A designer of educational games and simulations analyzes his own design process which revealed unexpected weaknesses in his mode of working, led him to consider how to minimize them when designing future games and simulations, and resulted in changes to a more efficient and effective work style. (EAO)

Reviews needs assessment history and extant techniques and offers a model for generating needs assessments based upon five general purposes of front-end analysis and their corresponding types of items--problem finding; problem selecting; knowledge/skill proving; finding feelings; and cause finding. Thirty-three sources are appended. (EJS)

Argues that trainers of instructional developers will ensure students' success and enhance their own reputations if their students have had experience in putting theory into practice. Five references are listed. (Author/LLS)

Examines certain common professional characteristics that unite instructional developers across a variety of settings, and addresses the question as to whether a strong case can be made for providing developers with a common approach to their training. (Author/MER)

Provides an overview of modern instructional technology including the characteristics of cost effective instructional programs and the principal features, stages, applications, and expectations of modern instructional technology. (CHC)

Discusses the need for and use of models in the design and development of instructional materials, providing an overview of the main characteristics of a unit model and three course models: a simple linear model, a refined linear model, and a branched model. (RAO)

Argues that with project prices of courseware surpassing those of hardware, the National Science Foundation (NSF) must promote transportability if computer-based instruction is to gain widespread implementation.

Gives an overview of the development of educational technology in Japan evident in the increase of publications, the diffusion of technological innovations, and the organization of research pertaining to the field. (Author/MER)

Studies of concept of teaching are reviewed and a four-step process is proposed: (1) determine taxonomical structure of the context; (2) prepare a definition in terms of critical attributes; (3) arrange examples in rational sets; and (4) arrange sets according to divergency and difficulty level. (Author/RD)

Describes an instructional development project in higher education, including the problem addressed, the parameters of the solution, the development process used, the costs involved, and the results of the project. (Author/JEG)

Defines instructional development, describes the scope of the research and knowledge base upon which its practice is built, comments upon the sufficiency of the investigation into the components of that knowledge base, and poses questions for future research. (Author)

Discusses the identification and application of instructional support services to the instructional development process. To determine the full extent of these support services a matrix is presented, listing services and criteria for their inclusion in the ID process. (RAO)

Describes the Literacy Pyramid (based on the United States Department of Agriculture food pyramid), a classification of eight instructional events, which is intended as a framework for teachers to think about the purpose of various instructional formats and about organizing time for language arts instruction. (SR)

Discusses the theories of instructional design methodologies and describes limitations for developing instruction for interactive, technology-based delivery systems. Topics discussed include content analysis; knowledge acquisition; course organization; phases of instructional development; passive versus interactive instruction; productivity and…

Describes, justifies, and illustrates a process for analyzing and comparing instructional development (ID) models at the task and subtask levels. ID tasks and subtasks are identified, weights are assigned to the subtasks, and various instructional design and instructional development models are compared, as to both comprehensiveness and…