A review of the research literature on systematic instructional design indicates that few empirically supported guidelines exist for testing materials under development and for improving materials on the basis of feedback from potential learners. In an analysis of 17 textbooks on instructional design, eight specific aspects to be considered in…

Discusses highlights of a literature review on guidelines for formative evaluation of courseware and the development of a formative evaluation instrument by the Kanata High Technology Training Association (Ottawa). The eight dimensions of the resultant questionnaire are listed and a copy of the evaluation instrument is included. (MBR)

Describes and compares formative evaluation approaches: expert review, developmental testing, three-stage model, learner verification and revision, and general approach to formative evaluation. Discussion of differences among approaches related to duration of try-out/revision cycle and recommendations for effective acquisition of data are…

A review of the literature on systematic instructional design suggests that few empirically tested guidelines exist for testing and revising materials during the development stages. The revision process can broadly be based on one of two distinct strategies, internal review or developmental testing. Internal review strategies include referring…

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…

A system designed to assist training managers or evaluators in increasing the effectiveness of military training programs has been developed, tested, and refined. The Training Program Evaluation (TPE) system offers advantages over traditional approaches of assessing program effectiveness. TPE involves the direct observation of training and testing…

A project was undertaken to develop, field test, and revise strategies for adult beginning readers (ABRs). During the first phase of the study, the researchers identified roadblocks to use of word recognition clues by ABRs. Based on data and feedback from local and state piloting and general principles of learning, the project staff developed the…