The use of formative evaluation in a new set of materials for French language instruction is discussed. The materials, entitled "In the French Body," use videodisk technology to teach both verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication. The technical and pedagogical design of the materials are described, difficulties of using controlled…

A new video evaluation instrument is demonstrated. It is designed specifically for distance education, to be used for instructional design consultation, distance education teacher training, or research. Categories include students interacting with teachers, with other students, and content. Analyzing interaction in two-way television requires an…

The Kansas State Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services contracted with the Kansas State University Social Work and Special Education programs to develop a series of training modules for child welfare workers that would emphasize training needs of workers in rural parts of the state. This article describes the needs assessment process,…

Computer assisted instruction programs for adult literacy are becoming more prevalent in learning centers, community organizations, and in schools across the country. Computers are also being used to curb illiteracy at the source, in elementary and secondary schools, in an effort to reduce dropout rates. Two IBM (International Business Machines)…

An overview of computer animation and the techniques involved in its creation is provided in the introduction to this masters thesis, which focuses on the problems encountered by students in learning the forms and functions of complex anatomical structures and ways in which computer animation can address these problems. The objectives for,…

The second of two volumes in these proceedings contains the text (or, in some cases, an abstract) of 124 papers on the use of technology at all levels of education, including elementary, secondary, and higher education. These papers were presented at 25 topic sessions by delegates representing more than 30 nations. Themes of the sessions include:…

This description of a plan to integrate interactive videodisk instruction into courses at the health science colleges at Michigan State University focuses on factors involved in planning and initiating such a project. Major features of the project are addressed, including: (1) theoretical concerns related to interactive video utilization; (2)…

The new interactive videodisk systems with augmented audio capabilities have great potential for improving the teaching of foreign languages. At present that potential is unfulfilled because the profession is following a "rear view mirror" approach to media use: first, to fixate current practice; second, to distribute it broadly; and last, to…

Students' initial perceptions of distance learning were assessed. The STAR SCHOOLS program, an initiative to promote the use of telecommunications in education and distance learning, funded the Alabama STAR SCHOOLS Program through the University of Alabama (Birmingham). Twelve satellite courses produced by Oklahoma State University were delivered…

This paper describes the development and current state of videodisk technology in Canada. The first section focuses on the technology itself, i.e., the disks, disk players, and the possibilities they offer for interaction between learner and machine. The current costs of the technology and the probable effect of these costs on the market are also…

The planning and management of educational systems has been examined widely in the last decades despite the lack of a standard research method and a unified underlying theory. Research based on quantitative analysis yields data that may be processed using the graphic capabilities of computers. The combination of numerical data and computer…

The presentational power of television gives it unique teaching characteristics and it is a source of a wide variety of learning material that would be unavailable to learners in any other way. For instance, it can be used to: (1) demonstrate experiments or experimental situations; (2) explain principles involving movement over space and/or time;…

It is safe to assume that by the end of the decade the videocassette recorder (VCR) will be the only piece of educational technology available to virtually all students both in and out of school. Given that working out the pedagogical consequences of VCR technology will be the most important media-related task of the next few years, the following…

A series of videodisc-based mathematics products have been developed by the cooperative effort of the University of Oregon, Utah State University, and various school districts. The products were designed to: (1) achieve educationally significant changes in student achievement and attitudes; (2) be consistent with group and individual classroom…

This guide to references and sources of information for those exploring the use of microcomputers in secondary education, especially in the United Kingdom (UK), begins with brief descriptions of several government-sponsored projects to help students and colleges prepare for a microelectronics society. The guide then presents: (1) annotated…