Evidence collected on the effectiveness of four educational technologies is briefly reviewed. The authors conclude that there is reasonable evidence that computer-assisted instruction can have at least a modest effect on improving learning and probably more when its instructional approaches are properly matched to instructional objectives, that…

This paper reports a series of experiments with text-to-speech (TTS) voices. These experiments have been conducted to develop audio materials for listening comprehension as an alternative technology to traditionally used audio equipment like the compact cassette. The new generation of TTS voices based on unit selection synthesis provides…

Everyday many students face bullying situations that they are ill equipped to manage. E-learning has recently emerged as a potentially effective tool in teaching children social skills, in addition to academic subject matter. Quest for the Golden Rule is one of the first bullying prevention e-learning programs available, designed by the…

Listening plays a crucial part in the learning of overseas students in the United Kingdom. Students can never follow a lecture or discussion in English without listening. Traditional classroom teaching in listening limits students' time and space. However, the Web-based listening course accommodates listeners a great deal, enabling them to access…

Evaluating the impact of instructional innovations and coordinating instruction, assessment, and testing present complex tensions. Many evaluation and coordination efforts aim to address these tensions by using the coherence provided by modern cognitive science perspectives on domain-specific learning. This paper introduces an alternative…

In the Singapore primary school Mathematics curriculum, students are taught the model method that uses bar diagrams to visualize the problem structure in a given word problem. When these students progress to secondary school, they learn the algebraic way of solving word problems. Studies (e.g. Ng et al.) have shown that poor bridging of students…

Student retention rates are a constant concern in higher education, but this concern has become especially challenging as online courses become more common and there are widespread reports of low completion rates for online, self-study courses. We evaluated four self-study online pharmacy courses with a history of very high completion rates for…

Developing a software environment to enhance 3D geometric proficiency demands the consideration of theoretical views of the learning process. Simultaneously, this effort requires taking into account the range of tools that technology offers, as well as their limitations. In this paper, we report on the design of Virtual Spaces 1.0 software, a…

Students with disabilities are guaranteed access to assistive technologies (AT) by provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) (2004) and its predecessor, the Technology Related Assistance Act (Tech Act) (1988). Design and development of AT, including devices and software programs, has burgeoned to a point…

This study aims to evaluate the perception of a cohort of social workers studying for a part-time master's program in social work in using the popular Web-based learning platform--World Wide Web Course Tools (WebCT) as a complimentary method of teaching and learning. It was noted that social work profession began incorporating computer technology…

Nine second-year and six final-year nursing students completed a questionnaire and participated in focus groups about STEP-DIET, a computer-based dietetics instructional tool. Students liked the design and content, perceived increased nutritional knowledge and understanding of dietitians' role. However, they were reluctant to accept…

This article describes two studies conducted to compare assembly performance and learning rate between computer based training and traditional training of skilled assembly operators. The studies were performed with pre-series production parts from a car cockpit and they were integrated as part of the overall training activities during a new…

A computer-assisted music-learning system (CAMLS) has been developed to help the hearing impaired practice playing a musical melody. The music-learning performance is evaluated to test the usability of the system. This system can be a computer-supported learning tool for the hearing impaired to help them understand what pitch and tempo are, and…

A computerized map tutorial and a more traditional atlas based instructional method to teach geographic locations were compared with 15 remedial and 12 learning disabled grade nine students. The computerized map tutorial produced significantly higher performance for both groups of students and there were no significant differences between the…

A literature review identified strengths and weaknesses of the Principle of the Alphabet Literacy System, a computerized adult literacy program, concluding that it showed no consistent achievement effects. Far less expensive technologies that could achieve the same goals with greater flexibility are available. (SK)