This paper describes the research agenda at Technology Based Learning and Research (TBLR) at Arizona State University, whose primary research mission is to provide information to guide the development and subsequent application of its technology based instruction (TBI) products. It is noted that the research question at the heart of the agenda is the investigation of TBI effectiveness, especially relative to conventional instruction. Each of the stages of the agenda is described--i.e., needs assessment; logic modelling; five stages of formative evaluation (monitoring, systematic review using formal criteria, presentation features analysis, open-ended expert review, and informal field testing); beta testing of the product; and summative evaluation (formal field tests and controlled tests). The various stages in the agenda are illustrated by references to a recently completed pilot project, Teaching Mathematics Methods Using Interactive Videodisc (TMMUIV), a prototype interactive, multimedia instructional tool with both classroom presentation and stand-alone laboratory applications that was developed to help preservice teachers integrate mathematics content with the teaching methods and manipulative materials advocated by the professional teaching standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (Contains 26 references.) (ALF)