Studies indicate that students who use materials chosen by their teachers score better than students using materials not chosen by their teachers even when the same materials are used. In one case 45 percent of the teachers studied had no direct involvement in the choosing of materials. (Author/IRT)

Instructional materials are mediocre and inflexible because (1) education agencies leave important decisions to materials producers; (2) students, parents, and teachers lack influence; and (3) schools depend excessively on such materials. Cites research supporting this view, and suggests broad criteria and actions to improve textbooks. (MCG)

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…

Recent information drawn from the Educational Products Information Exchange (EPIE) Institute's six-year survey and assessment of instructional materials used in United States schools is reported in this paper. Among the conclusions, observations, and recommendations reported are the following: as currently practiced in most schools, the selection…

Microcomputers in schools contribute significantly to the learning process, and software selection is taken as seriously as the selection of text books. The seven step process for responsible software selection are: (1) analyzing needs, including the differentiation between needs and objectives; (2) specification of requirements; (3) identifying…