This paper examines prior research on learner control in an effort to apply the findings to the design of interactive video systems. Early research on learner control is detailed, including descriptions of research supporting learner control or having mixed reactions to learner control. Alternatives to learner control are also discussed, including…

This paper examines the gap between the learning potentials that computers provide and the actual impact of computer use on learning and development. It is argued that the computer's unique potential is derived in part from four basic attributes: information, symbol systems, user activities, and relations with the user. It is hypothesized that…

This paper, presented at a symposium on computer-based instructional systems, discusses innovations in the TICCIT computer-based instructional system. Specific issues addressed include innovations in the system's authoring languages, integration of videodisc technology, instructional management systems, creation of color computer graphics using a…

Two research studies were designed to examine computer anxiety in teacher education students at West Virginia University. The studies explored the relationship between computer anxiety and performance, and the effects of both prior computer use and the instructional format on computer anxiety and performance. The first study was performed as part…

This paper speaks to the challenges, risks, and rewards of teaching about linear functions in a technology-rich environment from a constructivist perspective by describing a Foundations of Algebra class, which was designed and taught to junior high school students in such an environment in the summer of 1991. The design and implementation of the…

In 1987, a computerized laboratory component was incorporated into a traditional lower division, lecture-oriented, cognitive psychology course at State University of New York College at Plattsburgh. At first, eight computerized experiments were available for students to participate in as subjects, while students were simply assigned the activities…

This paper discusses four areas in the psychology literature that have important implications for the instructional design of microcomputer-based simulations. The first one examined is cognitive structures, and the following suggestions for instructional design are offered: simulations should be appropriate for students' level of understanding;…

This study examined the effects of feedback, the correctness of response, and response confidence within the context of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The subjects were 120 students enrolled in the four computer literacy classes at the University of Texas. The instructional material on the human eye involved 30 program frames with three…

A questionnaire was administered to 167 preservice elementary education undergraduates. The questionnaire was designed to assess the relatedness of personological variables to the expected use of computers in teaching by preservice student teachers. The data collected comprise the baseline for a 5-year longitudinal study that is to be conducted…

In the first of four symposium papers, Clark reviews the research on learning from media and uses his argument that media comparison studies show no differences in learning attributable to any one medium over another to dispute recent research on computer-assisted instruction. He also takes the position that the media attribute argument (i.e.,…

This paper examines the cognitive processes associated with higher-order thinking strategies--i.e., cognitive processes directly associated with the employment of knowledge in the service of problem solving and creativity--in order to more clearly define a prescribed instructional method to improve problem-solving skills. The first section of the…

The results of five experiments investigating the effects of forced pauses and guided processing in an interactive videodisc instructional system are presented. The results indicate that forced pauses at strategic locations in an interactive videodisc tutorial may improve achievement for some students without interfering in the achievement of…

This review of research on computer use in education focuses on the development of higher order thinking skills and the effects of programming instruction. Eight hypotheses are proposed to account for the general failure of the research to confirm the expectations, and a new programming language, Prolog, is described. (70 references) (Author/LRW)