The paper reviews the use of the microcomputer in special education program monitoring and contrasts its use with batch mainframe time-sharing computer systems. The mainframe system used by Custer State Hospital, the site of a residential training program for severely and profoundly handicapped persons, is described. The hospital's batch system is…

This paper describes the development of a course to introduce microcomputer application software to non-computer science majors at Kean College (New Jersey). Topics covered include: (1) background; (2) course content; (3) classroom laboratory design, installation, and management; (4) teaching strategies and student performance and reactions. Some…

Observations in Australian classrooms suggest that for most teachers the content and method of curriculum has changed little as a result of the proliferation of new information technologies. In many instances there has been considerable resistance and reluctance to embrace the use of new technologies to support the teaching and learning process.…

Three basic kinds of tools exist for computer assisted instruction (CAI): templates, which are often highly user-friendly and require little investment of time but whose potential is limited; authoring systems, which offer a number of options for lesson design and greater variety in approach, but which require more sophisticated input from the…

An analysis of computer literacy curricula around the middle of the 1980s shows a remarkable overall shift away from teaching computing to teaching applications, information handling, and problem-solving. Computer use is no longer viewed as a goal in itself, but is introduced as a powerful means of fulfilling information needs and of facilitating…

This paper provides an exploration of the impact of the increasing use of microcomputers in education upon curriculum development and the physical space needs in the learning environment. A secondary topic is the present and future directions of schools in the design of computer environments. (Author/MD)

In response to increasing demands for computer literacy, the University of Nevada/Reno College of Education, in cooperation with the Burroughs Corporation, developed a training program to acquaint future and inservice teachers with computer use and the potentials of computer education. In this model, groups of learners are stratified by levels of…

Topics discussed in 14 papers concerned with software design, curriculum development, evaluation, and intelligent systems include teaching and learning systems, development of computer-assisted learning (CAL) courseware (music and reading), evaluation of CAL packages for mastery learning and modelling, assessment of CAL in physics and the primary…

This speech bemoans the deplorable state of geography education in the United States. American students' geographical knowledge is far inferior to that of European, Russian, Japanese, Canadian, or Australian students. This nation's young people literally do not know where they are, what other cultures are like, or how things fit together. A recent…

Three major accomplishments of the computer revolution on university campuses are: an increase in the quantity of academic work; improvement in the quality of academic work; and a change in the nature of academic work. However, three main impediments to successful computer integration still exist: (1) the information battle--how to obtain reliable…

Describes how informatics is being integrated into the Bulgarian schools' curriculum through the use of microcomputers, Logo, and appropriate software. A set of problems that could be used for introducing informatics is presented which is based on the programming notions of cycle, recursion, and coding. (LRW)

If computer assisted instruction is to become viable in the speech communication classroom, the curriculum must be changed to include a discussion of the types of educational materials and formats that are possible and available for classroom use. Furthermore, the teacher and student need to know the capabilities of commercially available…

Focusing on use of the computer as an object of instruction, this paper provides a rationale for teaching computer literacy and explores a variety of definitions for the term. Also discussed are various curriculum approaches that are being developed to teach computer literacy content, which include teaching the content in a separate course and the…

The instructional information system (IIS), a method by which instructionally relevant information can be collected, stored, processed, and reported to various users in a timely manner, has considerable potential to improve instruction. To better identify the circumstances in which the IIS will succeed, it is necessary to know more about how…

This overview of the current status of computer-based learning in the United Kingdom (U.K.) begins with a discussion of the Microelectronics Education Program (MEP), which was implemented in 1981 to: (1) provide inservice teacher training in the educational aspects of microelectronics; (2) stimulate and service curriculum development efforts using…