This study investigated the effectiveness of visual training or verbal training on how to use a text-picture processing strategy for learning from computer-based multimedia instructional material. Sixty-nine university students were randomly assigned to the verbal training group (students received text-based instruction for a text-picture…

Despite the potential benefits that computer approaches could provide for children with cognitive disabilities, research and implementation of emerging approaches to learning supported by computing technology has not received adequate attention. We conducted a pilot study to assess the effectiveness of a computer-assisted learning tool, named…

This paper discusses modalities of meaningful use of multimedia sources in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) theory and the design of CSCL software tools. A discussion about main similarities and differences between the concepts of networking, coordination, cooperation, and collaboration is presented at the beginning. These concepts…

Collaborative learning with recorded lectures and presentations can be supported by allowing users to anchor notes in the documents and exchange them with other learners. While the traditional modality for annotation and discussion is text, there are a number of reasons in favour of supporting other media and modalities as well. We describe the…

New technologies are used in many courses and for many occasions. Good teachers try to use the best tool and the best method to introduce or to treat difficult subjects by presenting the information in different ways: spoken words, written text, pictures, graphs, movies or by using interactive computer tools. It is a fact that students who…

Computer workstations can enhance instruction in information-intensive courses if they have the necessary hardware and software to enable users to gather, analyze, integrate, and display information. A reliable workstation has a multimedia computer, large-screen projection system, laserdisc and VCR player, scanner, printer, copier, computer modem,…

Computer uses in the classroom is the theme topic of this journal issue. Contents include: "Emo Welzl: 1995 Leibniz Laureate" (Hartmut Wewetzer); "Learning to Read with the Aid of a Computer: Research Project with Children Starting School" (Horst Meermann); "The Multimedia School: The Comenius Pilot Project" (Tom Sperlich); "A Very Useful Piece of…

For over three decades, innumerable attempts have been made to support training, teaching, and lecturing processes using computers. Results have been less than expected, and the advent of sophisticated computer based multimedia systems alone does not change this situation dramatically. However, networked variants and new ways of looking at…

This paper documents the need for new instructional methods to use with students who have disabilities, by citing results from a survey of 46 Oklahoma schools, which gathered data on the modifications used for mainstreamed students with disabilities. Next, the critical research on learning and on computer assisted instruction is summarized. A…

Describes the ways available multimedia and videodisc technologies can be integrated into the classroom to support instruction for students with learning disabilities. Three basic modes for instructional use of videodisc players are discussed: the watch-it mode, watch-relevant-screens mode, and the computer-assisted instruction mode. An annotated…

Describes the use of a World Wide Web server to support a team-taught physiology course for first-year medical students. The students' evaluations indicate that computer use in class made lecture material more interesting, while the online documents helped reinforce lecture materials and textbooks. Lists factors which contribute to the…

This article presents instructional factors that teachers should consider when selecting multimedia materials appropriate for students with learning disabilities. Specific programs and Web sites that use design features effectively are discussed, and problematic features in multimedia software packages are described, along with strategies that…

The British Open University delivers distance education to over 200,000 students per year. The University has been a multimedia institution since its inception and in addition to printed materials, currently ships to students in a single year: over 34,000 special equipment kits, around one million audiocassettes, over 100,000 videocassettes, and…

Quality in distance education and open learning is the theme of this collection of five papers. The first is a compilation of outlines of Charles Sturt University (New South Wales, Australia) innovative teaching projects contributed by project leaders or team members. Quality initiatives are described in a range of disciplines. In seeking to…

Provides a primer on multimedia instructional technology, including examples of applications from the Maricopa Community Colleges. Identifies needed equipment and software components, the players in multimedia development and use; various uses of multimedia; and issues to consider. Looks at ways community colleges have overcome problems and…