The Accelerated Reader/Reading Renaissance program (now called Accelerated Reader Best Classroom Practices) is a guided reading intervention in which teachers direct student reading of text. It involves two components. Reading Renaissance, the first component, is a set of recommended principles on guided reading (or teachers' direction of…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed interventions to promote middle school students' math knowledge and skills. Because there is some variation in how school districts organize middle school, we considered curricula aimed at students in grades 6 through 9, covering one or more of the following content areas: numbers and operations,…

Testing and evaluation are important components of effective instructional software development. Many evaluation approaches today are multifaceted, employing a combination of methodologies and multiple data collection techniques. In this paper, several approaches to evaluation are discussed. Computerized tracking systems, videotape recording…

Understanding science and technology issues requires a number of spatial abilities in order to comprehend the three-dimensional structure of systems. Adequate spatial abilities have long been identified as a necessary mental tool for understanding science and technology phenomena. Multimedia technology has opened the door for a large variety of…

The design of a re-usable instructional algorithm for computer based instruction (CBI) is described. The prototype is implemented on IBM PC compatibles running the Windows(TM) graphical environment, using the prototyping tool ToolBook(TM). The algorithm is designed to reduce development and life cycle costs for CBI by providing an authoring…

First in a continuing series of reports on trends in marketing and publication of software for literacy education, a study explored the development of a database to track the trends and reported on trends seen in 1995. The final version of the 1995 database consisted of 1011 software titles, 165 of which had been published in 1995 and 846…

A study elaborated on the results of previous research on the effectiveness of the R-WISE (Reading and Writing in a Supportive Environment) software by examining the effects of the student factor of learner-control and the environmental factor of the teacher's preferred instructional style on student writing performance. R-WISE includes 3 specific…

Intended for classroom use only, these unpublished notes contain computer lessons on descriptive statistics using SPSS-X Release 3.0 for VAX/UNIX. Statistical measures covered include Chi-square analysis; Spearman's rank correlation coefficient; Student's t-test with two independent samples; Student's t-test with a paired sample; One-way analysis…

For many years, foreign language teachers have used the computer to provide supplemental exercises in the instruction of foreign languages. In recent years, advances in computer technology have motivated teachers to reassess the computer and consider it a valuable part of daily foreign language learning. Innovative software programs, authoring…

This paper examines the structure of the Applesoft BASIC programming language and the Macintosh authoring language, HyperCard, and scrutinizes the language structures as the building blocks for moving along a chain of cognitive outcomes that culminates in the acquisition of problem solving skills which allow the programmer to learn new formal…

A method of generating common statistical tables using canned statistical computer software is presented. This method allows instructors to provide statistical tables for their students, tailored to their needs. The four most common tables used in elementary college statistics courses are z (standard normal), t, F, and chi square. Specific…

Presenting a comprehensive look at (and critical history of) computer-aided composition (CAC), this book focuses on faculty development of software for composition studies. The book describes who is building these writing tools, how they are doing so, how their work is being received, and what is likely to affect their efforts in the future.…

This publication describes Monsters Make Believe, a computer-based, teacher-developed program for enhancing reading and writing instruction in the elementary grades. Motivation to read and write is provided by the creation of monsters. The software can even offer a vehicle that is able to write a descriptive paragraph. An overview describes a…

A study evaluated the impact of microcomputers and software in advertising media courses by surveying media planning instructors in 71 (out of 111) colleges and universities. The survey asked instructors to evaluate textbooks, workbooks, and computer software; to assess the impact of software on the media course; and to compare software users with…

While most microeconomics curriculums contain no reference to the use of microcomputers, spreadsheet packages adapt well to microeconomics courses. This presentation examines the following topics in the context of a microeconomics course: (1) The Microcomputer Spreadsheet Package--LOTUS; (2) The Spreadsheet Anatomy--cells, commands, menus; (3)…