Describes the purpose and benefits of interactivity in computer-based learning environments. Suggests strategies to assist instructional designers in effective utilization of interactivity within computer-based programs: providing comprehensive navigation options; using questions that require students to interact with the instructional material;…

H-cards have most of the advantages of traditional flashcards. They can be examined in a particular order or at random. In CD-ROM format, they are fairly portable since in many colleges and universities, each student is required to have a laptop computer. In online format, it is easy to add new h-cards to an existing set, and errors can be…

Explains the three main concepts of the system dynamics approach to model building (dynamics, feedback, and systems) and the basic steps to problem solving by simulation applicable to all educational levels. Some DYNAMO commands are briefly described. (EAO)

A study of 105 vocational school students assigned to different treatment levels (1, 3, and 5 segment chunks) found: (1) little difference among experimental treatments, (2) better performance for students above the 11th-grade reading level, and (3) interaction between chunking level and reading level. Results suggest time and expense of designing…

Reports the results of research on effects of detailed feedback on problem solving within a computer-based simulation. Participants were 54 undergraduate students. Results indicated highest performance was associated with feedback based on an expert model supplemented with provided textual commentary, suggesting that under some circumstances…

"The Electronic Bookshelf," a computer-based reading motivation/management system, is described. The program verifies reading comprehension skills, keeps student records, provides a master list of titles for students to choose from, provides feedback and the opportunity to re-quiz, allows teachers and/or students to create quizzes, and includes a…

A study was conducted to investigate the application of the PLATO IV system to training interpersonal skills. Suitable content areas were chosen, and a mechanism to integrate various skill areas was designed. Training materials for this integration of skills were developed and coded into the PLATO IV system. A sample of experimental and control…

Describes the use of interactive television in distance higher education based on experiences of an accredited MBA program at Ball State University (Indiana). Discusses how graphics were designed and used to deliver accounting instruction and feedback to homework assignments. Describes the presentation software used. (AEF)

This paper illustrates the interplay between laboratory research on feedback and development of instructional materials. Exploratory work suggests that the products of behavior or "product feedback," are functionally different from differential reinforcement. Product feedback provides the means by which self-correction can take place; differential…

Provides background information and basic options of Didascalia, a computer-assisted language learning center at the University of Antwerp (Belgium) in the domain of language methodology and technology. (CK)

With the release of ShockWave, MacroMedia Director animations can now be incorporated directly into Web pages to provide high quality animation and interactivity, to support, for example, tutorial style questions and instantaneous feedback. This paper looks at the application of this technique in the translation of a traditional computer-based…

Workshop and seminar summaries and abstracts of papers from the eleventh international conference on improving university teaching are presented. Topics addressed by theme and seminar presentations include: quality control in higher education, institutional approach to academic improvement, interactive video, international evaluation and an…

Factors contributing to the uniqueness of educational software are analyzed from contextual and textual perspectives. Contextual (or external) technological, economic, and social factors are examined briefly, and are identified as the dominant factors in the future evolution of educational software. Feedback and interactiveness, two significant…

Computer assisted learning (CAL) is an old technology which has generated much new interest. Computers can: reduce data to a directly comprehensible form; reduce administration; communicate worldwide and exchange, store, and retrieve data; and teach. The computer's limitation is in its dependence on the user's ability and perceptive nature.…

Instructional media have been studied for many years in the Department of Applied Electronics of the Royal Institute of Technology to determine their value for teaching purposes. They have been studied particularly as an aid to instruction on semiconductors. The choice of teaching format and of media has been determined by the basic philosophy…