This report is a guide for the maintainer or developer of the computerized comprehensibility system (CCS), a system that uses techniques and results from artificial intelligence and cognitive psychology to critique the comprehensibility of a technical document. The purpose of this report is to allow the qualified programmer to rapidly understand…

One of today's most promising and least costly interactive distance learning systems is audiographics--the combined use of voice transmission, computer networking, and telefax transfer of materials. This handbook is a guide for educators interested in developing an audiographics program. Section I looks at reasons why both rural and urban…

The purpose of this study was to write a computer program that would not only output a color pattern weave to a cathode ray tube (CRT), but would also analyze a painted design and output a printed diagram that would show how to set up a loom in order to produce the woven design. The first of seven chapters describes the problem and the intent of…

Citing several reasons why computers offer the potential to enhance instruction, this paper suggests that the teaching of thinking skills should be integrated into various subject areas by using software programs that involve the use of the skills required in the particular subject area. To illustrate this matching strategy, three software…

Citations in this annotated bibliography were selected from the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) indexes, Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE), and Resources in Education (RIE). Titles include: (1) "Computer Applications in the Library Media Center: An Introduction to Electronic Spreadsheets" (Keith E. Bernhard);…

Idea processors are computer programs that can aid the user in creating outlines by allowing the user to move, reorder, renumber, expand upon, or delete entries with a push of a button. The question is whether these programs are useful and should be offered to students. Theoretically, an idea processor prioritizes ideas by placing them in a…

Intended for administrators and policy makers as well as teachers, this digest identifies for prospective purchasers various sources that offer reviews of educational computer software for English and the language arts. Following an introduction, the first section of the digest discusses content-specific as well as general educational computing…

Intended for administrators and policy makers as well as teachers, this digest offers selection strategies for consumers of English/language arts computer software. Following the introduction, the digest discusses initial considerations when evaluating software, including examining both the accompanying documentation and the actual program. It…

A computer program is given which will generate a list of descriptions of the items to which a student has responded incorrectly on the Keymath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test. It is designed for the TRS-80, Model III, with two disk drives. The documentation lists all required materials, describes the six options and how to use them, indicates the…

Designed to assist evaluators in selecting the appropriate software for the generation of various data collection instruments, this guide discusses such key program characteristics as text entry, item storage and manipulation, item retrieval, and printing. Some characteristics of a good instrument generation program are discussed; these include…

Graphing is a common and powerful symbol system for representing concrete data. Yet research has shown that students often have graphical misconceptions about how graphs are related to the concrete event. Currently, the Technical Education Research Center (TERC) is developing microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) science units that use probes to…

Because increased need for child protective services exceeded the Texas Department of Human Services' capacity for timely response, a 2-year Case Decision Project was implemented with the aim of applying automation to parts of the case investigation process. The project produced a Case Investigation Decision Support System with two sections: a…

The capabilities and hardware requirements of four microcomputer software packages produced by the Office of Educational Testing, Research and Service at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are described. These programs are: (1) the Scan-Tron Forms Analysis Package Version 2.0, an interface between an IBM-compatible and a Scan-Tron…

Integrating computer-based learning tools into the curriculum has been slow, and the results of actual usage have been inconclusive; however, the potential for effective instruction should increase use by teachers and students. This ERIC Digest discusses three topics: (1) computer use in the classroom; (2) what is known about the effects of…

This digest discusses advantages and disadvantages of CD-ROM use in libraries and information centers and lists features of three CD-ROM versions of the ERIC database--Dialog OnDisc ERIC, OCLC Search CD450, and SilverPlatter ERIC. Brief descriptions of these products focus on the differences among them, including equipment requirements, search…