Describes the Online degree program at the University of Phoenix which recently graduated the first class of MBAs (Masters of Business Administration) to have obtained their degrees via this distance education program. Discussion of telecommunications includes descriptions of interactive group conferences and methods of measuring students'…

Discussion of the portability of educational software focuses on the software design and development process. Topics discussed include levels of portability; the user-computer dialog; software engineering principles; design techniques for student performance records; techniques of courseware programing; and suggestions for further research and…

Describes tracking tools used by designers and users to evaluate the efficacy of hypermedia systems. Highlights include human-computer interaction research; tracking tools and user-centered design; and three examples from the Interactive Multimedia Group at Cornell University that illustrate uses of various tracking tools. (27 references) (LRW)

Discusses the use of computers for teaching foreign languages and for research purposes. Highlights include the ability of computers to analyze data and transactions with or without interacting with the learner; the learner's acquisition of grammatical concepts; and changes in the discipline and in curriculum development that may result from…

Discusses pedagogical issues for intelligent agents to successfully serve as mentors for educational purposes. Examines broader issues about the nature or persona necessary for an intelligent agent as mentor, incorporating usability and human-computer interaction issues such as the anthropomorphic qualities of the agent and the social relationship…

This paper is grounded in a large-scale, nine-year research project intended to design, develop, evaluate, and transfer intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) to public schools and workforce development settings. Discussion includes the implementation model; roles and responsibilities of the project team; evaluation results of the tutoring systems;…

Some specific computer-based tools for collecting and examining audit trails, i.e., data that describe a learner's path through a computer-based instruction (CBI) lesson, are detailed. Data analysis and measurement issues related to audit trails are also discussed. A particular set of embedded computer-based tools currently being used at San Diego…

This paper examines the problem of automatic explanation of reasoning, or the ability of a program to discuss what it is doing in some understandable way, particularly as part of an expert system. An introduction presents a general framework in which to view explanation and reviews some of the research in this area. This is followed by a…

Because interaction is the only observable information people have about teaching processes, it follows that the primary aspect of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) is interaction, and that future work on domains or student models should be driven by the needs identified in the study of interaction. This paper begins by examining the idea of…

For this discussion, new technologies are defined as specially designed training systems based on microcomputers that incorporate high resolution color displays, special input devices for responses, laser videodiscs for storage of stimulus materials, and hard disk storage for programs and responses. Such systems have several advantages over…

The concept of a qualitative model is used as the focus of this review of qualitative student models in order to compare alternative computational models and to contrast domain requirements. The report is divided into eight sections: (1) Origins and Goals (adaptive instruction, qualitative models of processes, components of an artificial…

A computer-assisted simulation of the "chart method" of teaching has been developed and was used to provide instruction in clinical decision-making in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases. The course requires a student to reach and defend a diagnosis and to provide appropriate treatment for each of 10 simulated cases.…

A description of the Program Assembly and Monitored Execution for Learning Applications (PAMELA) is presented. It is intended for instructors who propose to use the system and for programers who wish to modify it. PAMELA is an interactive system designed to teach the operating principles of the IBM System/360 digital computer at the machine…

The overall organization of the Information System for Vocational Decisions (ISVD) script network is diagrammed and each component described: (1) systems scripts which help determine what part of the system the inquirer wants to use; (2) CAI scripts designed to teach the inquirer things related to career choice; (3) preference scripts which help…

This final report discusses certain parts of the successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses of the development of the Information System for Vocational Decisions (ISVD) in terms of their relevance to the issues within the area of computer-assisted instruction. A major focus is on the kinds of computer-assisted instruction that promote…