This study focuses on the various playful uses of language that occurred during a semester-long study of two German language courses using one type of synchronous network-based medium, the MOO. Research and use of synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) have flourished in the study of second-language acquisition (SLA) since the late…

The IMMEX (Interactive Multi-Media Exercises) Web-based problem set platform enables the online delivery of complex, multimedia simulations, the rapid collection of student performance data, and has already been used in several genetic simulations. The next step is the use of these data to understand and improve student learning in a formative…

Our primary goal is to design a micro world which aspires to research thinking-in-change about distribution. Our premise, in line with a constructivist approach and our prior research, is that thinking about distribution must develop from causal meanings already established. This study reports on a design research study of how students appear to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how exposure to classroom instruction affected the use of a computer simulation that was designed to provide students an opportunity to apply material presented in class. The study involved an analysis of a computer-based crisis communication case study designed for a college-level public relations…

Spatial abilities are fundamental to human functioning in the physical world. Spatial reasoning allows people to use concepts of shape, features, and relationships in both concrete and abstract ways, to make and use things in the world, to navigate, and to communicate. Surgeons, pilots, architects, engineers, mechanics, builders, farmers, trades…

This article discusses the relationship between procedural and conceptual problem solving in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment designed within the field of science education. The contribution of this article, and our understanding of this phenomenon, is anchored in our socio-cultural interpretation, and that implies…

This document contains two papers on aviation education. "Chief Pilots of Regional Airlines Perceive Basic Instrument Skills as Most Important with Respect to Need for Additional Training of Entry-Level Pilots" (William C. Herrick) reports the results of a study in which 126 (of a population of 197) randomly selected regional airlines' chief…

The third of four symposium papers argues that, if instructional methods are to improve learning, they must have two aspects: a direct trace to a specific learning process, and empirical support that demonstrates their significance. Focusing on the tracing process, the paper presents an information processing model of learning that can be used by…

Advanced Education Projects (AEPs) are a series of multidisciplinary, advanced experiments in educational computing supported by IBM and currently in progress at 19 leading universities. Each AEP has established a series of curricular experiments to explore the use of workstations and network technologies as part of the instructional process. The…

The introduction of computers in the Department of Accounting and Finance at Manchester University is described. General background outlining the increasing need for microcomputers in the accounting curriculum (including financial modelling tools and decision support systems such as linear programming, statistical packages, and simulation) is…

Several research and design issues to be considered when creating educational software were identified by a field test evaluation of three types of innovative software created at Bank Street College: (1) Probe, software for measuring and graphing temperature data; (2) Rescue Mission, a navigation game that illustrates the computer's use for…

Item analysis data fitting the normal ogive model were simulated in order to investigate the problems encountered when applying the three-parameter logistic model. Binary item tests containing 10 and 35 items were created, and Monte Carlo methods simulated the responses of 2,000 and 500 examinees. Item parameters were obtained using Logist 5.…

The application of computer technology in education is a relatively new approach that is trying to justify inclusion in the Kenyan school curriculum. Being abstract, with a dynamic nature that does not manifest itself visibly, the process of cell division has posed difficulties for teachers. Consequently, a computer simulation program, using…

Reports on an experiment which used computer games to increase the efficiency of information processing and concentration skills among learning disabled (LD) children. Results showed that computer games presented within the framework of self-verbalization procedures and peer-interaction facilitated the information processing of LD children.…

This study investigated the effectiveness of computer simulations for enhancing the problem solving skills of high school students. Summaries of three related studies are presented. Results indicate that the computerized simulations enabled students to master the objectives of a biology course as effectively as traditional methods. (ML)