A study was undertaken at Georgia's Gainesville College to compare the distribution of grades awarded in academic courses in fall 1990 with those in fall 1996. Study findings included the following: (1) the overall college-wide pass rate in academic courses rose from 65.1% in fall 1990 to 68.6% in fall 1996; (2) excluding students who withdrew by…

The contributions and limitations of computer technology in the presentation of grammar drills, particularly in a second language, are examined by comparing and contrasting the new technology with traditional textbook instruction. It is noted that, in many ways, computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is a derivative form of traditional…

A study compared test scores obtained by adult learners taught oral, written, and/or interpersonal communication skills by four different methods over two different lengths of time. The learners and those in a control group, which was not taught at all, were 171 bank employees. The teaching methods were executive coaching (one tutor and one…

This paper addresses issues and cost benefits of World Wide Web-based education systems. It presents the results of an effort to identify problems that arise when considering this media and suggests conceptual solutions to some of these problems. To evaluate these solutions, a prototype system was built and tested in an engineering classroom; the…

Compares students in two English-as-a-Second-Language writing environments: a networked computer-assisted classroom and a traditional oral classroom. Results indicate that while the writing environment has no effect on attitudes toward writing with computers or writing apprehension, writing quality improves in the computer-assisted classroom and…

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…

Discussion of computer literacy, database technology, and higher-order thinking skills focuses on a study that compared the problem-solving performance of fourth-grade students receiving search strategy training during computer-assisted instruction with students who did not receive training. Time spent on problems and the number of correct answers…

Describes longitudinal studies conducted at the Drexel Early Childhood Center (Pennsylvania) that used Self-Controlled Interactive Learning Systems to teach reading skills. Standardized test scores for at-risk students are compared with other students; experimental and control groups using standard instruction are compared; and studies of…

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…

Describes a case study to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of multimedia teaching aids and their implementation by experienced versus novice college course instructors. Results of a five-part questionnaire which addressed attitudes and opinions, effectiveness of technology-assistance, instructor questions, environment questions, future needs…

Describes a study that investigated the effects of computer and noncomputer environments on fifth- and sixth-grade students' learning of geometric motions. The use of LOGO and the treatment of experimental and control groups are discussed, and the results of immediate and delayed posttests are reviewed. (38 references) (LRW)

Reviews empirical research from 1963 to 1991 that compared the instructional effectiveness of games to conventional classroom instruction. It is concluded that subject matter areas where very specific content can be targeted, especially mathematics, are more likely to show beneficial effects for gaming. (41 references) (LRW)

Discussion of collaborative hypermedia instruction focuses on a study that compared the achievement of eighth-grade students working individually or in pairs on a hypermedia-based unit on computer ethics. Group composition (i.e., homogeneous versus heterogeneous pairs) and the impact of social context are investigated. (Contains 41 references.)…

Describes the development of a statistical experiment to assess and compare the effects of traditional lecture and laboratory technology methods of teaching introductory computer programming concepts. Discusses the use of performance measures including tests, quizzes, homework, and projects to assess students' learning, retention, and success…