The aim of this project is to build software development environments for teachers, enabling them to produce their own educational applications for their classrooms as easily as they might produce educational materials using a word processor. As one means of realizing this goal, the authors proposed a componentware methodology, and developed 15…

This document is the annual report prepared by the Interagency Working Group on Information Technology Research and Development of the National Science and Technology Council. This report is a Supplement to the President's fiscal year (FY) 2002 Budget that describes the Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD)…

Two logically related themes in management literature are the "productivity paradox" and "business process reengineering." Hypotheses concerning the stages through which information technology will pass lead to the same conclusions: the industry is in transition, and there will soon be an upward turn in conventional productivity calculation. (AEF)

Researchers are developing automated instructional design systems which guide subject matter experts (SMEs) through the complexities of courseware development. Enabling SMEs to perform many of the authoring activities associated with courseware development has two distinct advantages: (1) costs are contained; and (2) SMEs can make optional use of…

Argues that including computer programming in the curriculum as a medium for instruction is a feasible alternative for teaching problem solving. Discusses the nature of problem solving; the problem-solving elements of discovery, motivation, practical learning situations and flexibility which are inherent in programming; capabilities of computer…

Presents a Multimedia Title Development Environment (MTDE), which integrates multimedia information, tools used to produce it, and their formats and storage media as objects in an Asset Repository for use by cooperative design teams. The system's architecture and data model are described; and examples are provided of MTDE use and steps in updating…

A project used a concordancing program with a corpus of academic texts to introduce students unfamiliar with the language of academic discourse to some important, frequent, and significant items in English academic vocabulary. It has developed materials for classroom and independent use intended for native speakers as well as learners of English…

This report is the result of a systematic review of the status and directions of high performance computing and its relationship to federal research and development. Conducted by the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET), the review involved a series of workshops attended by numerous computer scientists and…

Examines the methodological common denominator among several models for courseware development and discusses in detail both the design and the validation phases. Emphasizes the need for a systematic approach in which multiple authors' skills are exploited and the cost-benefit ratio is kept at an acceptable level. (AEF)

An overview is provided of current trends in virtual reality research and development, including discussion of hardware, types of virtual reality, and potential problems with virtual reality. Implications for education and training are explored. (Author/JKP)

Many new technologies are now available for delivering and/or providing access to computer-based learning (CBL) materials. These technologies vary in sophistication in many important ways, depending upon the bandwidth that they provide, the interactivity that they offer and the types of end-user connectivity that they support.Invariably,…

Development and piloting of an interactive multimedia package, designed for incorporation into introductory accounting education at James Cook University (Australia) are described. The module includes four sessions, equivalent to one semester's curriculum. The materials were tested with students, faculty, and practitioners to determine their…

Argues that consideration of constructivism's epistemological implications suggests that educational technologists need to convince learners of a problem's authenticity rather than to promote environments that deliver "preauthenticated" problems. Proposes guidelines to assist developers of educational technologies in accommodating the essentially…

Explains why metaphors are important design elements in multimedia learning environments. Describes a model developed for levels of metaphor mapping which is oriented toward a cognitive engineering approach for describing aspects of user interfaces. Shows the extent that the didactic dimensions of width and depth of metaphors be taken into account…

A revision of the initialization strategy is suggested for OSMOD, a method of nonlinear principal component analysis for multivariate nominal and/or ordinal data. The revision is effective in diminishing the possibility of obtaining locally optimal solutions with categorical data provided by the original version of OSMOD. (SLD)