This note takes up the issue of parallel curves while illustrating the utility of "Mathematica" in computations. This work complements results presented earlier. The presented treatment, considering the more general case of parametric curves, provides an analysis of the appearance of cusp singularities, and emphasizes the utility of symbolic…

The "ILIAS" learning management system (LMS) was evaluated, following its favourable rating in an independent evaluation study of open source software (OSS) products. The current review found "ILIAS" to have numerous features of value to distance education (DE) students and teachers, as well as problems for consideration in the…

Report #27 in this series discussed the 'wiki' method of online information-sharing, and its educational uses. A wiki is browser-based collaborative writing environment, in which a community may amass and exchange information on a particular topic, and to which anyone may contribute without having Web programming skills. In the current study,…

Online learning is now a reality, with distributed learning and blended learning becoming more widely used in Higher Education. Novel ways in which undergraduate and postgraduate learning material can be presented are being developed, and methods for helping students to learn online are needed, especially if we require them to collaborate with…

Corporations employ data mining to analyze operations, find trends in recorded information, and look for new opportunities. Libraries are no different. Librarians manage large stores of data--about collections and usage, for example--and they also want to analyze this data to serve their users better. Analysts use data mining to query a data…

Stephen Downes suggests that educators and administrators wishing to be cognizant of the latest in educational research might want to explore "The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning" (IRRODL). Presented in a format familiar to an academic reader, the journal offers abstracts and full text articles at the click of a…

The rapid growth of the Internet and intranets supports the infrastructure necessary for computer-based testing (CBT). The parallel growth of sophisticated computer programming and powerful computers offers new possibilities in testing, such as Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), where the responses of the subject dictate the nature of the test…

An experiment is proposed for learning the principles of radio. A simple radio receiver illustrates amplitude modulation and demodulation, the selectivity of a receiver and the features of a directional antenna. Both normal and computerized versions of the experiment are described. The computerized experiment employs the "ScienceWorkshop"…

The teaching of energy throws up many different approaches and causes many arguments. This paper describes yet another approach to teaching the subject matter using a system of diagrams, but hopefully one that will be an acceptable compromise for many teachers. Lord Rutherford is often quoted as saying, "All science is either physics or stamp…

PowerPoint has become something of a standard business communication tool, for better or worse. The "worse" part of that formulation is something of a cliche in the business world, and poor use of the tool can be damaging to a business manager's career progress. The author has been using a two-part approach to teaching PowerPoint skills in an…

This article features the latest classroom technologies namely the FLY Pentop, WriteToLearn, and a new iris scan identification system. The FLY Pentop is a computerized pen from Leapster that "magically" understands what kids write and draw on special FLY paper. WriteToLearn is an automatic grading software from Pearson Knowledge Technologies and…

At the start of a freshman calculus course, many students conceive the classical definition of limit as the most problematic part of calculus. They not only find it difficult to understand, but also consider it of no use while solving most of the limit problems and therefore, skip it. This paper reformulates the rigorous definition of limit, which…

The application of technology to educational settings has always been an interesting phenomenon. Each new technological advance is described as a panacea for whatever ails education at that moment. As people move closer to more current times, the influence of personal computers and the rise of the internet has affected the educational setting in…

One of the simulation engines of an open-source program called the Molecular Workbench, which can simulate thermodynamics of chemical reactions, is described. This type of real-time, interactive simulation and visualization of chemical reactions at the atomic scale could help students understand the connections between chemical reaction equations…

UCLA, which has one of the top 10 research libraries in the country, has been using Taos software since 1996. However in 2001, Sirsi Corp. announced that it was freezing development on Taos software. As the associate university librarian for information technology at UCLA, the author relates that it was his responsibility to lead the way through…