Summarizes the results of five studies dealing with screen design for computer-based instruction (CBI) and provides suggestions for their application as well as future directions for research. Chunking, text density, and screen density are discussed as variables in screen design, and current research is described. (33 references) (LRW)

This essay offers an analysis of PowerPoint apart from the histrionics of the "'Tis and 'Taint" arguments about its value, and proposes a program of research to move forward our understanding of PowerPoint as an inscriptional system. To that end, the study begins with a discussion of PowerPoint as an inscriptional system that employs both…

Discusses the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and describes intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). Knowledge representation and AI are discussed; differences between ITSs and traditional computer-assisted learning (CAL) are explained; and research that has contributed to ITSs from the fields of education, psychology, cognitive…

The role pictures and graphics can play in making Telidon, a Canadian home information retrieval videotex service, a viable communications medium is discussed. This report concentrates on contributions of theories of perception and cognition to knowledge of how different kinds of visual images can most effectively be used on Telidon. The issues of…

This examination of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) covers early predictions concerning CAI, the variables that have been addressed by CAI research, guidance in identifying the effectiveness of CAI, and future directions for CAI in education. (MER)

Reviews what has been learned about the use of motivational and informational feedback in traditional instruction, examines how this knowledge may be useful in the design of feedback for computer-based instruction (CBI), and discusses the relationship between feedback and learning outcomes. Further research needs are suggested. (13 references)…

Discusses conceptual differences between electronic and printed texts using a literature review that categorizes studies as convergent (i.e., electronic text as conceptually the same as printed text) or divergent (i.e., electronic text as conceptually different.) Four differences based on theoretical positions and findings from divergent studies…

One of a series offering practical advice and information on distance teaching, this broadsheet first looks at the reasons for trying to measure distance teaching costs and the methodological and economic difficulties involved in such measurements. Broadcasting and print costs in distance teaching are discussed, and evidence about the costs of…

This study examined problem solving as a function of display type (table/graph) and numeric function (linear/nonlinear) in four problem solving domains. Twenty-two stimulus problems were developed, and line graph and table displays were constructed for each problem. Half of the displays contained linear numeric functions and the other half…

Students at the University of Mississippi were surveyed to compare the usefulness of two types of workbooks in a library/freshman English bibliographic instruction program. The workbook used in the first year of the study required short answers to reference questions; the revised workbook, used the second year, required answers related to term…

The results of research on the amount of information retained by television viewers from weather broadcasts suggest that audiences retain little information on weather conditions even though they are interested in it, and that more information is retained when the report is presented via the spoken word than with extensive use of visuals. An…

Describes characteristics of distance education which promote lifelong learning, and introduces criteria for promoting lifelong learning in traditional university instructional settings. Topics discussed include the role of distance learning in higher education, teaching methods and learning strategies for both types of instruction, and Faure's…

Argues that television has unique educational characteristics that separate it from other media and have implications for teaching and learning. Discussion of distributional and social, control, and symbolic (audiovisual) characteristics is based on published surveys and on research carried out at the Open University. Thirteen references are…

Describes a meta-analysis that indicated a slight student preference for a traditional educational format over a distance education format in higher education, and little difference in satisfaction levels, even when considering presence and type of interaction. Discusses meta-analysis as a method for synthesizing literature. (Contains 53…

Discusses research on the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) and proposes computer modeling as a tool to redirect CBI research toward more theoretically relevant and prescriptive research. Limitations of media comparison studies and media replication studies are described, and computer modeling in CBI research is reviewed. (48…