Nine job control language (JCL) procedures for the Rapidly Extensible Language (REL) batch system are presented. The REL system itself is a total software system designed to facilitate communication with the computer in very high level languages. Its goal is an interactive time-shared system, but for a variety of reasons it has been desirable to…

The potentialities of specialized languages, in comparison to those of other types of specialized systems, are discussed. The point is made that these languages have been invented by information processing professionals in order to assist the problem-solving activities of computer users by providing them with appropriate interfaces to the…

Hypermedia and object oriented programming systems (OOPs) represent examples of "open" computer environments that allow the user access to parts of the code or operating system. Both systems share fundamental intellectual concepts (objects, messages, methods, classes, and inheritance), so that an understanding of hypermedia can help in…

Research on man-machine communication was examined to gain insight into techniques for improving interactive programs through the enhancement of communicative style. The human-computer interaction is compared to a conversation, and specific recommendations for improving this interaction are enumerated. The suggestions are general in nature and are…

Discussion of the social role that computers play in the classroom focuses on an empirical study of human-computer interaction. Classes of high school and undergraduate students are described that were chosen to examine interactivity patterns among students with significantly different social characteristics. (11 references) (LRW)

Three outstanding features of the Rapidly Extensible Language (REL) System are discussed. REL itself is an integrated software system designed to facilitate conversational interaction with the computer, especially by those working with dynamic, highly interrelated data. The system's main parts are: 1) the operating system, which manages the…

This first in a projected series of five articles discusses artificial intelligence and its impact on education. Highlights include the history of artificial intelligence and the impact of microcomputers; learning processes; human factors and interfaces; computer assisted instruction and intelligent tutoring systems; logic programing; and expert…

A description of the Program Assembly and Monitored Execution for Learning Applications (PAMELA) is presented. It is intended for instructors who propose to use the system and for programers who wish to modify it. PAMELA is an interactive system designed to teach the operating principles of the IBM System/360 digital computer at the machine…

An attempt is made to provide a comprehensive guide to design of the dialogues between man and computer that take place at computer terminals. Particular topics include problems with conventional alphanumeric dialogues, dialogues with sound and graphics, pyschological characteristics of computer terminal users, problems of designing dialogues for…

An interactive computer-assisted instructional (CAI) system, called CODE, is used to teach transactional analysis, or coding, in elementary accounting. The first major component of CODE is TEACH, a program which controls student input and output. Following the statement of a financial position on a cathode ray tube, TEACH describes an event to…

Describes application of instructional systems design, dialog design principles, and human factor considerations in developing the Pennsylvania Department of Education's computer-controlled intelligent videodisc system, which allows K-12 teachers to preview language arts television programs and overcome their technology anxiety. The top-down…

Computer assisted instruction (CAI) can achieve its potential as a tool for individualizing instruction only if the flexible logic and memory capabilities of computers are utilized. An instructional program must be written in such a way that it can handle at least three variables: (a) who is being taught; (b) what is critical; and (c) how the…

The work of a three-year series of experimental studies of human cognition is summarized in this report. Proglem solving and learning in man-machine interaction was investigated, as well as relevant variables and processes. The work included four separate projects: (1) computer-aided problem solving, (2) computer-aided instruction techniques, (3)…