Reviewed is the development and evaluation of the instructional quality inventory (IQI), a systematic methodology for reviewing the three major products of the Instructional Systems Design process--objectives, test items, and instruction--before conducting student tryouts. The empirically based instructional design support system aids developers…

Arguing that the failure of instructional materials is frequently due to misconceptions held by their developers concerning the nature of comprehension, this chapter examines the factors involved in comprehension and relates them to the design of instructional materials. Three types of errors in comprehension are discussed, and ways to avoid them…

Describes the stages in the development of the life insurance game 'Your Money or Your Life'--a board game designed to give students preparing for professional insurance examinations a better understanding of the nature, purpose, and scope of life insurance--and how the game is played. (EAO)

Describes a step-by-step outline for an efficient curriculum program encompassing: curriculum responsibilities; plans for a revision schedule; and revision committees and their schedules. (AH)

In 1978, the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, through its Head Start program, designed and implemented the Basic Educational Skills (BES) project to foster Head Start children's readiness for school and their subsequent achievement in elementary school. The purpose of this document is to disseminate elementary-level BES materials.…

Suggestions offered to improve the quality of instructional computing software created by computer programming instructors cover analysis of the problem, program design, the development of each module, writing and debugging the program, and final testing and development. (EJS)

Focuses on incorporating feminist thinking into teaching to show the limitations of mainstream analyses of a theory. Uses a democratic feminist theory in discussing environmental problems, and suggests projects that involve students in political activity. Provides a course syllabus and a reading list with applications of feminist theory. (NL)

Outlines a graduate level minicourse entitled "Micrographics in Libraries" offered at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, noting course objectives and learning activities. A bibliographic review of instructional resources and an outline of units and learning activities within the 15-hour course are included. Thirty-two references are…

Discusses the development and implementation of a series of culture units for use in elementary German courses. Describes a typical unit, which consists of a set of slides with accompanying text, outlining presentation strategies and class activities. Finally, analyzes the results of a course evaluation by students. (MES)

Describes an instructional database for microcomputers which is designed to eliminate the need for costly textbooks and to aid professors in many of their instructional responsibilities. Various types of databases are explained, and guidelines for hardware selection and backup systems are discussed. (LRW)

Contends that the use of commercial published curricula, particularly textbooks and teacher's guides, is widespread in U.S. church-sponsored programs of religious education. Reports on case studies of five church-school teachers on their curriculum development and lesson-planning procedures. (CFR)

This paper discusses issues in instructional material development for rural gifted children in Australia. Issues include who should develop curriculum materials, what form should enrichment materials take, which theoretical frameworks are appropriate, and how should content be selected. Interdisciplinary materials used in developing a unit in…

In conjunction with United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's 40th anniversary, 1986 was named the International Year of Peace. During 1986, UNESCO selected the theme "peace" as an education project to be undertaken in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico,…

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)

Key principles for designing language teaching materials are presented. They relate to the following: links with the curriculum; authenticity regarding text and task; stimulating interaction; allowing focus on formal aspects of the language; encouraging development of learning skills; and applying language skills to the wider world. (10…