Provides a summary of research on the benefits and uses of subject-matter-related humor in instructional materials, and cites comments of five experts on how to use humor in the design of instruction. Thirteen references are listed. (MER)

An experiment designed to determine the aptitude level(s) and group size which would provide optimal feedback for formative evaluation of instructional materials found that revisions based on feedback from one-to- one sessions with a mixed aptitude group were more effective than those based on feedback from a group or single aptitude level. (EAO)

Describes a project at Bell Laboratories which sought a compromise between ideal formative evaluation procedures and more feasible procedures necessitated by restrictions on time and resources. Local-trial and field-trial stages of a phased approach are discussed, as well as the benefits of field-tests. (EAO)

Comparison of costs and effectiveness of using student data for formative evaluation of instructional materials and of using instructional editing guidelines incorporating attributes of effective instruction indicate greater cost-effectiveness if guidelines are used, with no significant difference in instructional effectiveness. Subjects were 70…