Distance education might be a viable alternative to preparing principal candidates amid a national shortage of qualified applicants. Distance education has the potential of preparing more candidates in less time than the traditional method of face-to-face instruction. Distance education allows institutions to reach candidates in rural areas that…

This report describes the status of this pilot satellite television project for the state of Alaska which provides for the distribution of television programming to the RCA Toll Centers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Sitka, and Bethel, as well as to 23 selected rural sites. The historical background is discussed, as well as the process involved…

Catalogers and library educators have long articulated the importance of preparing entry-level catalog librarians for the profession. The professional literature suggests that graduates of accredited LIS distance programs will perform at an equivalent level with those from accredited residential programs. This case study of a beginning cataloging…

This field experiment begins to build a theoretical framework for exploring the effects of media characteristics on subjects' understanding and integration of information. Students in two eighth-grade science classes wrote term papers with one class using a print encyclopedia and the other an electronic encyclopedia to conduct their research. A…

Computer assisted instruction (CAI) provides active and non-linear instruction, but the microcomputer-videotape combination permits development of a broader range of instructional activities not previously possible with microcomputers alone. Instructional materials can be displayed alternately from the microcomputer or the videocassette…

Designed to compare instructional strategies and effectiveness of medical school faculty using both in-person and two-way television delivery systems, this paper presents classroom observation data obtained from presentations by seven faculty members of the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University over a 9-month period. It includes a…

Outcomes and mediators of differences in online and traditional course delivery were tested with a sample of 112 graduate students who completed an introductory course in training and development. Specifically, the individual learner characteristics of self-efficacy, motivation, goal orientation, and meta-cognition and their effects on success…

The use of new information technology in marketing education has been widely, and often uncritically, accepted as both inevitable and beneficial with little in-depth analysis of this phenomenon, which is both a new mode of teaching (and learning) and a competency domain in its own right. This article examines both the potential advantages and…

The evaluator was contracted to determine whether the online or face-to-face course components met course participants' needs and increased their understanding and knowledge of policy development processes, and to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of delivery strategies. In addition, the course evaluator was asked to look at the…

Although it is generally believed that early intervention programmes are an effective means to stimulate children's cognitive development, many questions remain concerning programme design and delivery. This article reviews 19 studies into the effectiveness of early intervention programmes published from 1985 onward. The database comprised 85…

Many administrators are moving toward using online student evaluations to assess courses and instructors, but critics of the practice fear that the online format will only result in lower levels of student participation. Joan Anderson, Gary Brown, and Stephen Spaeth claim that such a concern often fails to acknowledge how the evaluation process…

This field study examined learning effects attributable to instructional design characteristics when eighth-grade science students used a print encyclopedia or a videotex version of the encyclopedia to write term papers. Results suggest that specific effects of instructional design characteristics of a delivery system are of a limited nature. (MBR)

Computer-based instructional applications are considered an effective alternative to traditional teaching methods and today in numerous educational and training settings, interactive computer programs are used to teach young students and adults computer literacy skills. The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes and motivations of…

This collection of five articles presents the viewpoints of experts on various aspects of the field of instructional technology (IT). Wesley C. Meierhenry traces the history of IT from its original emphasis on audiovisual media to its current concern with instructional design and the use of systems and systematic approaches. Henry T. Ingle…

The purpose of this case study was to determine if one particular course is appropriate for online delivery. Two classes, one offered online and one offered traditionally, of a comparative education course were compared. Results of the study indicate that students' satisfaction with the online course was at least comparable to that of the…