This paper discusses methodological issues and strategies that underlie the development of expert software systems that provide research assistance to school practitioners of action research. The following key issues related to the development of expert systems software are examined: developing a knowledge base that represents research expertise;…

End-user statistical computing is one way to improve the productivity of researchers; it does so by providing them with a statistical computing environment and with guidance on its appropriate use. Critical success factors include: (1) ease of use; (2) software correctness and robustness; (3) compatibility with system resources; (4) training and…

The background of this paper is an internal research project at the German National Research Center for Information Technology, Integrated Publication and Information Systems Institute, (GMD-IPSI) dealing with software engineering, computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL) and practical biotech knowledge. The project goal is to develop a…

This paper investigates, through a case study, the development of a software architecture that is compatible with a system's high-level requirements. The case study is an example of an extended customer/supplier relationship (post-point of sale support) involved in e-universities and is representative of a class of enterprise without current…

With the development of Career Oasis, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM ) has pioneered the use of computer-based career guidance in Saudi Arabia. KFUPM contracted with Verbal Media, LLC, an American consulting company, to create a resource that would be available in both Arabic and English, in both online and paper-and-pencil…

Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) in North Carolina has developed a multimedia recruitment program using Asymetrix ToolBook software. Combining text, graphics, and pictures, the program provides curriculum and admissions information to prospective students. By taking an interactive multimedia tour, prospective students can become immediately…

This paper discusses educational technology and the structural changes that society must make to accommodate it. The paper begins by examining technology trends, including the exponential rate of change in the information industry, the growing ubiquitousness of computers, inequities in U.S. schools, and technology characteristics (e.g., the open…

This paper describes the Educational Software Components of Tomorrow (ESCOT) project. The focus of the project was on principles that support problem-solving and learner-centered design issues, and the purpose was to garner lessons from a large educational software development project to share with the learning sciences and other interested…

This paper identifies three rationales in the relevant literature for closing the gender gap in computing: economic, cultural and political. Each rationale implies a different set of indicators of present inequalities, disparate goals for creating equality, and distinct principles for software and web site design that aims to help girls overcome…

This research, performed during 1998 and 1999, had as its purpose the development and validation of a course/instructor evaluation instrument specifically for use with graduate and undergraduate courses delivered online via the World Wide Web. The primary goal of the study was to develop an instrument that would collect valid perception data from…

Educational design encompasses many aspects of educational software development but needs to be extended to Project Design (PD) by inclusion of a strategy for dissemination. This crucial aspect of PD should be considered from the start and usually involves commercialization. Models for commercialization are diverse, and the choice can have…

This paper investigates how computer support for vicarious learning can be implemented by taking a principled approach to selecting and combining different media to capture educational dialogues. The main goal is to create vicarious learning materials of appropriate pedagogic content and production quality, and at the same time minimize the…

New approaches to teaching and learning are common, but nothing will change unless these ideas are brought to the frontlines of the classroom. Facing the challenge to incorporate varied innovative teaching and learning strategies, set statewide and schoolwide goals, and implement standards, schools need a systematic, consistent framework and high…

Each semester at Miami University (Ohio) the secretaries struggle to update the Campus Directory database in order to print the campus telephone and office/class hours directory. It is a time-consuming process and the directory is usually late and out-of-date by the time it is printed. The university's Computer Services Manager has created a Web…

The goal of this project was to develop customized teaching analysis software that would accurately measure recorded teaching behaviors and communicate useful results quickly to the observed teacher with the goal of improving teacher performance. A computer software program, "The Evaluator," was developed that uses a Windows interface programmed…