Examines some factors which may threaten the use of instructional technology in specialized subject areas and suggests procedures to reduce cost and time in producing instructional systems. (Author)

Because the Department of Defense spends more than $7 billion annually on training and educational opportunities, new instructional technologies are constantly explored in an attempt to make education and training more cost effective. Technologies which have been tried include: (1) instructional systems based on behavioral objectives; (2)…

A look at Battelle's BETSY system, the primary objective of which is to provide users with a rapid, cost-effective means of retrieving resources suited to the needs of the learners. (Author/HB)

This report presents a description of a process for instructional system design, identification of the steps in the design process, and determination of their sequence and interrelationships. As currently envisioned, several interrelated steps must be taken, five of which provide the inputs to the final design process. There are analysis of…

Discusses new interactive training technologies; considers risks of adopting a new technology; and presents the conceptual framework of technology life cycle analysis that provides timing information for the adoption of a new technology that should be used in addition to cost-benefit analysis and technical analysis. (LRW)

The ongoing integration of instructional technology within community colleges has occurred for a variety of reasons. First, community colleges have implemented technology-based models to make operations more efficient and cost-effective. Second, instructional technology has been used to expand student markets through alternative course-delivery…

Cost estimates for Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) depend crucially upon the particular assumptions made about the components of the system to be included in the costs, the expected lifetime of the system and courseware, and the anticipated student utilization of the system/courseware. The cost estimates of three currently operational systems…

Initiated in 1959, Project PLATO has attempted to identify and promote technical innovations that improve computer based education and make it economically viable. Three successive systems (PLATO I, II, and III) displayed the potential of the computer to deliver high quality instruction, including programs emphasizing student autonomy and…

Focuses on the University of Alaska's Community College, Rural Education, and Extension Division, which includes 10 community colleges with large service areas and limited financial resources. Cites examples of innovative delivery systems and networks and statewide programs that enhance the availability and coordination of programs in rural areas.…

Before signing on with a private firm to manage schools, school boards should consider whether privatization will save the school district and the taxpayers money, lessen bureaucracy, and lead to higher test scores or other objective measures of improvement. In addition, boards should ask whether the proposal is free of bias and whether the…

This paper describes an effective microprocessor-based CAI system which has been repeatedly tested by a large number of students and edited accordingly. Tasks not suitable for microprocessor based systems (authoring, testing, and debugging) were handled on larger multi-terminal systems. This approach requires that the CAI language used on the…

This research report addresses two questions: Does CAI provide a suitable and acceptable medium for delivering Training Extension Course (TEC) materials to field units? Can Army lesson developers feasibly be trained to convert self-paced, audio-visual materials into CAI format and easily update such materials? The approach used was to convert six…

While the demand for increased educational productivity is clear, the methods for achieving it are largely undetermined. Cost effectiveness techniques have proved to be valuable tools for commercial organizations, but the relevance to educational problems is less than clear. Theory suggests that these techniques can be useful for dealing with…

Recommends delivery modes that use mediated instructional systems as a means of attaining desired levels of student achievement. Cites College of San Mateo's use of instructional technologies to achieve cost savings, multiply program availability, and alleviate unemployment, underemployment, and a trained employee shortage. (DMM)

This paper considers some of the problems in implementing a cost-effectiveness analysis in training and education, and provides a specific example of an analysis that partially meets the cost-effectiveness analysis requirements. A computer-based study management system (SMS), which was implemented on a limited basis, was evaluated in the context…