This review of Data Desk Professional, a statistical software package for Macintosh microcomputers, includes information on: (1) cost and the amount and allocation of memory; (2) usability (documentation quality, ease of use); (3) running programs; (4) program output (quality of graphics); (5) accuracy; and (6) user services. In conclusion, it is…

This paper identifies three ways that computers are used in educational contexts. The first and most widespread use is as a tutor, i.e., as a delivery system for programmed instruction and drill-and-practice activities. The second use is as a programming environment to teach programming languages such as BASIC, LOGO, or PASCAL. The third use is as…

Currently available spreadsheet programs for microcomputers provide many features that can be very useful for evaluators and researchers. Some of the basic concepts involved in spreadsheet use are introduced, and information is provided on the use of spreadsheets in maintaining and analyzing evaluation data. The spreadsheet used in the discussion…

Selected examples using the statistical packages Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), the Statistical Analysis System (SAS), and BMDP are presented to facilitate their use and encourage appropriate uses in: (1) a hierarchical design; (2) a confounded factorial design; and (3) variance component estimation procedures. To illustrate…

To help teachers cope with the proliferation of software and software sources, a number of resources are available to aid in the evaluation and selection of educational software. For instance, both the "Educator's Handbook and Software Directory" and "Swift's Directory of Educational Software, Apple II Edition" provide listings…

Reviews the main points of computer teleconferencing for both public and private conferences. A directory of teleconferencing resources for mainframe computers and microcomputers is included. (MES)

This report provides a detailed description and evaluation of the SYSTAT 2.1 microcomputer statistics system for professional statisticians. Information provided includes the producer, versions available and compatibility, and a description of each of the 11 modules that make up the SYSTAT package. Discussion of the usability of the software…

This description of procedures for dumping high and low resolution graphics using the Apple IIe microcomputer system focuses on two special hardware configurations that are commonly used in schools--the Apple Dot Matrix Printer with the Apple Parallel Interface Card, and the Imagewriter Printer with the Apple Super Serial Interface Card. Special…

The author presents guidelines for the selection of statistical analysis software given to graduate students to work independently. Criteria for a good teaching program are delineated. Several software programs are evaluated: STATMASTER, Statistics and Probability, Monte Carlo Simulations, Survey Sampling, KEYSTAT, CAPSAS: Computer Assisted…

This paper discusses some of the ways one can study graphics on the Apple II microcomputer. Much attention is given to specialized use of software packages used in dumping graphics, and the saving or storing of binary files of graphic images. Knowledge of BASIC at more than a cursory level is required, but a step-by-step procedural outline is…

This report describes a project which evaluated five IBM and Macintosh bibliographic formatting software programs--ProCite, Sci-Mate, Reference Manager, Notebook II, and Bibliography--and which was conducted by the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the request of the campus microcomputer support center.…

The background and results of an effort to use dBASE II, a microcomputer database management package, to establish, maintain, and update an item bank useful in a complex test development process are presented. The paper explores some of the perspectives and considerations in designing such a database which make the test development process easier,…

The advancement of microcomputer technology has reached the point where color monitors and color computer software are fast becoming the norm in our information society. Color is another channel for communication, and can be used for enhancement of both aesthetic characteristics and productivity. The advantage to the use of color for communication…

The paper examines the way preschool children with handicaps interact with and make their response to computer programs, suggesting that the most important factor ensuring successful computer use is finding the most appropriate method of computer access. Difficulties with software programs are noted, including problems with scanning. It is…

Evaluators, by the nature of their work, must be concerned with data management activities ranging from the collection and recording of data to the analyses, summation, and presentation of those data. Though word processing has been cited as the most frequently used microcomputer package by educational evaluators, spreadsheets are among the most…