An experiment designed to determine the aptitude level(s) and group size which would provide optimal feedback for formative evaluation of instructional materials found that revisions based on feedback from one-to- one sessions with a mixed aptitude group were more effective than those based on feedback from a group or single aptitude level. (EAO)

Describes a project at Bell Laboratories which sought a compromise between ideal formative evaluation procedures and more feasible procedures necessitated by restrictions on time and resources. Local-trial and field-trial stages of a phased approach are discussed, as well as the benefits of field-tests. (EAO)

Reports research on computer assisted instruction (CAI) which has attempted to understand why CAI often accomplishes learning goals in less time and describes the "Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study" which investigated the way students use their time, actual time-on-task, and quality of student involvement with subject content. (EAO)

Describes the introduction of professionally qualified instructional designers into the Professional Education Division of Arthur Anderson and Co., an international public accounting and professional services firm. The difficulties and misunderstandings that were overcome and the role the instructional designers now play in providing training…

Research on teachers' judgments, instructional planning, and decision making during classroom interaction is reviewed. (MP)

H. S. Bhola's CLER (configurations, linkages, environments, resources) Model, when applied to instructional development, can: (1) anchor instructional development in real time and space; (2) assist in focusing the variables involved; (3) help determine the range of choices; and (4) assist with implementation and evaluation. It can help developers…

Discusses three steps in learning-strategy analysis--determining the potential errors, categorizing them as being verbal or motor, and identifying appropriate training objectives, learning strategies, and teaching objectives. Then follow descriptions of concept and principle learning, motor performance, and motor chain learning. The task analyzed…

Describes the results of a study of three programs successfully teaching basic skills. Characteristics of successful schools include careful alignment of curriculum and instruction and grade-level instructional planning. (Author/JM)

Provides a model for "coordinate status consultation," a method of improving instruction in which the client-professor and the counselor-instructional developer work together as equals. This paper defines the process, summarizes the conceptual basis, describes the major phases in the process, and provides an example of its use. (JJD)

This discussion of the use of audiovisual instruction in the health sciences emphasizes the importance of instructional effectiveness and describes such activities of the media center of the Vaud University Hospital (Switzerland) as instructional development and training of media users, including World Health Organization (WHO) fellows. Eight…

Discusses the relationship between Piaget's theory of cognitive development and Perry's theory of intellectual and ethical development, and recommends a framework for their application in course design. Involving students in examining not only course content, but also their beliefs and reasoning patterns, is recommended as a route for improving…

Reviews research on the principal's role as instructional manager. Considers four factors: instructional organization, including time, class size and arrangement, and grouping; school climate; the principal's exercise of authority, power, and influence; and the nonschool context, such as personal and district characteristics and the external…

The promotion of basic skills need not conflict with present elective systems which seek to create interest and to address student concerns. The solution is not to narrow subject offerings to a "no-frills" level, but to design learning systems which ensure that current offerings cover the basic skills. (SJL)

Examples of school library media activities that illustrate instructional involvement currently taking place in various parts of the nation are classified according to David Loertscher's taxonomy. (CHC)

Examines an instructional systems design (ISD) model used by Bell Laboratories as an illustration of how heuristics can be brought to bear upon the design and development of instructional materials. Ten references are listed. (Author/MER)