Describes a method of assigning letter grades based on five preliminary grading routines programed in a microcomputer spreadsheet program, in which the teacher chooses the final grade distribution either from the suggested routines or by making an appropriate adjustment to them. (MBR)

Presents current licensing practices of software for microcomputers and demonstrates inadequacies of these practices to situations where installations make use of multiple microcomputers using realistic scenarios. Suggestions for possible revisions to licensing agreements that might alleviate these inadequacies are provided. (MBR)

Identifies factors to consider when evaluating educational software and describes additional criteria for evaluating software for physically disabled students. Software design which complements school curriculum and is accessible to nondisabled and moderately disabled students is presented as a solution. Sammy Series programs developed to meet…

Describes the design and operation of four software packages, or macros, written in the programing language of Microsoft's EXCEL for use on the Macintosh computer for data manipulation and presentation used in educational research. Reordering tabulated data, reversing the scoring of tabulated data, and creating tables and graphs are explained.…

Describes the design and operation of two macros written in the programming language of Microsoft's EXCEL for educational research applications. The first macro determines the frequency of responses to a Likert-type questionnaire or multiple-choice test; the second performs a one-way analysis of variance test. (Author/LRW)

Describes the mouse and other pointing devices used with microcomputers to facilitate easier user-microcomputer interaction, reviews previous educational applications and research, presents a study comparing the efficiency of the mouse with users of different ages, and discusses the implications for software design. (MBR)

Describes the design of a microcomputer-based system at the University of Ottawa which provides teachers with the capabilities of computerized slides and transparencies. The slides are texts created with word processors which are presented to the class via a large screen video projector, and software provides regular overhead projector functions.…

Discussion of how to report writing skills highlights a computer program designed to provide feedback on the communicative effectiveness of students' written reports; presents an example of the typical feedback format which the program provides; and reviews students' reactions to computer assisted feedback. (MBR)

Describes a data acquisition system developed for an undergraduate engineering students' instructional laboratory at Georgia Tech. Special emphasis is placed on the design of an A/D Converter Board used to measure the viscosity and temperature of motor oil. The Simons' BASIC Program Listing for the Commodore 64 microcomputer is appended. (LRW)

Discussion of implementation plans for the introduction of microcomputers into secondary schools in Bahrain highlights the establishment of training programs for teachers, selection of appropriate hardware, and development of an Arabic Standard for software design. A brief overview of the structure of Bahrain's school system is given. (Author/LRW)

Describes a special application of the microcomputer for small and large group instruction called Computer-Guided-Teaching (CGT). Effective teaching strategies incorporated in CGT lessons are discussed, and a description of a formal geometry course illustrates their use in CGT lessons. (MBR)

Describes design and production of the award-winning software used to control Great Britain's Open University Materials Science videodisc, the Teddy Bear Disc, which is used to teach undergraduate students about materials engineering. The disc is designed for use in one-week sessions, which students attend in July or August. (MBR)

Describes a microcomputer-based simulation for educating teachers in classroom planning and decision-making. The conversion of a card-based simulation to microcomputers is discussed; variables involved in preinstructional decisions, classroom objectives, and managing student behavior are described; and teachers' observed policies are compared with…

Discusses attributes of the microcomputer that give it advantages over other types of media equipment for large-group classroom instruction and factors contributing to teacher adoption of technology. The discussion is based on the research literature and on statistical analysis of a questionnaire answered by teachers. (Author/MBR)

Reports on a survey on use of content-free software (i.e., word processing, desktop publishing, database management, spreadsheets, statistics, and computer-aided design) by secondary school teachers in South Wales. Data are presented on computer resources, staff training, level of awareness, and utilization by grade and subject taught. (seven…