Describes how a multimedia design team at Wayne State University (Michigan), working on an engineering-education project funded by the National Science Foundation, incorporated Kellers's ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) model into the design and development of a computer-based instructional module for a college engineering…

Clyde Virtual University, Scotland (CVU) is a test bed for exploring, developing and evaluating techniques for delivering learning materials, supporting collaborative learning and carrying out assessment over the Internet. CVU's first year of operation is reported on, in which an extensive educational Web site was designed and implemented.…

Based on a case study of the online component of a Computing Mathematics module at a local polytechnic in Singapore, this article provides a descriptive account of the development and employment of interactive learning objects to enhance the learning experiences of the students in the course. The experimented learning objects were branded as…

Text has traditionally been the mode used to convey information in educational settings, including workplace training. Unfortunately, printed materials have little to offer persons with reading difficulties. Text may be made easier to understand by using predictable structure, shorter sentences, and less demanding vocabulary; however, such…

Color monitors are in wide use in computer systems. Thus, it is important to understand how to apply color effectively in computer assisted instruction (CAI) and computer based training (CBT). Color can enhance learning, but it does not automatically do so. Indiscriminate application of color can mislead a student and thereby even interfere with…

In 1986, Columbia State Community College (CSCC) initiated the Center of Emphasis to develop interactive video and computer-assisted instruction programs for students. This charge included stimulating faculty interest in developing such programs and providing technical assistance in their production. Initially, center staff contacted faculty…

Third in a series of six monographs on the use of new technologies in the instruction of learning disabled students, the paper explores program design strategies for computer-based instructional materials. Section 1 summarizes ideas related to models of perception and cognition, theories of instruction, and key characteristics of intelligent…

When two biological simulations on evolution and genetics (one originally developed for a conventional university undergraduate course) were introduced into Open University distance education classes, the difficulties encountered required a reappraisal of the concept of using computer simulation for distance learning and decisions on which…

An Open University project was planned to develop a set of computer assisted learning (CAL) microcomputer programs for a second level, summer school physics course, scheduled to begin in 1982. Major project aims were the development of an underlying system to effectively use medium resolution graphics with a simple animation capability;…

This report describes the development of a Drexel University electrical and computer engineering course on digital filter design that used interactive computing and graphics, and was one of three courses in a senior-level sequence on digital signal processing (DSP). Interactive and digital analysis/design routines and the interconnection of these…

The paper describes a project designed to develop and implement a computer based system to be utilized in the design and analysis of vocabulary-controlled dictation material. The system is based on the use of the 1,500 most frequently used words in business communications (as established by Mellinger), and words are coordinated with the theory…

Describes the general elements of the National Plan for Microcomputers in Scottish schools, a plan devised by the Scottish Microelectronic Development Programme, which stresses national standardization of computer systems for compatibility of software and communication links and development of national software application packages. (MBR)

For social studies teachers who want to create their own software, authoring systems and authoring languages offer an interesting avenue to be explored. An authoring system available from Courseware, Inc., (California) and the authoring language PILOT available from Apple Computer (California) are described. (RM)

Many new technologies are now available for delivering and/or providing access to computer-based learning (CBL) materials. These technologies vary in sophistication in many important ways, depending upon the bandwidth that they provide, the interactivity that they offer and the types of end-user connectivity that they support.Invariably,…

Computer programming is a domain of knowledge that is generally considered difficult by students, many of whom experience low levels of achievement and become disillusioned. This paper suggests that cognitive load theory needs to be taken into account when designing instructional materials for this domain. The cognitive load that is experienced by…