This paper reviews 12 research-based principles for how to design computer-based multimedia instructional materials to promote academic learning, starting with the multimedia principle (yielding a median effect size of d = 1.67 based on five experimental comparisons), which holds that people learn better from computer-based instruction containing…

Multiuser immersive learning scenarios hold strong potential for lifelong learning as they can support the acquisition of higher order skills in an effective, efficient, and attractive way. Existing virtual worlds, game development platforms, and game engines only partly cater for the proliferation of such learning scenarios as they are often…

The serious games community is moving toward research focusing on direct comparisons between learning outcomes of serious games and those of more traditional training methods. Such comparisons are difficult, however, due to the lack of a consistent taxonomy of game attributes for serious games. Without a clear understanding of what truly…

Software for text processing and presentation design is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find a good solution for collaborative writing of technical course material, allowing the creation of high quality lecture notes and presentation slides from a single source. This article presents a new editing framework…

Reviews the literature pertaining to the design of the layout of computer text screens as a means of maximizing comprehension in computer-assisted learning. The literature on the design of instructional text is also examined to extrapolate principles that may apply to screen design. (Author/LRW)

This report describes the development of a Drexel University electrical and computer engineering course on digital filter design that used interactive computing and graphics, and was one of three courses in a senior-level sequence on digital signal processing (DSP). Interactive and digital analysis/design routines and the interconnection of these…

This paper summarizes research in modern cognitive theory that relates to the role of computer drill and practice programs in learning and describes a prototype program that exemplifies recommended characteristics. Focus is on four major issues that are relevant to the design and optimization of computer drills: interference, spaced practice,…

Reviews some of the assumptions underlying authoring guides and evaluation instruments for computer assisted instructional materials and recommends that software design and evaluation criteria be derived from a consistent learning theory base which considers the type of learning, type of learner, and instructional context. (Author/JJD)

Addresses educational theories in the design of interactive learning environments, and examines implications for effective instructional multimedia design. Argues for the use of dynamic modeling tools and suggests that systems thinking is a cognitive skill that technological developments, particularly in multimedia, have made more addressable.…

Argues for the development of tailor-made computer-assisted learning (CAL) tutorials with the aim of replacing traditional lectures in second-language instruction. Issues related to the production of multimedia modular templates and prototypes, including module design, design criteria, methodology, and learner interaction, are described. (seven…

This paper presents an outline and a discussion of the philosophy and rationale for a course taught on Web design and production for teachers at the University of Nevada, Reno. Concepts illustrated on the demonstration page are listed, as are sites to which the main course page has links. Aids and cautions for instructors are provided. The problem…

This report provides a summary of the 2-year IVSET (Interactive Videodisc for Special Education Technology ) project which refined microcomputer and videodisc system hardware, produced instructional packages, and investigated the system effectiveness. These activities built on the achievements of a pilot project which had developed a preliminary…

This description of an interactive instructional computer program in sentence combining for upper elementary and middle school students begins by summarizing the content of the program, which focuses on the instructional technique in which students are given two or more short simple sentences to combine into one longer, complex and/or compound…

Computer assisted learning (CAL) is an old technology which has generated much new interest. Computers can: reduce data to a directly comprehensible form; reduce administration; communicate worldwide and exchange, store, and retrieve data; and teach. The computer's limitation is in its dependence on the user's ability and perceptive nature.…

This paper described a set of computer programs designed to assist the development of instructional programs utilizing a microcomputer-controlled videodisc player. The hardware and software systems and instructional programs were developed by the staff of the Interactive Videodisc for Special Education Technology Project (IVSET) at Utah State…