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…

Educational software games aim at increasing the students' motivation and engagement while they learn. However, if software games are targeted to school classrooms they have to be usable and likeable by all students. Usability of virtual reality games may be a problem because these games tend to have complex user interfaces so that they are more…

The generalized linear latent and mixed modeling (GLLAMM framework) includes many models such as hierarchical and structural equation models. However, GLLAMM cannot currently accommodate some models because it does not allow some parameters to be random. GLLAMM is extended to overcome the limitation by adding a submodel that specifies a…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the open access and open source movement in the digital library world. Design/methodology/approach: A review of key developments in the open access and open source movement is provided. Findings: Open source software and open access to research findings are of great use to scholars in developing…

This study compared graded-reader wordlists with the General Service List (GSL; West, 1953) and investigated the words in those lists and the words actually used in graded-reader books. The wordlists from the 2 major graded-reader series, the GSL, and the words actually used in the graded readers were examined using the Range program. The…

Latent curve models offer a flexible approach to the study of longitudinal data when the form of change in a response is nonlinear. This article considers such models that are conditionally linear with regard to the random coefficients at the 2nd level. This framework allows fixed parameters to enter a model linearly or nonlinearly, and random…

This article discusses replication sampling variance estimation techniques that are often applied in analyses using data from complex sampling designs: jackknife repeated replication, balanced repeated replication, and bootstrapping. These techniques are used with traditional analyses such as regression, but are currently not used with structural…

Three-dimensional computer-aided drafting (CAD) software, sometimes referred to as "solid modeling" software, is easy to learn, fun to use, and becoming the standard in industry. However, many users have difficulty creating complex geometry with the solid modeling software. And the problem is not entirely a student problem. Even some teachers and…

A digital SLR camera with a standard lens (50 mm focal length, f/1.4) on a fixed tripod is used to obtain photographs of the sky which contain stars up to 8[superscript m] apparent magnitude. The angle of view is large enough to ensure visual identification of the photograph with a large sky region in a stellar map. The resolution is sufficient to…

Combining the Excel spreadsheet with an email program provides a very powerful tool for sending students personalised emails. Most email clients now support a Mail Merge facility whereby a generic template is created and information unique to each student record in the spreadsheet is filled into that template, generating tens if not hundreds of…

James Morrison's interview with Trevor Owens explores Zotero, a free, open-source bibliographic tool that works as a Firefox plug-in. Previous bibliographic software, such as EndNote or Refworks, worked either online or offline to collect references and citations. Zotero leverages the power of the browser to allow users to work either online or…

This article presents an interview with Tim Collins, president of EBSCO Publishing. The amiable Collins put EBSCO Publishing (EP) on the map through a combination of first-rate search and user-friendly interfaces, a long list of strategic acquisitions, and a dedicated, stable staff. Now, the company Collins has nurtured for over two decades ranks…

This article introduces the art of three-dimensional modelling. Three-dimensional modelling is gaining acceptance as a new medium for self-expression. Students must first master the software programs, learn the tools and functions, the menu choices and settings, and use them to create realistic objects. (Contains 4 online resources.)

It is of course very difficult to accurately project important characteristics of the future state of any rapidly evolving field, and the field of authoring systems for computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is no exception. However, strong trends in evolving CAI systems of today would seem to indicate some important characteristics of the software…

In their article, Kimball and Smith nicely articulated the benefits and challenges of creating computer technology to support individuals with autism. They also provided a well-devised three-point plan to stimulate and support progress in technology development for this population. As a follow-up to their article, this article expands the…