Research on expert performance suggests that deliberate practice provides optimal opportunities for expertise development. This study examined whether the provision of computer-based scaffolding (CBS) guiding deliberate practice facilitates students' development of writing expertise. A CBS environment "escribo" was designed to externally…

With advancement in information technology in the 21st century, e-learning has become an invaluable technology for teaching, learning and research in education. E-learning involves the use of technology to enhance learning including digital collaboration, satellite broadcasting, CD-ROMs amongst others. E-learning has so many advantages over the…

This article presents key steps in the design and analysis of a computer based problem-solving assessment featuring interactive tasks. The purpose of the assessment is to support targeted instruction for students by diagnosing strengths and weaknesses at different stages of problem-solving. The first focus of this article is the task piloting…

With rapid advances in the development of information technology, information access has become central to life in the 21st century. In recent years, the development of useful learning-assistance systems has become a popular topic in literature. Learners can benefit from guidance provided by a tool that assists learning when a student has trouble…

The ability to visualize student engagement and experience data provides valuable opportunities for learning support and curriculum design. With the rise of the use of learning analytics to provide "actionable intelligence" on students' learning, the challenge is to create visualizations of the data, which are clear and useful to the…

Discusses the design considerations and plans for a computer managed instruction (CMI) medical terminology course and describes the 12 CMI functions of the system. Three references are cited. (CHC)

Computer applications in South African schools are described in this five-paper collection of journal articles, which covers a range of projects from primary school and university elementary arithmetic to more sophisticated applications in physics, chemistry, and biochemistry. "Implementation of a System of Computer-Assisted Instruction in…

Examines computer-based learning (CBL) in the United Kingdom and suggests that CBL offers new educational approaches which teachers can use in combination with more familiar media. Also discussed are the problems of training large numbers of teachers in the use of the new computer techniques. Seven references are listed. (Author/MER)

A master program to manage instruction and generate the necessary control cards was designed to both teach thinking skills and assist the teacher in assessing the student's thought processes. Twelve references are cited. (MER)

This paper outlines and discusses four rationales for using computers in schools: (1) the social rationale, which states that it is necessary for children to become aware and unafraid of computers in order to prepare for life and work in an industrial society; (2) the vocational rationale, which states that children should learn computer…

This study identified differences in elementary school students' performance of arithmetic tasks using paper and pencil and computer-assisted instruction. Many were found to perform more poorly using the computer, while others showed the opposite tendency. These findings challenge the validity of decisions made by the computer-based management…

Presents a discussion of university role in an economically disadvantaged community in South Africa, and offers five recommendations on how to implement and maintain computer based instruction in a university outreach program. (MER)

This paper examines various uses of new technologies in open learning, including methods of electronic delivery and computer assisted and managed learning, and contrasts their specific applications in the areas of administration, delivery of materials, production of materials, student support, and presentation of the materials. New technologies…

This article examines the broad scope of systemised learning (e-learning) in post-statutory education. Issues for discussion include the origins and forms of learning systems, including technical and educational concepts and approaches, such as distributed and collaborative learning. The VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) is defined as the…

The purpose of this project is to investigate the potential of communication networks using electronic mail, computer conferencing, and electronic databases for education and training at a distance within the Open Univeristy system of Great Britain, although it would be applicable within other contexts. This report discusses (1) the rationale for…