The keys to success when selecting a microcomputer are to analyze needs carefully and determine specific criteria desired from the computer. This article provides health educators with objective criteria for such decision making. (JMK)

This guide developed by MicroSIFT, a clearinghouse for microcomputer-based educational software and courseware, provides background information and forms to aid teachers and other educators in evaluating available microcomputer courseware. The evaluation process comprises six stages: (1) sifting, which screens out those programs that are not…

Designed to provide guidance in selecting the appropriate microcomputer-based word processing program, this document discusses the key characteristics of word processing software, including formatting, editing, merging, and printing. Possible capabilities of word processing features are identified, i.e., indent, tab, center, creation of footnotes,…

Designed to complement the manual, "Evaluation of Educational Software: A Guide to Guides," which provides an overview of 10 different models of microcomputer courseware evaluation instruments, this 5-section workshop guide outlines an approach to using the evaluation materials in a hands-on workshop setting. Session notes, reproducible…

Differences in sets of criteria for evaluating microcomputer software are discussed. They are set against the results of three studies in which teachers in the United Kingdom evaluated five programs which were used in reading or English lessons. A comparison of the checklist criteria with the case study data was made using Stake's (1967) matrix of…

This guide developed by MicroSIFT, a clearinghouse for microcomputer-based educational software and courseware, provides background information and forms to aid teachers and other educators in evaluating available microcomputer courseware. The evaluation process comprises four stages: (1) sifting, which screens out those programs that are not…

Three issues are critical to the establishment of valid criteria and procedures for determining effective use of computer-based instruction. One issue related to educational software evaluation is that few of the evaluation criteria have been research validated, but, instead, are often based only on speculation and intuition. Criteria are…

Evaluating the effectiveness of career guidance programs is a complex process, and few comprehensive models for evaluating such programs exist. Evaluation of career guidance programs has been hampered by the myth that program outcomes are uniform and monolithic. Findings from studies of attribute treatment interactions have revealed only a few…

Designed to assist evaluators in selecting the appropriate software for the generation of various data collection instruments, this guide discusses such key program characteristics as text entry, item storage and manipulation, item retrieval, and printing. Some characteristics of a good instrument generation program are discussed; these include…

This issue includes 17 articles that provide suggestions for using CD-ROMs. Topics discussed include enhancing CD-ROM performance; CD-ROM management; personal computers; CD-ROM workstations; remote access to CD-ROMs; electronic publishing; local area networks with CD-ROMs; CD-ROMs and multimedia; evaluating CD-ROM products; and glossaries of local…

The International Council for Educational Media (ICEM) was asked to conduct a study based on reports from a selected number of the ICEM member countries representing different styles of educational organization (from centralized to decentralized), different organizational methods for the production of educational software (from governmental to…

This guide discusses three critical steps in selecting microcomputer software and hardware: setting the context, software evaluation, and managing microcomputer use. Specific topics addressed include: (1) conducting an informal task analysis to determine how the potential user's time is spent; (2) identifying tasks amenable to computerization and…

Explains hyper-systems and discusses their role in active learning, presents results from an expert evaluation of current hyper-systems that use HyperCard, and suggests implications for designers of educational hypermedia. System criteria discussed include purpose, domain or content, structure, navigation methods, control mechanisms, and style of…

More than 10,000 instructional software packages have been published for elementary and secondary schools--thousands in each discipline. Unfortunately, not all sources of courseware evaluations are equally reliable; therefore, it is important to determine that evaluations include: (1) critical appraisal of content accuracy; (2) in-depth…

In order to develop a systematic procedure for the evaluation and revision of educational software for microcomputers, a study was undertaken by the Educational Products Information Exchange (EPIE) Institute and the Microcomputer Resource Center at Columbia University to define the criteria that are needed to evaluate instructional microcomputer…