The analysis of the process of collaboration is a central topic in current CSCL research. However, defining process characteristics relevant for collaboration quality and developing instruments capable of assessing these characteristics are no trivial tasks. In the assessment method presented in this paper, nine qualitatively defined dimensions of…

Open Source Software (OSS) has introduced a new dimension in software community. As the development and use of OSS becomes prominent, the question of its integration in education arises. In this paper, the following practices fundamental to projects and processes in software engineering are examined from an OSS perspective: project management;…

This paper explores the possibility of bringing e-learning to African universities through collaborative networks of public-private partnerships. It is envisaged that this approach will solve the dual problem of infrastructural barriers and weak ICT policies. As technology is used more in education, the teachers' roles are increasingly integrated…

The emergence of multimedia software in the classroom challenges the traditional use of single media as the medium for student communication. Educators need to know how to use this new technology as an effective tool in their students' learning. The purpose of this study was to observe how 18 students in a fourth grade class manipulate a…

Beginning in the 1960s the interactive capabilities of computers were recognized as providing unprecedented opportunities for the development of computerized career guidance systems. Such systems offered individualized assistance in career decision making to large numbers of people at low cost. Recognizing that each user may present a unique…

The complementary, but distinct, approaches of computer assisted instruction (CAI) and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) are first summarized, then followed by a collection of papers discussing shared issues toward which these complementary approaches are directed. The purpose of this book is to foster a mutual understanding of shared issues and…

This report is the third annual edition of a syndicated study which focuses on developing an understanding of the major issues and events which give shape to computing and information technology across K-12 education in the United States. This report builds on trendline data from the 1992-93 and 1993-94 studies. The survey results presented in…

Instructional technology can help teachers formalize alternative methods of assessment. It allows them to record and report on student performance more fully and more dynamically. This paper discusses tools and methodologies used by a group called Teachers Using Technology to Measure Mathematics Meaningfully as they expanded their repertoire of…

This analysis aimed at determining whether implemented technology systems and staff development with those systems at professional development schools have affected the academic performance of learners. Eight Texas elementary and secondary schools that in 1994-95 enrolled 5,337 students across 5 school districts comprised the sample for the study.…

Technology is not often a factor in classroom activities because teachers are untrained in its use. In 1990, International Business Machines (IBM) contributed over 30 million dollars' worth of workstations, networking hardware and software, IBM courseware, cash, and training to prompt 144 selected teacher preparation programs to integrate…

Instruction in Scientific Inquiry Skills (ISIS) is part of a seven-year Air Force effort--the Fundamental Skills Training Project--to design, build, evaluate, and transition advanced computer-aided instruction to the education community. This report describes ISIS 2.0 and presents the results of an initial field evaluation of the software during…

This paper outlines efforts at Miami University (Middletown, Ohio) to bridge the "generation gap" between students who are comfortable using computer technologies and the faculty and staff who are reluctant to use them. Two Instructional Technology Fairs were held on campus (in Springs 1995 and 1996) to show faculty, staff, students, and…

During the 1993-94 school year, the Office of Research and Evaluation of the Austin Independent School District (AISD) (Texas) conducted a districtwide evaluation of instructional technology. The evaluation consisted first of an accurate count of all computers in AISD schools, and then of an in-depth evaluation of the integrated learning systems…

The relationship between staff development and the integration of microcomputing into instructional practice is examined. Data were obtained from a survey of all public school districts in a midwestern state (N=427). The questionnaire elicited information about the districts' integration of microcomputers into instruction and the extent/scope of…

This book defines over 1,000 terms related to multimedia. Generally speaking, the terms were selected around sets of professional functions that relate to multimedia either because they belong to one of the disciplines that contribute to multimedia or because they belong to a set of competencies that originated with the birth of multimedia. An…