Demonstrates the importance of Real-Time, Sensor-Based (RTSB) computing and how it can be easily and effectively integrated into university student laboratories. Describes the experimental processes, the process instrumentation and process-computer interface, the computer and communications systems, and typical software. Provides much technical…

Presented are five examples of the application of computer technology to undergraduate chemistry instruction. Topics include: an interface for kinetic experimentation; theoretical calculations; automation of chemical techniques; searching the chemical literature; and Huckel molecular orbitals. (CW)

Discussed are the construction and uses of a version of a photoelectric colorimeter by students. Included are materials needed and four experiments which use the equipment. Sample results are shown. (CW)

Describes a junior-level, one-year optics laboratory course for physics and engineering students. The course offers a range of experiments from conventional geometric optics to contemporary spatial filtering and fiber optics. Presents an example of an experiment with pictures. (Author/YP)

Describes an exercise designed for an introductory level calculus-based physics class. Presents a problem on why a rod dipped in water is stable when it is oriented at an angle with the vertical. Discusses qualitative understanding, mechanical understanding using equations, and experimental verification of the problem. (YP)

Discusses the Internet and how it works, beginning with its origins in the U.S. military and covering such issues as clients and servers, upload and download, and the World Wide Web. (Author/PVD)

Describes the planning and design process of "Off the Wall," a student-developed CD-ROM multimedia project about the life and work of artist Chuck Close-the product of a studio-based course in Learning Experiments Design at the University of Georgia. The design includes an element of gaming; text is kept sparse; navigational elements are rendered…

Examines the Museum Educational Site Licensing (MESL) Project--a cooperative project between seven cultural heritage repositories and seven universities--as well as other developments of cultural heritage image databases for academic use. Reviews recent literature on image indexing and retrieval, interface design, and tool development, urging a…

Describes a study of graduate students that examined how Web interfaces impact the quality or outcome of online searches, as well as the information seeking behavior of the searcher. Examines how two search interfaces work to noticeably increase or decrease the impact of the emotive aspects of search behavior. (LRW)

Discussion of the effectiveness of distance education focuses on Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance and a study of learners' experiences with the World Wide Web in a university course in Taiwan. Highlights include learner-instructor interaction; learner-content interaction; learner-learner interaction; learner-interface interaction; results…

Developers of educational multimedia programs have expectations about the way in which they will be used. These expectations can be broadly categorised as either functional (primarily related to the interface) or educational (related to learning designs, processes and outcomes). However, student users will not always engage with educational…

This study investigated the effects of interface tools and learner cognitive styles on performance in searches for information within a hypermedia database. The subjects, 75 students in a university English as a Second Language (ESL) program, were blocked for field dependence and assigned to four treatments which differed by the search tool…

The main part of this project involved using a computer, either an Apple or an IBM, as a chart recorder for the infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrophotometers. The computer "reads" these machines and displays spectra on its monitor. The graphs can then be stored for future reference and manipulation. The program to…

This qualitative case study examined interactions, effect of instructional strategies on interactions, participant attitudes, and perceptions that occurred during two courses taught via interactive videoconferencing in higher education. Analysis of coded observational data, field notes, and interviews with students and instructors provided…

Electronics Engineering Technology majors in the Industrial and Engineering Technology department at Central Michigan University have developed many real-world projects that represent the type of problem-solving projects encouraged by industry. Two projects that can be used by other educators as freestanding projects or as the core for further…