Discusses research on the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) and proposes computer modeling as a tool to redirect CBI research toward more theoretically relevant and prescriptive research. Limitations of media comparison studies and media replication studies are described, and computer modeling in CBI research is reviewed. (48…

A project involving the evaluation of microcomputer courseware being marketed for school use was conducted in the Microcomputer Resource Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, during 1982 with funding from the Exxon Education Foundation. Every courseware package was evaluated by a team which included a subject matter expert, an…

This paper discusses media comparison studies and reasons that research of this nature is pursued, especially in the area of computer-based interactive video (CBIV). Three scenarios are presented to demonstrate instances in which the knowledge of the relative effectiveness of CBIV is important and useful: (1) the case of the administrator who…

Two variables that designers should consider when developing computer-based instruction (CBI) text screens are text density, which manipulates the context of the information presented, and screen density, which is a measurement of the amount of information presented at one time on the screen. A study on text density was designed to identify…

Reviews evaluation studies, box-score reviews, and meta-analyses on effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) conducted from the 1960s through 1980s, using student achievement as a dependent measure. Conclusions are drawn as to CAI's effectiveness with regard to social and academic achievement and a cost analysis of CAI is provided. (29…

With mounting interest in what research has shown about learning through computer assisted instruction (CAI), several research analysts have recently reviewed the CAI research for the past 20 years. Each review comes up with a set of conclusions that are fairly consistent with other reviews, and the conclusions from six of these studies are…

Addresses the implicit assumption that instructional media represent meaningful experimental variables independent of instructional content or strategy. Results of computer-based instruction (CBI) studies (both well-designed and flawed) and meta-analyses are reviewed to support the authors' position that this assumption is invalid, and new…

Reports on a study of college student preferences for learning from computer-based instruction screen designs representing four levels of screen density varied by the type of stimulus material and number of frames presented from a single lesson. The implications of the results for practice and research on computer screen design are discussed. (30…

This study compared Canadian elementary teachers' perceptions of computer-assisted instructional (CAI) software with findings in the literature. Topics discussed include computer-managed instruction (CMI); computers used for drill and practice and for tutorials; effectiveness of CAI; student attitudes; students' attention span; CAI as motivator;…

A three-year study at the University of Alabama compared a traditional lecture method for teaching library research skills with a course-integrated, computer-enhanced approach by assessing each method's impact on the quality of bibliographies from engineering students' term papers. In four of the five semesters, no significant differences were…

Discusses the instructional effectiveness of various educational media, including illustrations; visual-based instructional media, including films, filmstrips, and television; programed learning; computer-assisted learning; audio-tutorial instruction; methods of group organization; and mastery learning methods. Research methodologies are also…

Reports on a study investigating the importance of audio and textual redundancy in a computer-based, multimedia training program with identical content that undergraduate students used under one of the following conditions: full-text and totally redundant audio delivery; partial-text with full audio delivery; or graphics only with full audio…

Proposes a framework to help course developers design criteria for optimal media deployment. The merits of radio, television, audio, video, and print are briefly compared with computer-based media and analyzed in light of six types of media characteristics: symbol system, access, controllability, student reactivity, interactivity, and adaptivity.…