As freely adoptable digital resources, OpenCourseWare (OCW) have become a prominent form of Open Educational Resources (OER). More than 275 institutions in the worldwide OCW consortium have committed to creating free access open course materials. Despite the resources and efforts to create OCW worldwide, little understanding of its use exists.…

Having trouble finding the right app? In this article, Kevin Larkin discusses the difficulties teachers encounter when searching the App Store for high quality, appropriate apps that support students' mathematical learning. Kevin provides a useful link to a collection of over 100 app reviews.

This case study examined the educational software evaluation processes of pre-service teachers who attended either expertise-based training (XBT) or traditional training in conjunction with a Software-Evaluation checklist. Forty-three mathematics teacher candidates and three experts participated in the study. All participants evaluated educational…

Based on the presumed criteria by which Australian secondary school teachers would select computer software for their students' use, an adventure game concerning Australian gold rushes was developed. It and other games were tested by students in and outside the classroom. Criteria for selecting appropriate software for student use were identified.…

The use of microworlds (MWs), or complex dynamic systems, in educational testing and personnel selection is hampered by systematic measurement errors because these new and innovative item formats are not adequately controlled for their difficulty. This empirical study introduces a way to operationalize an MW's difficulty and demonstrates the…

Discusses functions of the Alberta (Canada) Computer Technology Project's courseware clearinghouse, reviews findings on instructional software quality, identifies software development trends, and discusses need for support systems to facilitate the incorporation of computer assisted instruction in Canadian schools. (MBR)

A project was conducted to increase the use of microcomputers in basic adult education in Australia. The aims of the project were as follows: to establish an information network of practitioners working within Australia's Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system who have an interest in using computer-assisted learning in basic adult…

The Alberta goverment has attempted to systematically address educational computing issues through programs of the provincial (K-12) education department (Alberta Education), which have included the development of computer literacy curricula for elementary, junior, and senior high schools; the Computer Technology Project (CTP); evaluation studies;…

Hardware for computer-assisted learning is discussed in three papers. Two papers report on projects using computer graphics, one for teaching structural analysis to university students and the other to teach graph concepts at the secondary level. Guidelines for selecting microcomputers focus on analyzing applications and matching them with…

This study examined the perceptions of basic education school teachers in Turkey to the educational software evaluation criteria, developed for the acquisition of multimedia instructional software by the Turkish Ministry of National Education, from the viewpoint of actual users. Data were collected through structured interviews, group discussions,…

Israel's Software Evaluation Project sets national standards for hardware and software that is used in schools. All courseware must be approved for technical requirements and pedagogical content. After approval, the courseware is certified for use within Israel's school system for 2 years. Three times each year, schools, inspectorates, and…

The selection of courseware is a difficult problem in the use of computers in education. A dissemination procedure for a courseware selection instrument involving workshops for computer coordinators is described. Computer coordinators of 267 Dutch secondary schools were asked how they used certain sources of information in selecting courseware.…

Evaluators of software for education must make a series of decisions about which issues have a direct impact on their choice of software. Instructional context analysis is the first step, including identifying the learners, the instructor, the learning environment, and technical needs and limitations. The next step is instructional goal analysis;…

The process used for evaluating computer software before it reaches the market may not be reliable or appropriate for the end user. School boards often develop their own evaluation procedures for teachers, but they may also be too technical, too long, or irrelevant to the teacher's purposes, and they may be too general for the discipline area in…

Describes the role of the United Kingdom's National Council for Educational Technology to promote information technology (IT). Highlights include visions for the future; the role of senior managers and educators; evidence of the effectiveness of IT; special needs students; access to appropriate information; equipment considerations; and…