The design of instructional text is an important consideration when attempting to design a successful learning environment. With the rising involvement in online distance education, it is becoming even more important to adhere to good principles of text design. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework of possible instructional systems…

This brief paper considers the application of "universal design" principles to Web page design in order to increase accessibility for people with disabilities. Suggestions are based on the World Wide Web Consortium's accessibility initiative, which has proposed guidelines for all Web authors and federal government standards. Seven guidelines for…

This document presents educational specifications for a new high school in Ridley school District in Pennsylvania. The specifications are offered by the school's administration and faculty. They address in detail the following areas: (1) exterior (including site and building exterior); (2) building interior; (3) classrooms; (4) department centers;…

AHA! is a simple Web-based adaptive hypermedia system. Because of this simplicity it has been studied and experimented with in several research groups. This paper identifies shortcomings in AHA! and presents AHA! version 2.0 which tries to overcome the known problems with AHA! while maintaining its biggest asset: simplicity. The paper illustrates…

This paper examines how teachers, as educational designers, can utilize universal design for learning (UDL) concepts. UDL is a comprehensive approach to the design of educational systems that addresses elements necessary for the achievement of desired educational goals and objectives: elements such as equity among the participants, environmental…

This paper identifies three rationales in the relevant literature for closing the gender gap in computing: economic, cultural and political. Each rationale implies a different set of indicators of present inequalities, disparate goals for creating equality, and distinct principles for software and web site design that aims to help girls overcome…

This paper investigates a collaboration between faculty and students in a college statistics course to develop a method of quickly getting homework graded with feedback indicated and returned to the students. Using a World Wide Web site to deliver this support was a possible solution. A survey was developed to gain student input in the process of…

Reviews color research and considers its implications for the design of instructional materials. Topics include physiological and psychological effects; color and learning, including attention, search tasks, retention and other objective measures, and non-objective measures; color and the cathode ray tube (CRT); and further research needs.…

Discusses the use of the World Wide Web by academic libraries for reference and instruction. Widespread availability of software for browsing, creating, editing, and mounting World Wide Web pages necessitates discussion on the development of a library Web site; Hyper Text Markup Language; software evaluation; suggestions for writing Web pages; and…

Suggests two guiding principles as a framework to interpret the research findings of environmental psychology that focus on effective classroom design: effective design promotes attention in the classroom and allows for periodic shifts of learner activities. Examines these principles as they apply to the design of a computer classroom, reviewing…

Discusses design elements of a 21st century school library, including space, books and shelving, seats, tables, technology (computers, scanners, projectors), building materials (wood, metal, plastic, paint, glass, fibers), and light and color. A sidebar describes the L!BRARY initiative to creatively design, professionally staff, and…

Describes the process of writing and designing an effective brochure about a child care center, including working with professional designers and printers. (DR)

Discusses the design and implementation of a World Wide Web-based alternative medicine virtual resource. This homepage integrates regional, national, and international resources and delivers library services to the user's desktop. Goals, structure, and organizational schemes of the system are detailed, and design issues for building such a…

Describes how a practical design question led to a reconsideration of the design process for problem-based instruction. Argues that this restructured process, called the "single-parse" design method, is of general value to designers. Discusses the product that emerged and application to the World Wide Web. (AEF)

Explores the concept of "theater of the mind" and discusses design factors in creating audio works that effectively stimulate mental pictures, including: narrative format in audio scripting; qualities of voice; use of concrete language; music; noise versus silence; and the creation of the illusion of space using monaural, stereophonic,…