Discusses a three-year research project in which a virtual environment to teach radioactivity in secondary schools in the United Kingdom was developed and tested. Emphasizes the importance of involving teachers through the development process and confirms the importance of school-based evaluation studies in the development and evaluation of…

Describes Hyper Apuntes, an interactive learning environment developed at the University Carlos III of Madrid which teaches students the basic concepts of computer programming. Discusses results of an evaluation of the courseware that assessed its usability and utility and collected suggestions for improving the system. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of collaborative learning and the roles computers can take in its facilitation and management focuses on SEMSIM, a software system that was developed at the University of Leeds (England) to assist asynchronous collaborative interchanges in a pseudoseminar setting. Two initial trials are outlined, including student-teacher relationships.…

Describes a qualitative evaluation that analyzed the processes involved in the authoring of hypermedia applications for education by interviewing both researchers and lecturers from the University of Southampton involved in the development of hypermedia. Considers the quality characteristics of reusability of information, maintainability of…

Discusses some of the causes of critical attitudes toward drill and practice forms of computer-assisted language learning (CALL); considers the consequences of this attitude toward CALL; and suggests criteria for the continued development and use of efficient drill and practice forms in CALL, including user needs and low cost. (Contains 13…

Presents a theoretical framework for analyzing educational media, discusses the role of narrative in comprehension, and describes MENO (Multimedia, Education and Narrative Organization), a project investigating how students engage in exploratory learning, and the design of multimedia material for a course on Homer. Argues that narrative structure…

Describes a computer application that uses graphics, color, and animation to make the learning of statistical reasoning with uncertainty easier and more fun. Notes that the initial implementation focuses on the Dempster-Shafer model, although the design is a framework that can incorporate other models. Also discusses how the tool may be used to…

Discusses the use of state-of-the-art software tools in teaching a graduate, advanced, relational database design course. Results indicated a positive student response to the prototype of expert systems software and a willingness to utilize this new technology both in their studies and in future work applications. (JKP)

Describes experiences in mathematics with the Renaissance Project, a project designed in the United Kingdom to demonstrate the potential for interactive multimedia in higher education. Highlights include using HyperCard for mathematics software; courseware advantages; copyright; and courseware design issues, including navigation, examples, and…

Presents six principles for the design of adaptive computer-assisted language learning (CALL) programs for vocabulary that incorporate a theory describing quality in the learning outcome and linking it to the learner's approach. Highlights include interactivity; general architecture of a software system; and diagnosis and modification. (Contains…

Discusses the design and implementation of lexicons in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Topics addressed include the dictionary's role in the learner's acquisition of vocabulary as opposed to its use as a reference tool; mental lexicons; electronic dictionaries; morphological processing; context sensitivity; layering information; and…

Illustrates the design and implementation of a Java applet for use in educational propulsion engineering curricula. The Java Gas Turbine Simulator applet provides an interactive graphical environment which allows the rapid, efficient construction and analysis of arbitrary gas turbine systems. The simulator can be easily accessed from the World…

Presents an approach to computer science teaching developed at the University of Warwick (England), in which students can choose different tools and techniques according to their needs and preferences; the approach allows the system to evolve with advances in technology. Describes the software designed for the automatic submission of assignments…

Investigates the limitations of the "development to delivery time ratio" in measuring multimedia courseware development productivity. Discusses problems and defines and evaluates a metrics framework for measurement; the framework is used to evaluate the weaknesses of using any metrics based on the measurement of learner time. (AEF)

Describes the development of an Interactive Teaching and Learning Environment for Graph Sketching (ITALEGS) of polynomial graphs at the college level. Highlights include hypermedia examples, the design of questionnaires for evaluation, and enhancing effectiveness by incorporating pedagogical content knowledge in computer-assisted instruction.…