Although English language learners (ELLs) have an increasing presence in postsecondary education, their unique needs are often unmet by institutions of higher education, partly resulting from their diversity--they vary in their educational backgrounds, English proficiency levels, career goals, and reasons for learning English. Many ELLs spend…

A Vanderbilt University (Tennessee) undergraduate honors course in the physics of technology, taught in a special advanced electronic classroom, uses a computer data-management program to create a "stack" of index cards, from which students can answer their own or others' questions about technology. Students learn both physics and clear…

Despite the usefulness of computers, there is no consistent objective evidence that they can help students become better writers. Even if computers alone could improve writing quality, it is important to consider what degree of improvement is necessary to justify the enormous expense and effort of installing and maintaining computers. (Author/MSE)

One section of graduate-level social work practice was taught to use microcomputers whereas another was not; all students reported high levels of computer interest, use, receptivity, and ownership. At posttest and one-semester followup, nonsignificant differences between training and control sections were found on measures of use, interest, and…

A study involving 14 experienced physicians investigated the effectiveness of a computer program (providing statistical feedback to teach a clinical diagnostic rule that predicts the probability of streptococcal pharyngitis), in conjunction with traditional lecture and periodic disease-prevalence reports. Results suggest the integrated method is a…

Examines effects of overview mode and computer experience on achievement, attitude and instructional time in a hypertext learning environment. Results indicated participants with high computer experience learned more from the program than those with low experience. Participants receiving structured or unstructured overview spent significantly more…

Although computer-based resources are appealing, there is little evidence that they are superior to less expensive traditional educational technologies in medical and dental education, and their introduction will be slow until we learn to benefit from them. However, the communications aspects of technology may be much more important and should be…

The techniques used for teaching college economics have remained relatively unchanged over the past few decades. These techniques do not give the students an opportunity to apply, to develop, or to practice the economic theory they read about and hear in lectures. They tend to reinforce student assumptions about the subject's "givenness"…

Preparing courses for flexible delivery and distance education is normally a time-consuming and expensive process. This paper describes the design and evaluation of a system that automatically captures and indexes audio and video streams of traditional university lectures without demanding any changes in the style or tools used by teachers. Using…

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 study examined effects of requiring mainly nonfrancophone university freshmen to use word processing in a French literature course. Results showed students learned word processing without harmful effects on course performance, showed greater control over French spelling and grammar, and wrote more syntactically complex French. Increased…

Literature on the influence of computers on learning in formal classroom and informal out-of-school contexts is reviewed, and the primary policy considerations in diffusion of computer-based educational technology are examined. The article suggests that the boundaries between formal and informal learning environments can be overcome with…

Implementation of an electronic-mail track as one option within a four-year medical humanities curriculum was seen by participating students as more educational than lectures, "live" group discussions, problem-based exercises, and formal papers. Participants made gains in computer literacy, critical thinking about ethical and social…

A Harvard School of Dental Medicine introductory course in computer basics and providing computer-assisted instruction in scientific research methodology is described and evaluated. Most students found the coursework difficult, and only one-quarter found it relevant. Integration of computer science into content-area courses is recommended. (MSE)