Synthesizes information that is available on software evaluation and provides a software evaluation checklist to help educators examine software based on linguistic and pedagogical criteria. The checklist allows educators to compare and contrast software products, enabling them to select software that is best suited to their classrooms.…

Seventy-seven children between the ages of 6 and 10 years, with severe mixed receptive-expressive specific language impairment (SLI), participated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Fast ForWord (FFW; Scientific Learning Corporation, 1997, 2001). FFW is a computer-based intervention for treating SLI using acoustically enhanced speech…

Students enrolled in a single-subject design course studied the repeated acquisition of response sequences by using CHAINS, a QuickBASIC 4.5 program, which runs in DOS or Windows. For about 2 months, students examined the learning of such sequences as a function of various treatments. Each week students graphed their data, discussed their…

This report compares two integrated course delivery packages: "Centra 6" and "WebEx". Both applications feature asynchronous and synchronous audio communications for online education and training. They are relatively costly products, and provide useful comparisons with the two less expensive products to be evaluated in the following report #53.…

With teacher shortages in both general and critical needs areas and constricting operating budgets, it is important for Colleges of Education to develop methods of providing alternative certification programs to reach larger segments of the population. One method of increasing the scope of potential preservice teachers is through the development…

The purpose of the study was to develop an educational software evaluation form to provide an evaluation and selection instrument of educational software that met the requirements of some balance between mechanics, content and pedagogy that is user friendly. The subjects for the study comprised a group of 32 biology teachers working in secondary…

Anecdotal and research evidences show that the Free and Open Source Software (F/OSS) development model has produced a paradigm shift in the way we develop, support, and distribute software. This shift is not only redefining the software industry but also the way we teach and learn in our software engineering (SE) courses. But for many universities…

Purpose: This paper aims to present the development of technology-assisted problem solving (TAPS) packages at University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). The project is the further work of the development of interactive multimedia based packages targeted for students having problems in understanding the subject of engineering mechanics dynamics.…

Program visualization is one of the various methods developed over the years to aid novices with their difficulties in learning to program. It consists of different graphical--often animated--and textual objects, visualizing the execution of programs. The aim of program visualization is to enhance students' understanding of different areas of…

The d'Arbeloff Interactive Mathematics Project or d'AIMP is an initiative that seeks to enhance and ultimately transform the teaching and learning of introductory mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A result of this project is a suite of "mathlets," a carefully developed set of dynamic computer applets for use in the…

This report describes a study conducted to provide information that could be used as a basis for program decision making when adult basic education (ABE) program personnel in Washington purchase an integrated computerized learning system. During the project, the following activities were carried out: (1) programs and systems in use in ABE programs…

Describes three computer software programs implemented in the chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Bahrain and explains students' evaluations of the usefulness and effectiveness of the software packages. Programs include Control Station (CS), HYSYS, and MATHCAD. (YDS)

Ideas are presented for identifying, evaluating, and selecting instructional software for children with special needs. The article notes several library research tools as sources of information and lists specific questions to consider when evaluating software. (JDD)

Describes a self-contained computer application constructed using the SuperCard development tool which introduces the characteristics of turfgrass species and their optimum environments. Evaluates students' gain in understanding turf species characteristics through this approach. (LZ)

This paper reports on a comparative evaluation of the Phrasal Definition Format of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English and the Sentence Definition format of the Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary. The study found that English-as-a-Second-Language students expressed strong preferences for having usage examples and for the…