This article discusses issues relating to the use of computer-based learning (CBL) materials for entrepreneurship education at university level. It considers CBL as a means of addressing the increased volume and range of provision required in the current context. The issues raised in this article have importance for all forms of computer-based…

Describes the development and assessment of instructional materials intended to improve student understanding of the concept of time in special relativity, the relativity of simultaneity, and the role of observers in inertial reference frames. Demonstrates the effect of the curriculum and illustrates the intense cognitive conflict as students are…

Examines the design of multimedia learning environments as a case example of the intertwined and reciprocal relation between cognition and instruction. Explores the contributions of cognitive theory to multimedia design issues and the contributions of multimedia design issues to cognitive theory. (EV)

The two goals of this investigation were to (1) examine the comprehension monitoring strategies adults employ when trying to understand procedural instructions and (2) determine how comprehension may be affected by varying such instructions. Sixty-eight college students, using instructions that consisted of either text alone, illustrations alone,…

Describes a theoretical model of stages in the comprehension of a machine from diagrams and accompanying text, and considers the implications of this model for designing hypermedia manuals that explain how machines work. Reports on three experiments with undergraduates that evaluated hypermedia and multimedia manuals based on this model.…

Discusses the design and use of simulations and games in education based on personal experiences over a period of 20 years and offers insights relating to design techniques, participant reactions, alternative approaches to learning, the impact of experiential approaches, the importance of debriefing, cross-cultural communication, and therapeutic…

Describes study that examined how Australian distance education students use and learn from textual materials. Text processing strategies and rates of progress are examined; textual features including study guides, table of contents, cross-referencing, and visual aids are considered; and recommendations for improving learning from textual…

Discusses experiential learning and the use of simulations and games. Topics addressed include teaching only with simulations; deception in simulations; ethical issues; benefits of student journals; learning processes; debriefing phases, both oral and written; the role of the teacher; political issues; and designing simulations, including…

Describes PT3 (Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology) at Vanderbilt University, focusing on the development of a modular architecture for creating, sharing, and studying the impact of high-quality learning resources. Discusses three case studies that explored preservice teacher education in three areas: how people learn, mathematics, and…

In designing teaching materials for Open University students' use, authors have been encouraged to incorporate in-text questions to assist students in understanding the materials. These are relatively simple, limited-scope questions relating directly to the preceding material, and are called enabling questions. These are contrasted with the…

This paper reports on a project aimed at designing, implementing, and evaluating a hypermedia system, IPER-3, facing the three classical problems in the history of mathematics (i.e., trisection of the angle, quadrature of the circle, and duplication of the cube). The goal of the project is to study the opportunities offered by this kind of…

Discussion of multimedia networked learning products focuses on the development of materials for a class at Queen Margaret College (Scotland). Examines cognitive issues, logistical procedures, support issues, ownership of materials, and management issues. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study that investigated how to teach computer skills to undergraduate female novice users through the design of an instructional manual that facilitated learning computer skills and increased computer self-efficacy by using familiar analogies. Treatment of the experimental and control groups is explained, and measurement techniques are…

Reports on a study that required student teachers training in business education to produce open learning materials on intercultural communication. Analysis of stages and responses to this assignment revealed a distinction between "deep" and "surface" learning. Includes charts delineating the characteristics of these two types…

Describes a British study with undergraduate accountancy students which compared the quantitative and qualitative effects of three types of embedded tasks or questions--relational-semantic, transpose-semantic, and non-semantic--on learning outcomes. Variables investigated included mathematical background, recall, and comprehension. Relevance of…