Describes how the NETg instructional designers devised a solution to rate what was occurring in their online courses and a quick way to convey interactivity for any unit for an entire course. Engagement and feedback charts were developed and dubbed "EKG" charts for their electrocardiograph appearance. Several EKG charts representing…

Presents five research designs--sequential analysis, value added analysis, nonequivalent dependent variables, regression discontinuity, cohort design--for studying computer-based teaching methods when a randomized two-group design is impractical; provides examples of studies employing these designs and decision flowchart; and discusses selection…

Discusses audit trails (i.e., records of learner responses) in interactive multimedia and hypermedia instruction. Topics addressed include four purposes of audit trails, including formative evaluation in instructional design, basic research, usage studies, and counseling and advising; advantages and limitations of the audit trail approach; and…

Describes a study that examined the choice of topics and problems made by 14- and 15-year-olds using a computerized tutorial mathematics program. The discussion covers the reasons for student choices, the effectiveness of the tutorial mode, and the need for teaching programs to present clear choices. (5 references) (CLB)

Discusses the evaluation of instructional software, describes two versions of a software evaluation model, and reports the results of two studies that compared evaluative decisions based upon subjective software ratings and data collected using both versions of the evaluation model. Teacher use of student data for decision making is also examined.…