Describes "Getting Clean with Herkimer," a software package designed to teach elementary special education students to classify personal grooming objects. A study compared this software program with another one, including results of pretests and posttests and computer use and attitude measures. (32 references) (LRW)

A comparison of three popular computer programs for text analysis examined their effectiveness in analyzing texts written by students of English as a Second Language (ESL). Results indicate occasional incorrect advice and emphasis on relatively trivial issues, raising doubts about their effectiveness as a stand-alone revision aid for ESL writers.…

A 1989 study at Cornell University compared students' competence, behavior, and preference in searching the ERIC database on Silver Platter CD-ROM systems for IBM and Macintosh computers. Although no significant differences in search success were noted between the systems, the majority of students expressed a preference for the Macintosh's…

Compares the use of a telefacsimile network and the Internet-based software, Ariel, for interlibrary loan document delivery in the Health Sciences Libraries Consortium. Topics discussed include document processing efficiency, impact of the Ariel workstations on interlibrary loan procedures, interlibrary loan policies, and possible prototype…

Describes a survey that was conducted to identify the range of software programs in use in a sample of higher education institutions, examine usage patterns, and identify those programs reported as most useful to students, including foreign students. Gender differences and perceptions of Macintosh versus IBM hardware are also considered. (LRW)

Discussion of assessment of student performance focuses on peer assessment and the development of a hypermedia-based peer assessment tool, the MUCH system, at the University of Liverpool (England). A study conducted with undergraduate computer science students that used the MUCH system is described, and student attitudes are discussed. (Contains…

Describes a study of the retrieval results of World Wide Web search engines. Research quantified accurate matches versus matches of arguable quality for 200 subjects relevant to undergraduate curricula. Both "evaluative" engines (Magellan, Point Communications) and "nonevaluative" engines (Lycos, InfoSeek, AltaVista) were…

A study of 89 computer programming students in two instructional groups found that those using Visual Basic (VB) mastered programming design concepts as well as those using traditional BASIC. Concludes that VB is an excellent choice for a first programming course (high school or university) emphasizing sequence, selection, iteration, variables,…

This study compared the use of paper/pencil and computer tools for creating concept maps. Participants were 52 students in two combined 9th/10th grade biology classes. An independent measures research design was used. There were two treatment groups: computer and paper/pencil. The computer group created concept maps using Inspiration software…

WebQuests are activities in which students use Web resources to learn about school topics. WebQuests are advocated as constructivist activities and ones generally well regarded by students. Two experiments were conducted in school settings to compare learning using WebQuests versus conventional instruction. Students and teachers both enjoyed…

This study investigates the application of voice recognition technology to online lectures focusing on the efficacy of the text component of a multimedia presentation. Specifically, participants were provided with online access to multimedia instructional packages comprising an image of the lecturer with accompanying computer slides, plus…

A study was made of similarities and differences in parent-child interaction in two contexts: a book-reading activity and a home computer activity involving an alphabet program. A total of 20 children 3 years of age and their parents (10 children with mothers, 10 with fathers) were videotaped in two 12-minute sessions of each activity. A variety…

The TESTFACT computer program and full-information factor analysis of test items were used in a computer simulation conducted to correct for the guessing effect. Full-information factor analysis also corrects for omitted items. The present version of TESTFACT handles up to five factors and 150 items. A preliminary smoothing of the tetrachoric…

In recent years, several CD-ROM-based instructional technology applications have been developed for use in both high school and college level classrooms. As multimedia authoring techniques evolve as important tools for teaching, it is imperative that teachers and multimedia authors understand the importance of focusing on specifically how the…

New Hampshire has adopted a standards-based statewide assessment, the New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program (NHEIAP), which is designed to measure students' learning against proficiency standards at grades 3, 6, and 10. Because of the difficulty teachers had in interpreting the NHEIAP results, a custom-designed software…