Videodiscs have four characteristics that are valuable to the researcher, namely, that: (1) the contents of the videodisc are permanent, allowing multiple repetitions using the same material; (2) the order and sequencing of the material may be changed according to the focus of an instructional program or research study; (3) videodiscs can be…

Discusses research on the effectiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) and proposes computer modeling as a tool to redirect CBI research toward more theoretically relevant and prescriptive research. Limitations of media comparison studies and media replication studies are described, and computer modeling in CBI research is reviewed. (48…

This paper discusses media comparison studies and reasons that research of this nature is pursued, especially in the area of computer-based interactive video (CBIV). Three scenarios are presented to demonstrate instances in which the knowledge of the relative effectiveness of CBIV is important and useful: (1) the case of the administrator who…

Two variables that designers should consider when developing computer-based instruction (CBI) text screens are text density, which manipulates the context of the information presented, and screen density, which is a measurement of the amount of information presented at one time on the screen. A study on text density was designed to identify…

The computer assisted instruction (CAI) program "CAI Webdi," an instructional package for deaf education which utilizes CAI with audiovisual aids, was used in a comparative study of computer assisted and videotaped instruction. Based upon a formative evaluation of CAI Webdi with post secondary deaf students, an instructional television…

Proposes directions to help researchers balance instructional technology goals with the performance of well-designed and scientifically sound studies. Issues concerning the external validity of studies, use of media replications, and learner control as a means of adapting instructional strategies to individuals are emphasized, and designs for…

A review of computer assisted instruction research and recent meta-analytical reports suggests that all research on the learning benefits of the instructional uses of computers should be halted until there is a plausible reason to expect that computers are instrumental in learning, since all existing evidence indicates that computers do not yield…

This discussion of questions related to the most appropriate role for the computer in undergraduate postsecondary education begins by describing the Educational Testing Service's evaluations of two large-scale funded projects intended to stimulate the incorporation of computer assisted instruction (CAI) into undergraduate instruction--the…

With mounting interest in what research has shown about learning through computer assisted instruction (CAI), several research analysts have recently reviewed the CAI research for the past 20 years. Each review comes up with a set of conclusions that are fairly consistent with other reviews, and the conclusions from six of these studies are…

This review considers two major areas--research on educational media and research on school media centers (learning resource centers). Research reviewed in this report is limited to studies carried out in public school settings or that deal with issues of concern in public education. An introduction discusses the changing definition of…

Claims that computers and other high technology can replace teachers and staff, thereby reducing educational costs, are unwarranted for several reasons. First, most cost analyses focus on hardware costs, which are not the major factor directing the cost of computer assisted instruction (CAI). Second, technology is more likely to change the skill…

Addresses the implicit assumption that instructional media represent meaningful experimental variables independent of instructional content or strategy. Results of computer-based instruction (CBI) studies (both well-designed and flawed) and meta-analyses are reviewed to support the authors' position that this assumption is invalid, and new…

In response to Congressional direction, a quantitative, analytical review (a meta-analysis) was completed of interactive videodisc instruction applied in Defense training and in the related settings of industrial training and higher education. Over all instructional settings and applications, interactive videodisc instruction was found to improve…

The costs, effects, and utility of mathematics instruction supplemented by microcomputer presentations were compared with those of traditional classroom approaches for grades 3 and 5. The study was completed at a single school in a rural area of Saskatchewan, Canada, where two classrooms at each grade level were used in a pretest-posttest design.…

Although some aspects of the educational effects of computer assisted instruction (CAI) are still unclear, some research findings are now quite definite. Two meta-analysis reviews of CAI have been completed at the University of Michigan, one on secondary school teaching and one on college teaching, and their findings have been independently…