Research on technology adoption often profiles device usability (such as perceived usefulness) and user dispositions (such as perceived ease of use) as the prime determinants of effective technology adoption. Since any process of technology adoption cannot be conceived out of its situated contexts, this paper argues that any pre-occupation with…

Proposes improved, more computer-intensive statistical techniques using bootstrap and permutation tests for analyzing results of student evaluations of teaching. Application of these methods resulted in narrower (more precise) confidence intervals and larger significance levels than more classical methods. Results indicate the new techniques…

The Jefferson Notebook system, based on a model of integrated research and instruction, is a computer program to aid in creation of hypertext instructional materials. It is currently used in college writing and academic courses. Its authoring features allow teachers to build instructional resources and integrate research and writing. (MSE)

The shift from limited-capacity personal computers to powerful workstation technology offers an environment for writing instruction that allows networking, simultaneous performance of many tasks, and tools for designing custom lessons and individual applications. At Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), a first-year writing course is supported…

Syllabus Builder is a hypertext resource that brings together scholarly, critical, and pedagogical information for literature teachers to use in curriculum development and classroom instruction. Application of the program to enhance a specific American literature anthology is described, illustrated with computer screens. (MSE)

Quality evaluation refers to computer operations for categorizing the relative quality of creative work. It can be used in college instruction to involve students and instructors in contrastive perception and distributed judgment of student work, assigning a quantitative measure to group conclusions about the relative quality of a member's work.…

Discussion of the use of virtual reality in higher education looks at how this emerging computer-based technology can promote learning that engages all seven forms of intelligence proposed in H. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Technical and conceptual issues in implementation of virtual reality in education are also examined.…

A theoretical description of hypertext is presented, and three applications of hypertext are discussed: electronic studying allows linkage of electronic note cards for writing and interrelating concepts; literary exploration allows construction and interpretation of stories with provided literary elements; in qualitative research, hypertext helps…

Artificial intelligence techniques available for generating explanations for teaching purposes are surveyed, and the way in which they are combined in a computer program that provides explanations is described. The program responds to questions in the physical sciences. Potential contributions of this technology to computer-based education are…

A project demonstrated the feasibility of accessing library information (online public access catalogs, commercial online databases, Internet) from a distance using handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) equipped with cellular communication capability. The study is described, and other uses of wireless communications in libraries and…

The evolution and design of a videodisk recording for classroom use in teaching aesthetics at the college level are described. The program presents an internationally notorious case study in art forgery. It facilitates three crucial tasks in visual art study: access to art and related information; detail; and analysis. (MSE)

A framework for examining the effectiveness of different types of educational computing environments addresses the conceptual characteristics of the knowledge domain being learned and the learner's stage of knowledge. Characteristics of certain technology-based learning environments (computer-based drill, intelligent tutoring systems, hypertext)…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of an interactive videodisk program in guiding law students through development of a civil rights court case. Results were mixed, with positive student perceptions but little improvement in performance. It is concluded that more needs to be known about this kind of orienting instruction. (MSE)

A set of guidelines for evaluating interactive multimedia used in college instruction is offered in the form of 10 "commandments" illustrated with humorous anecdotes. They stress descriptive approaches to research and evaluation, including modeling methods that integrate quantitative and qualitative data. (Author/MSE)

Access to online public access library catalogs and similar information networks by scholars in the humanities is discussed. Tools and approaches available for scholars to navigate the systems, their utility and contribution to "location independence" in information seeking, and the evolving relationship between libraries and their…