The content and quality of the documentation and teachers guides that accompanied 55 educational microcomputer software programs were examined, to determine whether the technical and pedagogical information provided by such guides enabled teachers to fully exploit the instructional potential of the programs. The courseware covered basic elementary…

The primary goal of special educators must always be to optimize the instruction given to low-performing students. The amount of teacher-directed instruction that low-performing students receive is directly related to their achievement. To maximize the amount of teacher-directed instruction, small and large group instruction is recommended.…

The preferences of a group of 35 randomly selected undergraduate and graduate students for different text density on computer screens were examined in this study. The displays, which ranged from 53% to 22% density, were generated using the Apple IIe microcomputer. Students were shown a pair of screens of different densities and asked which screen…

This report provides a brief description of a 1985 conference on distance education together with the papers presented by six of the seven keynote speakers. It is noted that, in addition to these papers, the conference included 30 application sessions which allowed the 182 participants to select issues and topics to explore in small groups. The…

This paper poses and generates the answers to six questions about the use of newer media in education and the areas of disagreement that seem to recur as new media become available for teaching. Cast in the context of videodisks, those questions ask whether: (1) videodisk technology is more effective than traditional media in promoting learning;…

An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) must: (1) represent the relevant knowledge domain; (2) represent the student's state of knowledge of the subject matter; (3) represent an expert tutor; and (4) communicate with the student. Such systems reflect a cognitive orientation or information structure oriented (ISO) approach to instructional design. In…

The booklet is intended to aid educators and parents in the planning, development, and evaluation of differentiated curricula for gifted and talented students. A rationale for gifted/talented education is provided which stresses such principles as: "Equal does not mean the same" and "Ceilings are for rooms, not people." The…

Proposing that Socratic seminars can lead to true educational reform, this article examines the use of these seminars to enlarge elementary and secondary students' understanding of ideas and to encourage instruction that is not restricted by established syllabi, courses, or examinations. Socratic discussion is lacking in most classrooms but should…

Arguing that the systematic application of knowledge about instruction to videodisc technology is essential if the full potential of this medium is to be realized, this paper begins by discussing the need for intelligent videodisc technology in our educational system. A brief review of the state of the art in intelligent videodisc systems, which…

This chapter outlines the measurement and interpretation of cognitive style using the conceptual structure of Educational Cognitive Style and the Educational Sciences developed by Dr. Joseph Hill and others. The measurement and interpretation of 36 aspects of cognitive style are discussed, as well as the use of cognitive style mapping (the graphic…

This paper reviews four categories of models of motivational design, which is an aspect of instructional design that refers specifically to strategies, principles, and processes for making instruction appealing. Grounded in psychological theories of human behavior, the models in the first three categories discussed are based on person-centered…

A principal limitation of frame-based computer assisted instruction (CAI) results not from the characteristics of the computer medium, but rather from prior instructional design practices, specifically the logical abstraction of behavioral objectives. Learning hierarchy-based instruction implemented in the interactive computer-based medium results…

Proposed is a comprehensive instructional design model which (1) suggests a systems-based approach to preparing, implementing, and evaluating instruction at the program syllabus, course syllabus, and instructional unit levels; (2) subsumes those various dimensions of a mastery learning strategy which encompass preconditions, operating procedures,…

In this paper a rationale is presented for the formation of teams of college faculty (subject experts), computer programmers, and instructional designers to develop instructional software for use with classroom and laboratory microcomputers. The advent of an "electronic publishing" industry, one of the major products of which is…

This project had three major goals: (1) To develop a handbook for high school teachers that shows how instruction and testing can work together to foster student learning; (2) To pilot test this handbook in the context of a staff development program for high school teachers; and (3) To prepare training manuals that would allow the staff…