Considers three powerful techniques--heuristics, context trees, and search via backward chaining--that a knowledge engineer might employ to develop an expert system to automate performance engineering, i.e., the branch of instructional technology that focuses on the problems of business and industry. (MBR)

This paper discusses computer simulation as a tool for teaching about phenomena characterized by a problem to be solved, a task or goal to be reached, a procedure to be learned, or an environment to be understood. Simulation is defined and characterized by an examination of both the attributes that are common to simulations, and a taxonomy…

Reviews criticisms of the use of drill and practice programs in educational computing and describes potentials for its use in instruction. Topics discussed include guidelines for developing computer-based drill and practice; scripted training courseware; item format design; item bank design; and a performance-responsive algorithm for item…

Arithmetic programming for students with mild mental disabilities requires a comprehensive perspective that includes attention to curriculum, instruction, and appraisal. Arithmetic computation should not dominate educational programming, but should be included in ways that are functionally relevant and meaningfully presented within a framework of…

This discussion of information structures in written texts describes how linguistic analysis of short published reports leads to the presentation of an algorithm that depicts the problem-solving process in terms of a series of evaluative questions. (Author/CHC)

Describes algorithms and shows how they can be applied to the design of instructional systems by relating them to a standard information processing model. Two studies are briefly described which tested serial and parallel processing in learning and offered guidelines for designers. Future research needs are also discussed. (LRW)

Discussion of Gal'perin's theory of step-by-step formation of mental actions includes descriptions of experimental applications of this activity approach to teaching foreign languages. Constructing and understanding sentences are discussed, and activities for the construction of a sentence and the orientation base of action (OBA) for German,…

Presents four questions to consider when supervising elementary mathematics teachers, who come with many preconceptions about teaching and learning mathematics: What mathematical concepts, procedures, or algorithms are you teaching? Are the concepts and procedures part of a unit? What types of questions do you pose? and What understanding of…

Discrete mathematics, the mathematics of decision making for finite settings, is a topic of great interest in mathematics education at all levels. Attention is being focused on resolving the diversity of opinion concerning the exact nature of the subject, what content the curriculum should contain, who should study that material, and how that…