Describes eight characteristics of good educational software. They are: (1) educational soundness; (2) ease of use; (3) "bullet" proofing (preventing a program from coming to a premature halt); (4) clear instructions; (5) appropriate language; (6) appropriate frame size; (7) motivation; and (8) evaluation. (JN)

Describes the "Computer Software Inquiry Inventory" (CSI), which was designed for content analysis of inquiry-based science computer software. Explains the five basic features of the instrument. Includes analyses of two programs using the CSI categories of evaluation. (ML)

Surveyed currently available software in the physical sciences, biological sciences, and earth/space sciences. Also examined interdisciplnary and remedial programs. One finding is that the emphasis in science education software is for high school and college students with little software for junior high school teachers or students. (JN)

Describes the use of the Apple Macintosh and MULTIPLAN spreadsheet to record and analyze test data. Provides step-by-step instructions on data entry, item difficulty and discrimination calculations, test reliability, score distribution, and graphing of distributions. (JM)

Describes a computer program, "Activation Energy," which is designed for use in physical chemistry classes and can be modified for kinetic experiments. Provides suggestions for instruction, sample program listings, and information on the availability of the program package. (ML)

Discusses exemplary teacher and student characteristics that can provide the base to generate an Intelligent Computer Assisted Instruction (ICAI) shell. Outlines the expertise, learning, student-model, and inference modules of an ICAI shell. Describes the development of an ICAI shell for an undergraduate course in human physiology. (33 references)…

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…

Describes a spreadsheet computer program which can be used with an Apple Macintosh computer to perform a multitude of calculations. Discusses two types of calculations taught in general chemistry. Demonstrates how to use the spreadsheet to calculate mass percent and the formula of a compound. (TW)

Proposes to modify the procedure proposed by Abelson and diSessa to produce a polygonal path with vertices that lie exactly on an ellipse. Provides a detailed proof. Implements a limiting process to produce the best possible approximation to any ellipse for any given screen resolution. (CW)

Reviews three software programs: "Fraction Fuel-Up"; "Explorations in Chemistry"; and "Locus." Includes information on: instructional orientation, educational level, systems package, publisher, program description, strengths and weaknesses, applications, and recommendations for improvement. Includes a general critique statement in the summary…

Discusses the use of computer assisted instruction in the medical education program of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (Missouri). Describes the animation techniques used in a series of simulations for microbiology. (TW)

Lists criteria for selecting quality computer software. Describes tutorial, drill and practice, test scoring, and simulations as innovative uses of microcomputers. Establishes a need for the use of computers and courseware as learning opportunities. Defines significant vocabulary terms and concepts to promote literacy. (RT)

Presents a review of computer programs written for the Apple Macintosh computer that teach astronomy. Reviews general programs, along with some which deal more specifically with sky travel, star charting, the solar system, Halley's Comet, and stargazing. Includes the name and address of each producer. (TW)

Contains six abstracts of selected papers from the Fourth Annual Summer Computer Conference held in Eugene, Oregon. Topics reviewed include: teaching science process skills with software (three abstracts); computer use in middle school mathematics; computing and algebra; and artificial intelligence tutorial. (ML)

Describes some of the capabilities of the Apple Macintosh computer in constructing stereo pairs for three-dimensional viewing. Discusses various software packages which can produce the desired graphics. Provides examples of how to use these stereo images in geology, chemistry, and psychology. (TW)