Rapid advancements in computing have enabled automatic analyses of written texts created in educational settings. The purpose of this symposium is to survey several applications of computerized text analyses used in the research and development of productive learning environments. Four featured research projects have developed or been working on:…

Lecture videos have become an increasingly prevalent and important source of learning content. Lecturergenerated summaries may be used during a video lecture to improve student recall. Furthermore, the integration of a guest lecturer into the classroom may be a beneficial educational practice drawing the learner's attention to specific content or…

The rapid advance of information and communication technologies (ICT) has important impacts on teaching and learning, as well as on the educational assessment. Teachers may create assessments utilizing some developed assessment software or test authoring tools. However, problems could occur, such as neglecting key concepts in the curriculum or…

Because there is no commonly accepted view of what makes for good writing, automated essay scoring (AES) ideally should be able to accommodate different theoretical positions, certainly at the level of state standards but also perhaps among teachers at the classroom level. This paper presents a practical approach and an interactive computer…

Program specifics, problems, modification, and use of a general quiz program that can be utilized by teachers with essentially no programing experience are described. A printout of the program is included. Written in BASIC for the TRS-80 I/II, it can be adapted to any computer. (MBR)

An alternative approach to the systematic design and development of computer-assisted instruction courseware by classroom teachers is described which consist of three main stages of design, development, evaluation, and revision. Each stage produces a usable output: (1) computer-assisted testing program; (2) drill and practice courseware; and (3)…

Acadia University (Nova Scotia) has completed year two of the Acadia Advantage initiative, which involved 1,500 students and 170 faculty using IBM notebook computers in the curriculum. By year 2000, all 4,000 students at Acadia University will have notebook computers and will be taking part in technology-enhanced courses. To assist faculty, the…

Podcasting has become a popular medium for accessing and assimilating information and podcasts are increasingly being used to deliver audio recordings of lectures to campus-based students. This paper describes a simple, cost-effective and file size-efficient method for producing video podcasts combining lecture slides and audio without a…

TestMaker is a project in which computer-based programs are being developed to help educators create tests. The program was designed as an instructional and developmental tool for teacher-education students. TestMaker consists of four modules: Advisement; Test Creation; Student Test; and Presentation Analysis. The Advisement module runs…

The use of computer-produced materials remote from the terminal can revitalize teaching devices and techniques such as graded exercises, precision teaching, and even conventional text. Teachers need to be aware of inconsistencies in the quality of computer software and of logistical factors involved in the adoption of computer assisted instruction…

Reviews seven commercially produced test generator programs appropriate for use by classroom teachers or individual instructors and identifies item construction and test formatting features that facilitate test design and delivery. Test generator programs and their manufacturers are listed. (MBR)

Describes the creation of a computer-assisted course in introductory psychology. Discusses cost, availability, and requirements for hardware and software development. Provides a guide for teachers interested in developing such a course. Discusses student projects, a homework checker, exercises, and examinations. Argues that the technology frees…

Drawing from personal experiences in the development of an interactive testing program for a sociology course, this paper discusses issues related to the use of computer-based education in social science classes. First, the paper describes the steps taken by the Community College of Denver to introduce interested faculty to the possibilities of…

Discusses the use of videodiscs in education and highlights four main areas of application: (1) direct instruction, or programed lessons; (2) instructional support, including teacher designed lessons and the use of visual aids; (3) independent research, which students may use in conjunction with traditional reference materials in the library; and…

Describes an expert system designed to simplify evaluation of teacher-authored high school matriculation examination forms for official recognition. Because conventional knowledge-engineering methods were inadequate, a learning-by-example model called the Ordinal Learning Model was utilized. Responses from the system's users during a two-year beta…