Distance Education has become an important educational model with the development of information and communication technologies in the world. It has also become increasingly used model in Turkey. In our country, the number of universities and educational organizations offering distance education programs increase day by day. Distance education is…

This paper describes an ePortfolio implementation strategy at Federation University Australia, Victoria (formerly the University of Ballarat). The authors combined a personal and practical viewpoint to elicit pitfalls, challenges, and recommendations for improvement. The paper is divided into three main areas in order to outline the experiments…

The purpose of this paper is to develop e-portfolio evaluation criteria which will be used to review the Blackboard LMS e-portfolio being used at one Higher Education (HE) institution in the UK as evaluation criteria for reviewing e-portfolio provision does not exist in the literature. The approach taken was to initiate a wide literature search…

Offers guidelines for reviewing and evaluating English language arts software. Includes advice on using the guidelines. (RS)

Discusses the evaluation of instructional computer software. Groups who evaluate software are described, including EPIE (Educational Products Information Exchange); the evaluation process is discussed, including formal and informal software reviews; criteria for software evaluation are considered; and the importance of participation in the review…

Describes the Virtual Reality and Education Lab (VREL) established at East Carolina University to study the implications of virtual reality for elementary and secondary education. Highlights include virtual reality software evaluation; hardware evaluation; computer-based curriculum objectives which could use virtual reality; and keeping current…

Illustrates a method for evaluating educational software which allows quantitative rating of questions in three main categories: teaching contents and methodology; software and design features; and users' reactions; and a fourth group encompassing general qualitative questions. The methodology proved effective in evaluating an advanced…

Heuristic evaluation is a methodology for investigating the usability of software originally developed by Nielsen (1993, 2000). Nielsen's protocol was modified and refined for evaluating e-learning programs by participants in a doctoral seminar held at the University of Georgia in 2001. The modifications primarily involved expanding Nielsen's…

This paper addresses the lack of evaluative resources for computer-assisted reading and writing instruction (CARWI). It begins by discussing the benefits, drawbacks, and effectiveness of computer-based instruction. It then describes types of CARWI packages, including: (1) writing process software; (2) electronic handbooks; (3) interactive…

A consumer-oriented model for evaluating instructional software, which would provide educators with a comprehensive outline for evaluating educational products for purchase and implementation, is proposed. Six components of such an evaluation include program characteristics, rationale and specific objectives, content, instructional format and…

A discussion of technology in higher education looks at common, often erroneous, assumptions made in evaluating computer applications for teaching. The Flashlight Project, a three-year effort to develop and share procedures used by colleges and universities to evaluate education strategies for using technology, is described briefly. (MSE)

Describes Hyper Apuntes, an interactive learning environment developed at the University Carlos III of Madrid which teaches students the basic concepts of computer programming. Discusses results of an evaluation of the courseware that assessed its usability and utility and collected suggestions for improving the system. (Author/LRW)

PLUS, an authoring system designed to develop cross-platform courseware for different computer types, was evaluated for its portability (ability to run on multiple platforms without adjustment). The procedures and computer equipment used are described, and results are presented. It is concluded that PLUS produces highly portable programs. (MSE)

This paper presents an exploratory study about the development of a structural and measurement model for the technological acceptance (TAM) of a web-based educational tool. The aim consists of measuring not only the use of this tool, but also the external variables with a significant influence in its use for planning future improvements. The tool,…

Describes an integrated authoring environment, AIDA ("Ambiente Integrado de Desenvolvimento de Aplicacoes educacionais"), that was developed at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) for educational software. Highlights include the design module, a prototyping tool that allows for multimedia, simulations, and modularity; execution module;…