Causal modeling techniques were used to examine relationships among: (1) a curriculum-based special education measurement and evaluation system, (2) structure of instruction, and (3) achievement. All three constructs were stable over time. Teachers' accuracy in setting up student performance measurement was directly related to student achievement.…

Presents a review of topics discussed at the Third Invitational Research Conference in Distance Education, hosted by the American Center for the Study of Distance Education. Summarizes findings from two of the conference's four sessions: course design and instructional strategies for distance educators. Also lists overall key concerns of…

Discusses the motivational needs of adult learners; reviews motivational instructional design; and describes the development of a needs assessment instrument (the Course Effort Survey Revised) and the Adult Learner-Instruction Interaction Motivation Model which can be used to effectively plan for the motivational needs of adult learners. (Contains…

Describes a classification scheme for multimedia interaction based on the degree of control and type of cognitive engagement in three different learning environments. Three levels of interaction are discussed, and implications for learner control and practice when designing interactive multimedia-based instruction are considered. (Contains 37…

Compares factors required for a successful distance education course to requirements for designing a unit of instruction using instructional systems design (ISD). Application of these requirements to video teletraining is discussed to demonstrate that teaching ISD may be accomplished by teaching preservice teachers how to design a distance…

Examines the emergence of "third wave" school restructuring from the fields of educational technology, instructional design, and systems theory. Argues that its core principles--social functionalism, efficiency and productivity, individualism, and expertism--will likely reinforce existing practices instead of substantively transforming…

Discusses insights from both the instructional design community and members of research groups seeking to transform typical classrooms into "learning communities," and encourages discussion among members of these two communities. Gives an overview of frameworks for instructional design, and the principles of learning communities. (71…

Discusses and defines hypermedia, examines essential design considerations and features in the development of hypermedia courseware, and discusses its theoretical foundations. Cites an instructional problem in a guidance and counseling program and suggests that a well-designed hypermedia package might provide an answer. (Author/AEF)

Performance technology and instructional design are affected by the philosophical approaches of learners and teachers. The theories of constructivism (reality is constructed by individuals) and objectivism (reality is external but accessible to individuals) lead to different understandings of human cognition and affect both instructional design…

Examines paradigms in instructional design and the collaborative design process. Based on experiences in a collaborative videodisc design project, a model of instructional design as art is proposed as an alternative to the generic characteristics of a systems approach. Promotion of culture-building in an instructional design environment is also…

Applying ergonomics to the classroom involves the five principles of job design: variety of assignments, identity/importance, autonomy/control, feedback/recognition, and opportunity for personal growth. (SK)

Real structural changes challenge traditional views about the way things should be. A new image can guide education into the twenty-first century and transform education by purposeful design. (JOW)

Four levels of integration of diverse content are contributions, additive, transformation, and social action. A survey of 59 New York teachers discovered that pluralistic approaches are not implemented because of assumptions of lack of class time, lack of relevance to some subjects, and lack of need in homogeneous classrooms. (SK)

Discussion of visual literacy, visual cognition, visual thinking and learning, and visual knowledge focuses on women and gender differences. Topics addressed include educational equality and the visual, including equality versus difference; women and mass culture; difference and the design of visual instruction; and feminist education and the…

This response to criticism of a previous article discusses the ways in which learners exist in and move through communities and how changing locations affect learning processes. Topics addressed include prior knowledge; practice-based, situated learning; political philosophy; learning as a social practice; and implications for the design of…