessment (process of determining the gap between what is and what should be) and task analysis (definition and classification of tasks to improve job performance), and discusses the human productivity model NEBEAT (Needs Education and Training Model), which defines competency as synthesis of processes and…

This paper suggests alternatives for assessing various types of learner outcomes, along with a procedure for deciding which method to use. Whatever the context--continuing education, training, business, or the professions--assessing learner outcomes involves a set of four steps. (1) The first step in designing an assessment is to determine its…

Two approaches to measurement for instructional decision making (specific subskill mastery measurement and general outcome measurement) are described and illustrated with case studies. The paper concludes that measuring general outcome indicators can bridge traditional and contemporary assessment paradigms to form an innovative approach to…

Research is reported on the cognitive mediational paradigm which postulates that teachers influence students' learning by causing them to think and behave in particular ways during teaching. Four studies are reported. The first describes five teachers and their students and explores, in classroom lessons, the cognitive processes students used in…