Discusses cognitive load theory and describes a study that investigated how undergraduates learned the basic commands of a CAD (computer-assisted design) software package using manuals with different formats of presentation of instructions. Results show that graphical interface, using a manual that juxtaposes text and screen images, was most…

Chances are that many high school students would not know how to use drafting instruments, but some might want to gain competence in computer-assisted design (CAD) and possibly computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM). These students are often attracted to tech courses by the availability of CAD/CAM instructions, and many go on to impress employers…

The HMIE publication, "External quality arrangements for Scotland's colleges," specifies that HMIE will produce a number of subject aspect reports over the four years 2008-12. These aspect reports complement in a subject-specific context the generic evaluations of learning and teaching in HMIE's reports of external review of colleges.…

Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) is a course that is required during the third year in the mechanical engineering curriculum at Binghamton University. The primary objective of the course is to educate students in the procedures of computer-aided engineering design. The solid modeling and analysis program Pro/Engineer[TM] (PTC[R]) is used as the…

Tu Tran, Robert Baker, and Margo Pensavalle present e-portfolio technology as an effective tool in teacher preparation. Because e-portfolios chronicle students' learning outcomes, they provide a picture of students' development that can be used in response to increased demands for assessment of student teachers and increasingly standards-based…

Simulations, particularly human-to-human interactions, offer social science students the opportunity to learn from firsthand experience, and can be an important and useful addition to an educator's teaching repertoire. However, it can be difficult for an instructor to know how to structure a simulation environment to meet specific educational…

Teacher and student roles continue to change as computers continue to influence the design curriculum (Kaplan, 1997). Educators and administrators continue to grapple with the best ways to teach, implement, and maintain current technology. Few technology teachers would argue that computers, software, and hardware found in technology laboratories…

In this paper, results from a subset of the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test and a self-efficacy test developed by the authors are presented to determine whether certain object shapes, orientations, and types of rotations in standard spatial ability tests cause more difficulty than others and whether a solid object, which includes shading to…

This paper describes RaPiD, a computer-aided assistant for the design of dental prostheses called removable partial dentures. The user manipulates icons directly to indicate the desired design solution to a given clinical situation. A developing design is represented as a logic database of components in a design; expert rules are applied as…

This paper explores questions associated with chaos theory as it relates to problems in the arts. It reviews the work of several scholars including Minai, Eckersley, Pickover, the Kirsches, and the Molnars. The document directs special attention toward three basic areas in art and design education, which are: (1) the integration of the computer…

The development of abstract mathematical thinking is an essential part of mathematics and the geometry is regarded as a suitable domain to serve this purpose. As different technologies such as computers and graphing calculators are widely being used, curriculum developers on geometry should take these technologies into consideration. Several…

Creating educational software generally requires a great deal of computer expertise, and as a result, educators lacking such knowledge have largely been excluded from the design process. Recently, researchers have been designing tools for automating some aspects of building instructional applications. These tools typically aim for generality,…

Examines the use of mathematics in a computer-aided design and manufacturing setting, whether this mathematics is related to school mathematics, how technicians understand this mathematics, and the role of technology in the technicians' mathematics-related problem solving activities. Focuses on technician's calculations of the interval volume of…

Discusses the use of a computer-illustrated text (CIT) with integrated software to teach electric circuit theory to college students. Examples of software use are given, including simple animation, graphical displays, and problem-solving programs. Issues affecting electric circuit theory instruction are also addressed, including mathematical…

This study examined preferences for computer graphics among elementary school students. Researchers constructed high female interest, high male interest, and equal interest pictures; then students rated their interest in them. Girls rated high female interest pictures highest and high male interest pictures lowest. The opposite was true for boys.…