Many recent models of learning and instruction center learning on real-world tasks and problems to support knowledge application and transfer. Among these models are problem-based learning and task-centered learning, two different approaches to learning that are often mistaken for one another. However, there are important distinctions between…

The rapid growth of technology has made online tools available for education. The ability to discern the characteristics of these tools and to use them appropriately for educational purposes has become increasingly critical. Weblogs and discussion forums are among those up-and-coming tools that have great potential in supporting learning. They…

Discusses the best-known examples of slow-scan television; its development; its relationship to other types of visual media; its effectiveness as an instructional method; its use in teleconferencing; slow-scan television systems and their uses; factors of slow-scan picture quality, frame frequency, and bandwidth; origination and display…

Reviews the use of media comparison studies in the field of educational technology, argues that they are weak and inappropriate, and recommends a new focus on the issues of instructional methods and learner characteristics. Discusses intra-medium studies and aptitude treatment interaction studies as better alternatives. (LRW)

Effective use of visual illustration entails consideration of specific instructional purposes, method of presentation, student characteristics, type of objectives, and cuing techniques. (LS)

Outlines positive and negative features of the lecture method and the resource-based learning method, recounts a personal experience with the responsive lecture, and discusses its potential. (MBR)

Provides an overview of this issue focusing on relationships between instructional design (ID) and classroom teachers. Topics addressed include ID in teacher planning, including the systems approach; teachers' understanding of learning theory; instructional planning; a comparison of experiences of educators who were trained in ID; and distance…

After reviewing 50 educational software titles produced by 21 companies to assess how thinking and thinking skills were developed, the author found most had similar methodological drawbacks. Describes the algo-heuristic methodological position and outlines drawbacks of current software. (PEN)

Reports a study that investigated the interactions of selected learner aptitudes and two instructional treatments, the lecture method and a videotaped presentation. Learner aptitudes utilized in the study involved measures of seven cognitive factors, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and the college grade point average (GPA). (Author)

This study of 87 veterinary medical students at Auburn University tests the effectiveness and student acceptance of interactive videodisc as an alternative to animal experimentation and other traditional teaching methods in analyzing canine cardiovascular sounds. Results of the questionnaire used are presented, and benefits of interactive video…