Program animation systems have not been as widely adopted by computer science educators as we might expect from the firm belief that they can help in enhancing computer science education. One of the most notable obstacles to their adoption is the considerable effort that the production of program animations represents for the instructor. We…

Educational technology and instructional design research has focused on evaluating interventions and innovations in terms of their effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal. While such indicators of learning outcomes are important, designers should also strive for engaging, socially just, and transformational instruction. To illuminate the…

Nutritional genomics, or nutrigenomics, can be considered as the combination of molecular nutrition and genomics. Students who attend courses in nutrigenomics differ with respect to their prior knowledge. This study describes digital nutrigenomics learning material suitable for students from various backgrounds and provides design guidelines for…

Due to the lengthy learning process associated with complicated clinical techniques, undergraduate radiotherapy students can struggle to access sufficient time or patients to gain the level of expertise they require. By developing a hybrid virtual environment with real controls, it was hoped that group learning of these techniques could take place…

Uses several approaches to assess the impact that using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has on students in several undergraduate courses. Describes the various CAI materials, methodology of the assessment process, and the sets of data; analyzes the data; and discusses the results with emphasis on possible reasons for success or failure of CAI.…

Describes a computer-aided supplement to the introductory microeconomics course that enhances students' understanding with simulation-based tools for reviewing what they have learned from lectures and conventional textbooks about comparing market equilibria. Includes a discussion of students' learning progressions and retention after using the…

Describes the Virtual Reality and Education Lab (VREL) established at East Carolina University to study the implications of virtual reality for elementary and secondary education. Highlights include virtual reality software evaluation; hardware evaluation; computer-based curriculum objectives which could use virtual reality; and keeping current…

Describes an interactive computer program, COLOR-TEST, that was developed at the Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria) to teach color harmony and color coordination to industrial design students. A brief evaluation of the program is presented, and further developments for the program are suggested. (nine references) (LRW)

Goal: The use of an online game for learning in higher education aims to make complex theoretical knowledge more approachable. Permanent repetition will lead to a more in-depth learning. Objective: To gain insight into whether and to what extent, online games have the potential to contribute to student learning in higher education. Experimental…

Describes a study in which 12 students' papers were critiqued by both WordPerfect's "Grammatik" grammar checking software and by real English/business communication professors. Finds significant limitations to the effectiveness of the software as a guide for student writers. (SR)

Discusses the software review process recently completed at the University of Kansas that resulted in the adoption of an integrated Web course development package. Highlights include stakeholders represented on the evaluation team; establishing review criteria; identifying and evaluating software; demonstrations; and recommendations. (Author/LRW)

This paper explores the use of technology in teaching business topics at the university level. The use of technologies in the classroom has been developed in a greater degree for non-business disciplines. Specific software programs are listed as well as business games. Finally, a listing of external funding sources is presented to assist in…

Heuristic evaluation is a methodology for investigating the usability of software originally developed by Nielsen (1993, 2000). Nielsen's protocol was modified and refined for evaluating e-learning programs by participants in a doctoral seminar held at the University of Georgia in 2001. The modifications primarily involved expanding Nielsen's…

This article utilizes several examples to describe the use of MathCAD, a computer scratchpad for calculations, within a lecture-demonstration method of teaching general calculus. Both hardware requirements and software features are discussed specifically related to the proper design of student worksheets with emphasis on parameter variation. (JJK)

Examples of subroutines that generate both symbolic and graphic solutions to differential equations are presented for the two computer algebra systems, MAPLE and Mathematica. Included are the listings for the Mathematica procedures developed for use in this article. (JJK)