Hype surrounding the promise that technology has for education began with Thomas Edison in 1913, when he predicted that the motion picture would end the need for textbooks and revolutionize schools. Years later a phase of development was fueled by government funding, and the educational film industry reached a heyday following World War II, which…

The improvement of a professional group is due, in part, to its ability for introspection and self-evaluation. This is essentially the process of "analyzing" the profession as it currently is practiced, identifying necessary changes and improvements, and "synthesizing" or creating a new image or model of the profession to…

Increasingly, "research" is not being conducted in a separate group in an organization; rather, it is being integrated into the fabric of the organization. Google recently described such an integrated, "hybrid" model of software research that is characterized by cycles of short duration and small-scope activity that is ongoing…

The author traces the growth of K-12 online learning in the United States from its modest genesis in the mid-1990s with 50,000 students to the more than 4 million enrollments today, the fastest scaling ever of any innovation in K-12 education. The evolution from one-size-fits-all online courses to innovative, blended instructional models that are…

Urges the explicit recognition of boundary conditions in instructional development. (DAG)

Discusses the need to learn how to design learning systems involving the synthesis of systems thinking and design actions. Design intelligence is considered, based on theories of multiple intelligence; new models of the information age that require systems design are discussed; and the roles of symbolic analysts and symbolic synthesists are…

Presents a model outlining three procedural steps to be followed in the revision of refinement of existing instruction consisting of component, congruence, and continuity analysis. Basic instructional components are defined and Merrill and Wood's Instructional Strategy Diagnostic Profile (ISDP) is presented as an instrument for determining…

Provides an overview of this special issue on educational systems design. The International Systems Institute (ISI), a nonprofit agency that contributed the issue, is described; and summaries of the papers are presented, organized according to major themes covered (i.e., conceptual models and issues, design applications, and design learning). (LRW)

A training model developed at the Southwest Area Learning Resources Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico, addresses problems relating to retention of training and offers guidelines to counter these problems. (RAO)

Describes three classes of variables which should be considered when one is designing instructional materials, doing research on instruction, or developing better methods of instruction, and proposes a classification scheme which is summarized in the last of the 13 figures that illustrate the article. A blbliography is included. (Author/RAO)

The last in a series of three articles reviews past efforts to provide university programs in developing countries, and discusses the need for international agencies to coordinate their efforts in offering assistance to university development efforts around the globe. Eleven references are cited. (MER)

Details a three-dimensional model developed by Control Data Education Services which provides for analysis of project needs, staffing project personnel, and tracking project tasks. Document support for implementing the model and staffing considerations are defined. (RAO)

Edgar Dale's (1946) Cone of Experience model-and various adaptations-have been used by practitioners for decades. However, little has been accomplished by way of examining and refining the model (and its associated theories). This article suggests several philosophical perspectives by which gaps in the prevalent version of Dale's Cone could be…