Cognitive task analysis grew out of efforts by cognitive psychologists to understand problem-solving in a lab setting. It has proved a useful tool for describing expert performance in complex problem solving domains. This review considers two general models of cognitive task analysis and examines the procedures and results of analyses in three…

A study described and assessed a working experiential learning model used since 1976 as an adjunct to the basic speech communication course at the University College of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. In addition to class attendance, students in the basic course meet in a communication laboratory for one hour per week. The overall functioning of…

Noting that assessment continues to be at the forefront of the speech communication discipline and the academy in general, this paper reflects on one speech communication department's struggle to make assessment meaningful and doable. The Speech Communications Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock uses such "low tech"…

Learning centers are student centered. That is, instructional goals are matched to learner needs and desires and student learning is self-paced. Teachers coordinate the learning process while students explore and experiment with learning materials. The learning center has several advantages over the traditional classroom: (1) it is success…

Provides a description and evaluation of a university's recently instituted physics learning center. Photos and text reveal some uses of the facility. (Author/CP)

The findings showed (1) laboratory students scored significantly higher in clerical ability and infrequency of absence from school and (2) no significant differences existed between the two groups of students in self-esteem and attitudes toward work. The dropout rate was significantly higher for students attending clerical skills training classes.…

This paper describes the results of a study of community college learning resource centers as they exist today and examines some emerging functions which point toward the role of the center in the future. (DC)

The first step in an effort to expand a writing laboratory program calls for the director and the current staff to investigate the areas in which expansion is desirable and can feasibly occur. This can be done by asking students to identify disciplines in which they would use additional tutorial help, or by addressing the faculty, especially those…

An action research project was undertaken to understand how the Writing Laboratory at Reading Area Community College (RACC) defines and accomplishes its work, what faculty and students expect of the lab, and how they make use of it. The investigation sought to foster discussion and reflection on the appropriate role and staffing of a college…

This report provides a comprehensive description and record of all academic support services provided to students through the South Plains College Learning Center. After an introductory statement clarifies the ever-increasing need for academic support services at open-door institutions, a philosophy and mission statement and a detailed description…

Designed for use in Trident Technical College's Secretarial Science Instructional Lab, this learning module provides self-instructional lessons and self-tests to teach students to operate the IBM Electronic 75 Typewriter and use the storage capabilities and special features of the machine. Each lesson focuses on one or more specific tasks,…

The first of three sections of this handbook deals with the use of the computer in the learning resource center. A dictionary of computer terms is followed by a description of areas of computer use in the learning resource center. Information for first-time computer users is then provided, including use of the Apple microcomputer and care and use…

Information on a telecourse program at the University of Kentucky is provided, based on a survey of the user population of the media-based educational program. This population consisted of 88 adult learners and other more nontraditional students. The telecourses were one component of the instructional system, which included printed materials,…

Learning assistance is a relatively new idea in education in the United States since most learning centers have come into existence since 1970. Although developmental education has become accessible in remote areas and many financial and psychological barriers have been lifted, much more could be accomplished in this area if more evaluative…