Most of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) design methods focus on producing content for a VLE. However, usability of the VLE is also of great importance. Several potential usability problems have been reported in recent e-learning conferences. These problems could have been avoided by applying usability engineering methods before the VLE was…

Customer-Driven Development is a technique from the software development method called extreme Programming (XP) where customers (most importantly including end users of all levels) are closely involved in the software design and redesign process. This method of producing software suitable for customers has been adapted to help in the production of…

In light of the correlation between musical and linguistic skills, a program of musical activities was designed to promote discrimination of rhythmic and melodic elements and the association of auditory stimuli with visual stimuli and motor activities. The effects of the program on the vocabulary of preschool children were evaluated and compared…

This Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII project was designed to increase English Language proficiency in limited English proficient students in Lau categories A, B, and C (non-English speaking, English as a second language, or bilingual). The intensive, 9-month program included both English language instruction and teacher training…

To determine normative story recall behavior for 5-year-old prekindergarten children, and to compare their recall of stories with recall of comparable chronological/descriptive passages, a study tested 30 nonhandicapped prekindergarten children. Each subject was read a 95-word, second-grade level story and immediately asked to "tell me what I…

The Chapter One Children's Art Carnival (C.A.C.) Creative Reading Program was designed to improve students' literacy skills through participation in creative arts activities integrated with instruction in reading and writing. Operating at sites in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, the 1988-89 program served 334 students in second through fifth…

During 1988-89, the Austin Independent School District's Title 7 program continued to supplement services through the locally funded bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs to secondary students of limited English proficiency. The 1988-89 Title 7 evaluation report provides an overview of the programs's changes, staff training,…

A special 6-week program, designed to increase the scores of low achieving minority eighth-grade students on the ninth grade Texas Education Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) Test, was implemented in 1986 in the Houston Independent School District as "Summer Academies." The students, who voluntarily enrolled in the program, were…

This document contains a list of microcomputer courseware titles which appeared on the Advisory Lists of Computer Courseware between January 1986 and November 1990. Courseware is first presented alphabetically by title with producer, grade level, and reference for the full citation included. Courseware is then presented by the following subject…

This paper focuses on: (1) prevalent assumptions and weaknesses underlying research on preschool programs for 3- to 5-year-olds; (2) issues concerning transition to kindergarten and early elementary grades; (3) the preparation of early childhood personnel; and (4) critical research needs. The review of research findings prompts questions about the…

The state of the art in using student portfolios in the schools is summarized, based on an annotated bibliography of over 50 articles produced by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NREL). This set of materials is an addendum to a previously developed workshop series designed to assist educators in developing their own…

The school curriculum has been under scrutiny in an attempt to improve the educational experiences of children, often in the form of federal and state control to make schools accountable for students' education. The goal of standardization is to increase minimum standards in all classrooms and to make sure that all students receive a foundation of…

This document outlines some resources that may be helpful to school guidance counselors and other educators. Five resources are described for the elementary school years when children's natural curiosity and openness can be channelled into understanding themselves and others as well as learning about the meaning of work and the types of work…

Two assertions regarding the Regular Education Initiative (REI) are presented: (1) general educators are not willing to serve students with handicaps, and (2) general educators are not competent to serve students with handicaps. Illinois general education teachers (N=314) were surveyed to examine their attitudes and perceived ability to work with…

Recent research indicated that a field dependent cognitive style, often culture-based, can cause problems for learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). English language ability and learning styles, and field dependence (FD), and field independence, were tested in 157 adult Korean and Japanese ESL learners in university and…