Describes study that compared teacher panel reviews of educational software to field test reports to determine the levels of agreement between the two evaluation types. Methods of evaluation are discussed, the York Educational Software Evaluation Scales (YESES) are explained, and the results of the study of 36 software packages are presented.…

In keeping with current Department of Defense policies on integrated diagnostics and a reduced reliance on paper-based documentation, the concept of a portable, expert-system-based job aid and training device was proposed to assist inexperienced electronics maintenance technicians in learning to maintain sophisticated equipment. A prototype was…

Discusses the development and field testing of a prototype genetics tutor program for microcomputers written in Turbo Pascal. A preliminary field test with undergraduates is described that was used as formative evaluation, and suggestions are given for designing a more effective tutor that uses additional intelligent computer-assisted instruction…

Describes a feasibility study designed to investigate interactive video and the balance of student versus program control with respect to the sequence of content presentation, the choice of how many practice exercises to do, and the strategy for alternating between the modes of receptive and active learning. (MBR)

Describes the use of computers for evaluating the Alaska Writing Program (AWP), a computer-based writing curriculum that was developed in the Yukon Koyukuk School District. The Computerized Instrument for Writing Evaluation (CIWE) is explained, and CIWE field test results are presented. (six references) (LRW)

Advocating preschool children's introduction to microcomputers, this document describes the advantages of computer learning for the child, academic skills that can be taught, results of an experiment that field tested microcomputers in a nursery school, and guidelines for parents to use when selecting software for their children. An introductory…

Discusses design and validation of a teacher-managed model employing programed-type learning materials for teaching college-level statistics which matches context of lessons to student background and interests. Current work in developing and field-testing a computer-assisted model of this type for teaching arithmetic concepts to elementary school…

Respondents to a survey of educational software producers to determine extent to which computer assisted instruction courseware is fieldtested, and what this process involves, indicate that 52% fieldtested all their software. The relevance of these results to school media specialists and their role in selecting and evaluating software is…

Introduces LearningLinks, a Visual Basic software tool that allows teachers to create individualized learning modules that use constructivist and behavioral learning principles. Describes field testing of undergraduates at the University of Virginia that tested a module designed to improve understanding of the psychological concepts of…

Describes a new model for evaluating instructional software that focuses on the extent to which students learn the skills a software package is intended to teach. Results of a field test of fifth grade students are reported, and implications of the initial evaluation of the model are discussed. (14 references) (LRW)

The summative evaluation of a courseware program designed to assist in writing the lower-case alphabet is described to demonstrate the effectiveness of a field test for answering specific evaluation questions, collecting maximum evidence on which to base conclusions of instructional effectiveness, and being flexible enough for use in normal…

It is argued that the three basic issues that have typically been the concern of formative evaluation (comprehensibility, appeal, and usefulness) tell us very little about the role that an instructional product can play in the ongoing environment of the classroom. The focus in this paper is on the field test, i.e., on research situated within the…

To explore the potential of computer controlled videodiscs for simulating undergraduate science laboratory instruction, the Annenberg/CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) Project funded the University of Nebraska to create and field test six videodisc laboratory experiments, two each in biology, chemistry, and physics. The six discs were…

Two field trials were conducted to test the effectiveness of instructional materials, which were presented on an Apple II Plus microcomputer interfaced with a videocassette recorder, in teaching mathematical skills to students who had not made normal progress in mathematics learning. In the first field trial, 58 experimental students from a high…

This thesis describes a project to design a primary school physics learning environment which takes into account teachers' needs, design procedures, properties of the learning environment, and pupil learning outcomes. The project's design team has wide experience in research and development work in relation to science education, the use of ICT in…