Some of the elements instructional designers must consider when designing screens for computer based instruction (CBI) include legibility, readability, and particularly font size. The purpose of this study was to determine which size font is most effective for CBI. Participants were 163 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an…

This paper describes the intelligent advisor system, named CODAMA, used in teaching a university-level systems analysis and design course. The paper discusses: (1) the use of CODAMA to assist students to transfer theoretical knowledge to the practical; (2) details of how CODAMA is applied in conjunction with a computer-aided software engineering…

The University of Canberra (Australia) has made courseware on the subject of computer operating systems available on the World Wide Web for a number of years, using a very simple hypertext format. Server logs have previously been analyzed to determine the amount of student usage. This paper reports on a restructuring of the courseware designed to…

This paper presents alternative ways microcomputers can be utilized in the educational process. These uses are: (1) learning from, with, and about computers; (2) learning about thinking with computers; and (3) managing learning with computers. Each of these uses is discussed as to its applicability to current educational practice and possibilities…

As part of an investigation of the effectiveness of a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activity in developing students' graphing skills, this study was specifically designed to examine the differences between females and males in both performance on graphing tasks and on their attitudes to graphs and graph-based activities. Results based on a…

This document provides guidelines for the preparation of school district plans for implementation of the microcomputer instructional programs recommended for Arkansas high schools. Introductory materials include a history and description of the Instructional Microcomputer Project for Arkansas Classrooms (IMPAC), results of a state-wide…

Student use of microcomputer databases in social studies is discussed. Databases give students and teachers an opportunity to get involved in information storage, retrieval, and analysis. In the process, students develop skills of inquiry, problem-solving, and critical thinking, as well as many of the basic skills needed not only in social studies…

Thirteen papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented on media and technology. They include: "Making the Abstract Concrete: A Slide/Sound Programme to Illustrate Abstract Concepts on the Concrete Level" (Grace Reeler); "The Microcomputer and Distance Education" (Johanna S.…

Turtle graphics is a popular vehicle for introducing children to computer programming. Children combine simple graphic commands to get a display screen cursor (called a turtle) to draw designs on the screen. The purpose of this study was to examine young children's abilities to function in a simple computer programming environment. Four- and…

This document is a quarterly report of the Educational Products Information Exchange (EPIE) Institute, a not-for-profit, consumer-supported agency. This issue is divided into two major sections, Microcomputer Courseware and Microprocessor Games. The first major section is divided into two parts. Part 1, Defining Effective Microcomputer Courseware…

Designated as Appendices C-G, the five reports in this collection complete the final report of a survey of 239 minority colleges and universities which was conducted to determine both the current status and the desired status of instructional computing at these schools. The executive summary (see related document) includes Appendices A and…

The Canadian Department of Education developed this manual to provide teachers and administrators with information about the potential use of computers. Part I describes at length the five components of the computer input, output, storage, control, and arithmetic/logic functions) and gives a discussion of computer languages, programing, batch…

The PLATO IV computer-based educational system contains its own communications hardware and software for operating plasma-panel graphics terminals. Key echoing is performed by the central processing unit: every key pressed at a terminal passes through the entire system before anything appears on the terminal's screen. Each terminal is guaranteed…

The nine-year history of the Computer Assisted Instruction Laboratory, College of Education, Pennsylvania State University, is traced. Some 30 projects in curriculum development in teacher education, public school classes, and adult vocational education are described, along with several advances in computer-assisted instruction (CAI).…

A translated Soviet document describes some theories of learning, and the practical problems of developing a teaching machine--as taught in an Industrial Electronics course (in the automation and telemechanics curriculum). The point is stressed that the growing number of students at institutions of higher learning in the Soviet Union, up forty…