Describes two systems that incorporate tutoring elements into pre-existing software packages: one supporting Geometer's Sketchpad and the other Microsoft Excel. An analysis of their similarities and differences provides a foundation for standardizing the components of learning environments, simplifying their creation and increasing the power of…

The MEDA (Methodologie d'Evaluation des Didacticiels pour les Adultes) tool is a generic instrument to evaluate training courseware. It was developed for software designers to improve products, for instructors to select appropriate courseware, and for distributors and consultants to match software to client needs. Describes software evaluation…

Examines attributes, characteristics, and behaviors of performance-centered software packages that are emerging in the consumer software marketplace and compares them with large-scale systems software being designed by internal information systems staffs and vendors of large-scale software designed for financial, manufacturing, processing, and…

Discusses computer-managed testing and describes a study of elementary school students that compared computerized and paper-and-pencil testing. Guidelines for computerized testing are offered, including decisions relating to hardware requirements, the testing software, and the importance of collaboration between computer programers and test…

Reviews selected strategies employed in educational and training psychology that might be incorporated into library and information management software. Based on this review, a number of potentially useful features are identified, and an exploratory study of a sampling of library and information management software is conducted based on these…

Based on evaluations of 1,025 CD-ROM products, this article summarizes trends in (1) growth of commercially available CD-ROM titles; (2) types and subjects of products produced; (3) update options; (4) hardware systems CD-ROMs are designed to run on; (5) prices; and (6) multimedia products. Possible future developments that could revolutionize…

Presents research findings from an empirical study of design strategies and knowledge used in object-oriented (OO) software design by programmers both experienced and not experienced with OO programming. Results indicated that levels of experience with OO programming affect the design process. (Author/JKP)

Discussion of the use of human markers to mark responses on write-in questions focuses on a study that determined the feasibility of using a computer program to mark write-in responses for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination. The computer performance was compared with that of physician markers. (seven references) (LRW)

Examines competing, commercially developed electronic mail programs and how these technologies will affect the functionality and quality of electronic mail. How new standards for client-server mail systems are likely to enhance messaging capabilities and the use of electronic mail for information retrieval are considered. (Contains eight…

Discusses formative evaluation of courseware and describes a study of undergraduates that compared the effects of two methods of formative evaluation on the revision of a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program written in HyperCard. Use of the one-to-one method and the small group method of evaluation are explained, and posttest scores are…

Discusses reuse of existing software for new purposes as a key aspect of efficient software engineering by matching formal written requirements used to define the new and the old software. Explores two matching methodologies that use information retrieval techniques and describes test results from a comparison of two military systems. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study by Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research Library to determine user satisfaction with the graphical user interface-based (GUI) Dynix Marquis compared with the text-based Dynix Classic Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). Results show that the GUI-based OPAC was preferred by endusers over the text-based OPAC. (eight references) (DGM)

Findings from fieldwork analyzing children's use of four interactive multimedia programs are compared with a description of early film features and used as the basis to consider problems faced by an audience encountering a nascent medium. Methods adopted to facilitate understanding of films and their suitability for adaptation to multimedia…

Reports on an investigation which utilized multidimensional scaling (MDS) of paired comparison judgments as a means of evaluating representations for moving image documents. Discusses implications of the findings for visual information retrieval and the development of digital video collections. (Author/AEF)

Describes the use of a commercial hypermedia package for the development of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for the Army's Mobile Subscriber Remote Telephone. Time comparisons with an ITS developed by programmers are discussed; users' evaluations of the two versions are described; and questionnaires used in the study are appended. (Contains…