Virtual reality environments are becoming increasingly popular as educational tools, but it remains unclear when these environments enhance learning or when they are a distraction from the learning process. We compared two different methods for teaching ecological concepts about the rocky intertidal zone by comparing an experimental (virtual)…

Rather than presenting a cookbook recipe for how to evaluate computer assisted instruction (CAI), a number of queries relevant to the evaluation of CAI are presented and explicated. (1) Is it possible that CAI offers opportunities to reach cognitive instructional objectives to which users of conventional methods do not aspire? (2) Is it reasonable…

This speech assesses potential deterrents to the implementation of accountability in education. The author divides these deterrents into (1) philosophical-ideological; humanist-behaviorist conflicts, individuality versus "techno-urban fascism," and accountability systems tied to the achievement of cognitive objectives at the lower end of Bloom's…