Skill shortages in the area of computer network troubleshooting are becoming increasingly acute. According to research sponsored by Cisco's Learning Institute, the demand for professionals with computer networking skills in the United States and Canada will outpace the supply of workers with those skills by an average of eight percent per year…

Discusses the results of a survey in which 291 parents of an urban elementary school reported on their computer equipment at home, the type and frequency of their children's educational software and Internet use, and shared their ideas how better connections between computer use at home and school might be created. (Author/LRW)

This self-training package is designed to help microcomputer users select appropriate and efficient educational software packages by using a software evaluation system. It is mainly designed for school teachers and parents. The system consists of a Criteria Rating Form (CRF) and a personal evaluation. The CRF--a five-point scale from excellent to…

Surveys the present status of science instructional software in the United States. Describes project efforts at the University of Pittsburgh on the development of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Explains the major components and provides microworld examples of ITS. Includes the software evaluation instrument and summarizes the evaluation…

This paper provides a balanced set of guidelines for reviewing educational software, and offers a simple and practical procedure that can be used to select software for instructional purposes. The procedure applies equally well to individual "titles" or to large-scale curriculum-based systems. It applies to software delivered on a CD-ROM, through…

Describes procedures for choosing process skill materials for evaluation. Steps include selecting software titles, reading descriptions, and skimming for key phrases associated with process skills, examining courseware, considering cost versus time, and the selecting process. Sample forms for the evaluation process are included. (RT)

The impact of growing numbers of personal computers at Dartmouth College was assessed. During one academic year (1984- 1985), the number of personal computers (mostly Macintoshes) grew from less than 50 to almost 2,000. The assessment focused on three areas: purchase and admissions data, student life, and the curriculum. Tentative findings…

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are learning management software systems that synthesize the functionality of computer-mediated communications software and online methods of delivering course materials. This report focuses on how to evaluate the properties, capabilities and orientation of different systems from an educational perspective, and…

In recognition that computers are becoming an integral part of science teaching, the British Department of Education asked the Royal Society of Chemistry to investigate the current use of microcomputers and microelectronics in teaching chemistry at the secondary school level. This document presents the results of that study. It includes: (1) an…

Laboratory instruction in engineering disciplines in recent years has been adversely affected by a variety of structural problems making it increasingly difficult to provide students with adequate hands-on lab experience on par with the ever expanding requirements of the technical job market. As a possible approach to deal with some of the…