Steps used in the formative evaluation of a project designed to incorporate self-instructional materials in an introductory zoology course included techniques which: (1) involved colleagues in the material development; (2) assessed relevant student characteristics, expectations, and evaluations; and (3) were used in the examinations. (MBR)

The first purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between changes made during the development of written instruction and the effectiveness of the materials when presented to students. For this purpose, the Written Instruction Stylistic Evaluation was used to assess the comprehensibility of passages before administration of the…

This case study describes the Center for Distance Learning (CDL) from the viewpoint of a visitor from the Open University in Great Britain who served as CDL director during 1980/1981. The area, population, economy. and communications of New York State are profiled, as well as the structure of its educational system, including higher education.…

Guidelines for teachers of English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) who wish to undertake an ESOL materials development project are presented. Three areas that affect all such projects are discussed: (1) writing for a local or a wider audience, (2) writing as a team effort, and (3) writing as a decision-making process. In creating for a local…

This paper describes the findings of various researchers on the role of faculty, learners, administrators, and technology in the effectiveness of distance learners. New technology and learners' characteristics have contributed to the effectiveness of distance education. The planning and organizing of instructional materials for distance education…

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…

This document contains four papers on aviation education. The first paper, "Why Aren't We Teaching Aeronautical Decision Making?" (Richard J. Adams), reviews 15 years of aviation research into the causes of human performance errors in aviation and provides guidelines for designing the next generation of aeronautical decision-making materials.…

This collection of writings on the history and status of English language teaching (ELT) in China includes the following essays: "Historical Background" (Y. F. Dzau); "How English is Taught in Tertiary Educational Institutions" (Dzau); "Teaching English in Chinese Secondary Schools" (Yu Yining); "Teachers,…