Presents an activity, involving pentagons and using a figure manipulator such as The Geometer's Sketchpad, that requires students to reason geometrically without making unsubstantiated assumptions based on diagrams. (MKR)

Describes the use of spreadsheets to discuss mathematical concepts without using algebraic notation. Presents examples using Fibonacci numbers and factorials. (MKR)

In a third-year medical school hematology course, handouts reproducing all or most of the 35mm slides used during the lecture are given at the beginning of class. The slides are reproduced on the left, with room for note-taking on the right. Despite some disadvantages, the method is seen as helpful. (Author/MSE)

Discussion of human-computer interfaces focuses on the use of graphical and direct manipulation approaches to improve the user interface. Topics discussed include information seeking; computerized search capabilities, including full-text string searches, index searches, and hypertext; Boolean expressions; dynamic or direct manipulation queries;…

Suggests that adults learn more easily when material is linked to knowledge that they already have. Offers tools such as structured overviews, effective graphics, and conceptual maps and discusses the use of case studies in corporate training. (JOW)

Describes the Perseus project, a hypertext database of textual and visual materials for the study of classical Greek civilization. The anticipated needs of users are considered; current and potential capabilities of information technology are discussed; and the selection, organization, and presentation of materials are described. (seven…

Explains how to create job aids that employees will be motivated to use, based on a review of pertinent literature and interviews with professionals. Topics addressed include linking motivation with job aids; Keller's ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model of motivation; and design strategies for job aids based on Keller's…

Describes the Multimedia Visualizer, an online public access catalog (OPAC) that uses animated visualizations to make it more user friendly. Pictures of the system are shown that illustrate the interactive objects that patrons can access, including card catalog drawers, librarian desks, and bookshelves; and access to multimedia items is described.…

A method used to help translators develop skill in understanding texts uses a grid for organizing information before it is translated into another language. The technique, which can also be used simply for notetaking, is illustrated with a text in French. (MSE)

Describes an informal experiment designed to explore the relationship between drawing and writing, and the meaning held in the drawings. Finds that drawing should not be relegated only to small children, but should be used to help older students explore their thoughts and feelings as well. (PRA)

Details the concepts of romanticism and classicism and how they relate to secondary English instruction. Argues that teachers should offer students both the imaginative adventure of the romantic and the analytical power of the classicist. Describes a visual lesson by which these two modes might be illustrated and fostered. (HB)

Detailed analyses are made of the concepts of window (seemingly deep spatial renderings) and frame (flatter, more technique-conscious structures) as they apply to a wide variety of visual media and communicative purposes. Special cases of each of these are detailed, along with their applications in cinema history to a range of realist, formalist,…

Describes how to more effectively communicate the visual element in video and audiovisual materials. Discusses identifying a central topic, developing the visual content without words, preparing a storyboard, testing its effectiveness on people who are unacquainted with the production, and writing the script with as few words as possible. (AEF)

Reports on an investigation which utilized multidimensional scaling (MDS) of paired comparison judgments as a means of evaluating representations for moving image documents. Discusses implications of the findings for visual information retrieval and the development of digital video collections. (Author/AEF)

Inexperienced trade apprentices were presented with text in a visual-only manner and in both auditory and visual forms. Results show that the diagram-only presentation was the least intelligible, but after two specifically designed training sessions the advantage of the visual diagram-auditory text method disappeared. In a second study, the…