In this commentary on Van Leeuwen (2015, this issue), I explore the relation between theory and practice in learning analytics. Specifically, I caution against adhering to one specific theoretical doctrine while ignoring others, suggest deeper applications of cognitive load theory to understanding teaching with analytics tools, and comment on…

Sigmund Tobias came to the United States in 1948, after his family had fled to China from the Holocaust in Europe. His Memoir ("Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai") describes that part of his life. He settled in New York, where he completed his B.A. and M.S. in School Psychology from the City College of New York, and a…

Technology-supported education has become increasingly important and popular. Although it has long been claimed that a technology-enhanced learning environment is often more motivating than its traditional counterpart, not too many inspiring empirical studies have been carried out. In this article, the traditional approach in the motivation…

Designers of interactive learning environments face the issue of managing the learner's cognitive load, reducing irrelevant sources while optimizing useful sources of load. I propose a conceptual framework aimed at organizing the contributions of the papers presented in this special issue. The framework identifies three main dimensions, namely…

Discusses the implications of theories of hemispheric dominance for computer-assisted instruction, highlights some of the computer's instructional uses, lists specialized functions of the cerebral hemispheres, and lists recommended solutions to CBI program problems which were submitted by gifted children. Thirty-five sources are listed. (FM)

This paper presents a perspective of the current state of technology-assisted instruction integrating computer language, artificial intelligence (AI), and a review of cognitive science applied to instruction. The following topics are briefly discussed: (1) the language of instructional technology, i.e., programming languages, including authoring…

Argues that microcomputers are inexpensive, reliable, and sufficiently powerful to meet important educational demands, and that with authoring/driver systems educators could make far greater use of what is known about cognitive processes, especially structural learning. (MER)

The point of Choi and Clark (2006) was that after many well-designed studies, they have no evidence for either the learning or the motivational benefits of pedagogical agents. In their study, they found compelling evidence that when agents are found to enhance learning, a less expensive and less distracting pedagogical method has equal or greater…

This paper provides an historical and empirical critique of the claim that learning to program will promote the development of general higher mental functions. A developmental perspective on learning to program is provided which incorporates cognitive science studies of mental activities involved in programming, and highlights the importance of…

Reviews instructional design research and theory and relates it to the design of computer-based instructional materials. Instructional design guidelines are offered to aid software developers in making design decisions on three macrolevel and four microlevel of instruction. (Author/LRW)

The emergence of cognitive psychology as an important source for theories of learning, the relationship between information processing theories of learning and behaviorist theories, the implications of recent developments in cognitive psychology for instructional design, and the role of computers in instruction are among the topics addressed in…

Discussion of the growing use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in education focuses on an intrapersonal communication model based on the cognitive experience of the individual. Four types of experiential learning that can be applied to CMC are explained: (1) response learning; (2) situation learning; (3) transsituation learning; and (4)…

In earlier times, practically everything was taught by apprenticeships. Schools are a recent invention that use many fewer teaching resources, but the computer enables us to go back to the resource-intensive mode of education, in a form called cognitive apprenticeship. This involves the use of modeling, coaching, reflecting on performance, and…

Argues that a well-articulated theory of instruction provides a guide for the evaluation of computer-assisted instructional systems by helping to define the criteria. Individual differences, responsive environment, criterion-referenced education, and cognitive psychology are discussed in reference to adaptive education. Thirteen references are…

This paper describes and critically analyzes several perspectives on interaction and computer technology, examines dimensions of interactions, and presents a framework for the design of interaction strategies. Traditional perspectives on interaction discussed are the operational and the functional. The operational perspective is described in terms…